Following to the swift decision taken by the Speaker of Parliament Hon. Abass Chernor Bundu over the unfortunate event in the Well of Parliament where Members of Parliament were spotted on a video throwing punches at each other, Sylvia Blyden has today commended the Speaker for saving the APC MPs from Section 96 of 1991 Constitution. This swift action of the Speaker Sylvia Blyden thought Dr Abass Chernor Bundu is worth commended for his peace and cohesion ruling.

Pages 5, 6 and 7 of Friday 2nd December edition of Awareness Times printed and published the Full Text of the November 30th 2022 Eminent Ruling by the Speaker of Parliament rendered about the 23rd November 2022 unfortunate development in Parliament.

Sylvia reflecting to the reactions from the public bashing at the Speaker, she totally disagree with those lambasting the Speaker and continued that everything Dr Abass Bundu ruled on was 100% within his purview.

“I will have to dissent and diverge from the opinions being expressed against the November 30th 2022 Ruling of the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu in the extant matter. I totally disagree with those lambasting the Speaker. Everything Speaker Abass Bundu⁩ ruled on, is 100% within his purview,” she noted.

Delving deep to her reasons for her stance in the subject, Sylvia Blyden disclosed:

“Everything Speaker Abass Bundu⁩ ruled on, is 100% within his purview especially considering the two points the Speaker repeatedly hit upon – Firstly, according to Bundu, the crafters of the Constitution never envisaged something like this and so there is no remedy for it. Secondly, the Speaker has to now design ‘remedies’ using his powers under Parliament’s Constitutional Standing Orders – to be precise his powers under S.O. 83(1) inter alia.

Let me use this chance to publicly thank the Rt. Hon. Speaker Dr. Abass Bundu⁩ for behaving like a Father in his Ruling especially in his Sixth Order he gave. May God bless him.

The Truth is that the 1991 Constitution, whilst indeed not expressly foreseeing such a physically violent situation as unfolded, did include what seems to be ‘Double Jeopardy’ within the caveat that is embedded inside Section 96 of our Constitution but to my mind, it is not really a ‘Double Jeopardy’ at all.

To my mind, it was deliberately done by the crafters for reasons that should be patently clear. Therefore, I think the good Speaker Dr. Bundu is fully aware of the deliberate inclusion of Section 96 within our Constitution but for fatherly reasons, and I daresay for reasons of a much needed National Cohesion, he has ruled as he did. Brilliant!

The All Peoples Congress as a party and our elected APC MPs should actually be thanking Speaker Abass Bundu⁩. I am therefore amazed to see a few of my Comrades are doing the exact Opposite and lampooning the Speaker.

The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Bundu, actually behaved like a Father to the 3 Members of Parliament with that Ordered Respite for them as listed down in his Order #6 that proclaimed for the Sierra Leone Police to close down their criminal investigations into the matter.

The Speaker has ordered that the matter which occured within Parliament should not be the subject of criminal questioning of elected Parliamentarians by the Police.

Some have debated whether such powers of Parliament exists. In my view, the Parliament, through the Speaker, can actually help to balance our Democracy if they really want to. They have tremendous powers and so they can exert their Authority over the Sierra Leone Police.

It is a pity that such powerful authority was never exerted prior to now. I still remember when elected MPs suffered undue indignities at the hands of the Police with Parliament never rising to the occasion. However, better late than never.

Personally, I am convinced that History will be VERY KIND to Speaker Abass Bundu over this particular Ruling which has contributed to ongoing development of our Peace and Cohesion.

Thankfully, because of the Ruling of the Speaker, the three elected Members of Parliament may no longer need to be in an ignoble low profile (i.e: be on the run). The eminent ruling gives Respite to our exuberant, youthful, normally well-mannered, elected Parliamentarians who recently exhibited human frailties for which much profuse Apologies have already been rendered.

I commend Speaker Abass Bundu for saving APC MPs from Section 96 of the 1991 Constitution.

May God bless you The Right Honourable Doctor Abass Chernor Bundu. History will be kind to you. Amen.”