The Parliament of Sierra Leone has started to talk about a leaked document titled, "Parliamentary Welfare Act 2022," saying "it has nothing to do with the above-mentioned bill."
If the leaked document seen by this media had become law, Sierra Leone would have had to spend a total of $2,190,000 US dollars per year on medical allowance for 146 Members of Parliament, including 132 elected political party representatives and 14 Paramount Chiefs Members of Parliament, their wives, and 438 children each, and $3,650,000 US dollars for vehicle allowance per session.
The leaked document went viral on social media with lots of condemnation from members of the public, the media, and civil society based on the current economic status of the country. In response to the massive outcry over the said document, the Sierra Leone Parliament, in a press statement dated June 8, 2022, has begun to discuss it.
The press release from the Office of the Clerk of Parliament acknowledges that they have seen the leaked document on social media entitled, "Parliamentary Welfare Act 2022, with the name of the Speaker of Parliament ascribed."
Before this recognition, Campaign for Human Rights and Development International (CHRDI), a rights-based public social-policy advocacy organization, calls on Sierra Leone's government to reject the proposal for salary increases for Members of Parliament on Tuesday, June 7th, 2022.
In a press statement, CHRDI draws the attention of the government, civil society organizations, and citizens to stop the current initiative in the country’s Parliament that aims to increase the salaries of the 146 Members of Parliament.
The Clerk of Parliament, while opening up, described the leaked document as a "private member’s bill" that has "not been presented to Parliament for consideration." He confirmed that neither the office of the Speaker nor the Clerk was aware of its existence.
CHRDI described the attempt to increase Members of Parliament’s salaries, including benefits such as wardrobe allowances, as an act that "demonstrates that our legislative is tone-deaf to the continued suffering of the people of Sierra Leone."
The campaign group said Sierra Leoneans have "for years now, suffered the harsh economic and social impacts of the global pandemic, coupled with multiple failures by the government to deliver on the promises they made four years ago."
He said at a time like this, families are considering how to tighten their belts even more than before because, according to him, "it is preposterous for the Parliamentarians to ask that their salaries and benefits be increased."
CHRDI believes the rift between the voting public and the government, including Parliament, has been widened in recent decades with little done by the elected officials to restore the trust of the public in the highest offices of the country.
In an exclusive interview with the BBC, the Clerk of Parliament, Honourable Paran Umar Tarawally, said, "There is nothing wrong for Members of Parliament to advocate for a better condition of service, but it should be timely."
According to the Civil Society Organisation, a strong representative democracy needs an open and transparent government, and politicians should represent their communities and protect the public interest, not their private interests.
CHRDI said, "This Bill to increase salaries and benefits is the definition of the lack of respect and honesty to the voters."
However, in the Parliamentary press release, the Clerk notes, "even though it is the right of individual Members of Parliament to prepare and pilot a private member’s bill as provided for in Standing Order 61, Parliament wishes the general public to note that it has nothing to do with the above-mentioned bill."
The Clerk went on to state that the law provides that for a private member’s bill to be recognized by the House, it must be published and formally served by the office of the Clerk. He, therefore, confirmed that "as at the time of this release, the bill in question has not met the conditions and hence is not before Parliament."
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