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Augustine Sorie Sengbe-Marrah, President of the Sierra Leone Lawyers’ Society, has sharply criticized the country’s legislature, describing it as the “weakest Parliament in Sierra Leone’s history.”
Speaking in an interview with Liberty Online TV, Sengbe-Marrah reflected on government’s plans to create new localities, arguing that the process has been driven more by political motives than by a clear, evidence-based rationale.
“Sometimes, when you’re doing the work of an activist, the one who opposes benefits because naturally the opposition wants the outcome for a different purpose, and you want it for a different purpose — but the two of you are interested in the same outcome,” he explained.
“So, regardless of whether Mayor Yvonne Aki- Sawyerr and Kasho Holland-Cole want this for a different purpose, the fact of the matter is multiple localities should not be there.”
He stressed that while politicians often act to advance their own political interests, in this case their motives overlap with the demands of citizens and activists calling for rational governance. “We should not fault them when their political objectives align with the genuine needs of the people,” he added.
Sengbe-Marrah also argued that the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) government has failed to present a serious, data-driven narrative to justify the creation of multiple new localities. “If the government had come with convincing evidence, neutral people would have looked at it and commended them,” he said.
On the electoral system, the Lawyers’ Society President expressed support for the Proportional Representation (PR) system, describing it as “a good system of electoral governance,” but cautioned that Sierra Leone “is not yet matured enough for it.”
Comparing the current legislature to its predecessors, he lamented the decline of parliamentary strength and independence. “Sierra Leone does not have that kind of strong Parliament compared to the first Parliament before. This is the weakest Parliament,” he declared.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1A7Y1ySVwS/
