17 January, 2012
The party responsible for ensuring the electoral victory of president Koroma at the 2007 run-off elections – PMDC, have today reacted to the violence that took place at the Local Council by-election, at Fourah Bay – eastern district of Freetown last Saturday.
Popularly branded by Sierra Leoneans as the ‘king makers’, the PMDC party is a breakaway splinter of the main opposition SLPP party, which had no fewer than five cabinet positions on president Koroma’s ministerial team.
But after four years of shaky partnership, the marriage of convenience has come under a lot of strain and is fast unravelling, with some of the PMDC ministers sacked by president Koroma to make way for loyal members of the APC party, he believes he can trust.
The PMDC leader – lawyer Charles Margai has been quite vocal in his condemnation of government corruption and the president’s failure to curb the excesses of those in power.
With presidential and general elections taking place in ten months, it is looking very doubtful whether PMDC will be pitching tent with president Koroma’s APC to ensure another electoral victory.
Speculations are rife, of a rapprochement taking place between PMDC and the main opposition SLPP to form a united front against the ruling party, at the ensuing polls in November.
There is little doubt that last weekend’s election violence in Freetown has driven a much bigger wedge between the ruling APC and the PMDC leadership.
This is what the PMDC statement issued today, in response to the ruling APC party’s finger pointing had to say:
“The ugly and violent occurrences over the weekend of Friday 13th January, 2012 in Ward 369 Constituency 104 during the bye-election which took place on Saturday 14th January, 2012 to replace the deceased Councillor Ade Leawally resulting in the stabbing of Lansana Fadikah of the A.P.C. and Councillor elect Mohamed Kanu Mansaray of the S.L.P.P; the beating up of Aziz Carew, S.L.P.P. Chairman in Constituency 104 in consequence whereof his assailants who are personnel of the Sierra Leone O.S.D left him in a coma; the irresponsible behavior of two of Sierra Leone’s musicians Alhaji Jalloh aka L.A.J. and Big Fish during which there was a discharge of fire arms occasioning the deaths of three Sierra Leoneans, have once again brought into focus the daunting tasks Sierra Leoneans are likely to endure during the Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Council Elections scheduled for 17th November, 2012. P.M.D.C. views these irresponsible and unwarranted behaviour with disdain and utter abhorrence and therefore condemns such acts in the strongest possible terms.
“The party attributes the continued violence in our beloved society to the lack of political will on the part of President Ernest Bai Koroma to act decisively in matters directly affecting his political cohorts and trouble makers. We therefore hold him culpable for all that has happened thus far in the nature of political violence and related incidences.
“The President should realize that he has a sacred duty to protect the lives and property of Sierra Leoneans and non-Sierra Leoneans alike, regardless of political lineage, patronage and/or chronism.
“Failing to discharge this noble duty is likely to ignite impeachment proceedings leading to his removal from office, by invoking Section 51 of the Constitution of Sierra Leone Act No.6 of 1991.
“It is the view of P.M.D.C. that had the President fully and honestly implemented the recommendations of the Shears-Moses Commission of inquiry report, presented to him well over a year ago, the message of intolerance of such despicable behaviour as referred to above, would have been conveyed and understood by these hoodlums.
“By reason of the premise, the party recommends as follows:-
1. The President should within four weeks from the date hereof fully implement the Shears-Moses Commission of Inquiry Report preceded by a Government white paper
2. All perpetrators of the weekend violence to be charged to court and given an impartial trial
3. To independently investigate the arrest of Aziz Carew resulting in him being left in a state of coma
4. All peace loving Sierra Leoneans regardless of party affinity to brace themselves up for a peaceful demonstration denouncing violence from whatever quarters.”
Signed
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Aiah Erick Jabba
Acting National Secretary-General
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