Speaker Thomas plays host to Chinese delegation from the Hubei Provincial People’s Congress.

 The Speaker of the Sixth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone, the Rt. Hon. Speaker Segepoh Solomon Thomas has on 04/08/2025, played host to the Chinese Delegation from the Hubei Provincial People’s Congress of China. The Chinese Parliamentary visit to the Rt. Hon. Speaker Segepoh Solomon Thomas was pegged on the notion of peer knowledge sharing between the two legislative bodies.

Wang Yanling, the Head of the Chinese Delegation from Hubei Provincial People’s Congress, who is also the Secretary General of the Communist Party of China and Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the Hubei Provincial People’s Congress, chiefly thanked the Rt. Hon. Speaker Segepoh Solomon Thomas and all the Leadership of the Sierra Leone Parliament for the memorable hospitality accorded to her delegation. She said Hubei Province had a long-standing relationship with Sierra Leone. She informed the Rt. Hon. Speaker, that their visit was to share knowledge or ideals of mutual cooperation between the two nations.

She continued that Hubei is geographically located in the center of China. She added that China has a National Strategy known as the Rise of the Central Heart of China, of which Hubei is a strategic pillar in such National Strategy of China. He further intimated Speaker Thomas that Hubei is home to a population of sixty-one (61) million people.

Madam Wang Yanling also elucidated that the mission of the Hubei People’s Congress is to achieve integration of the principles of where people could be the masters to determine their own fate of democracy and the rule of law. She  said in China, they had the National People’s Congress and the People’s Congress, which both operate on a separate level. She furthered that  the People’s Congress comprises deputies.She said the Standing Committees of the People’s Congress is a regular mechanism set up by the People’s Congress.

According to their Constitution of China, she said the People’s Congress should fulfil four mandatory functions, which are Legislation, Oversight, validating the appointment of Presidential Nominees, and decision-making power over very important issues.

 She concluded by appealing to the Rt. Hon. Speaker to make a Sierra Leone Parliamentary Delegation for a reciprocal visit to Hubei Province in China.

In his remark, the Rt. Hon. Speaker Segepoh Solomon Thomas welcomed the delegation to the Sierra Leone Parliament. Just like the People’s Congress of China, Speaker Thomas enlightened the delegation that the Sierra Leone Parliament has three mandatory functions, which are Lawmaking, Oversight, and Representation.  He said the Electoral System of Sierra Leone Parliament is known as the Proportional Representation System or the List System.

 He continued that the Sixth Parliament has a composition of all tribes across the country, adding that all the districts are represented in the Sixth Parliament.

However, he noted that Sierra Leone has two Major Political Parties, which are the All People’s Congress Party (APC) and the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP). He emphasized that the Sixth Parliament had been robust in its responsibility, especially in the area of oversight, lawmaking, representation, and the vetting of Presidential Nominees and possible approval or rejection of same, as the case may be.

 The Rt. Hon. Speaker made pragmatic instances wherein Sierra Leone Parliament had to reject Presidential Nominees with dual citizenship, criminal records, or incapability to handle such office appointed to be manned. The Rt. Hon. Speaker appreciated the delegation for the visit and also pinned the invitation request made by the  Head of Delegation to Mr. Speaker for further consideration.  The meeting was climaxed by the presentation of a gift to the Rt. Hon. Speaker Segepoh Solomon Thomas from the Chinese Delegation from Hubei Province.

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