The House of Parliament is the legislative arm of government that is responsible to make laws for the smooth running of the State, approve budgets and presidential appointments, ratify international treaties and checkmate the executive and judicial arms of government. There are 132 members of parliament representing the country’s 132 constituencies, 14 paramount chiefs members of parliament representing the country’s 14 districts. In total, there are 146 members of parliament elected and paid by taxpayers to perform the aforementioned responsibilities. To show how dignifying parliament is, members of parliament are bestowed upon are addressed with the title “honourable.”
The display of violence in parliament on Monday 19th April is worrisome and not a good example for the people of Sierra Leone, especially the youths. It is unbelievable for parliamentarians to turn parliament into a boxing and wrestling battlefield where blows are traded, unpalatable expressions and tossing of objects. Is this a portrayal of honour? What is more embarrassing is to see videos of such a dishonorable output on widely followed global online platforms.
By putting on such a show, those parliamentarians have lost the moral grounds to advice youths to desist from violence. These are the same people that constantly indict youths of being violent, uncontrollable, idle and misguided but yet they can perpetrate violence on camera for the whole world to see.
