Sierra Leone Telegraph: 18 April 2021:
Last week, Sierra Leone’s political parties’ watchdog – the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC), published a scathing report criticising the ruling SLPP for its undemocratic approach in conducting its district level elections, ahead of a national convention that will elect the party’s 2023 presidential election flagbearer and administrative executives, including a new chairman.
The SLPP party’s conduct of those district level elections have been largely marred by violence, intimidation, and electoral malpractice.
In its report, the PPRC said that the SLPP must change its electoral rules to ensure fairness and democracy. But some of the party’s national executive officers, including the chairman Dr Prince Harding have opposed the PPRC recommendation.
Yesterday, the party’s National Secretary General – Mr. Umaru Napoleon Koroma (Photo) issued a public statement on behalf of the party. This is what it says:
“On 17th of April 2021, the leadership of the party met and discussed in detail the issues relating to the conduct of our Executive Elections, reports submitted by the Southern Region and Western Area Elections Complaints committees and the recent PPRC directions in relation to the executive elections in Kenema and Kono Districts.
The Leadership of the party has come to the following conclusions which, I have been directed to communicate to the entire membership of the Sierra Leone People’s Party in the Republic of Sierra Leone.
1. WESTERN REGION.
i) All district elections in the Western Region scheduled to take place today 17th April 2021 are hereby postponed with immediate effect.
ii) Any election/elections conducted on today’s date 17th April 2021 in the Western Region of the Republic of Sierra Leone, is/are hereby nullified.
A) EAST RURAL DISTRICT.
1. Elections in constituencies 105, 106, 107 and 108 are to be re-conducted under the supervision of the PPRC and other persons designated by the National Secretariat for that purpose.
2. The Secretariat is directed to convene a meeting of the district and constituency executives to meet and scrutinise the delegates list for the conduct of these elections.
3. The date for this meeting shall be communicated.
B) EAST URBAN DISTRICT.
1. Results for elections conducted by the District Executive in constituencies 114, 118, 120, 122, 123 are hereby upheld.
2. For elections in constituency 115, the Secretariat is directed to convene a meeting of the constituency executive. Further directives on this constituency will be communicated after the said meeting.
3. In constituency 116, the elections shall be re-conducted after the list of delegates has been duly verified and signed by the Constituency Chairman and Secretary.
C) CENTRAL DISTRICT.
1. In constituency 124, the District Executive is hereby directed to declare and install Mr. Mohamed Brima who legitimately won the elections for the position of Young Generation Leader and duly submit the list of executives for that constituency.
2. The action of the returning officer in that election to declare another person in-stead of the above-named winner, is hereby nullified.
D) WEST DISTRICT.
1. In constituency 128, the Secretariat is directed to investigate the issue of the creation of additional Zones and thereafter give directions on the constituency elections so held.
2. In constituency 130, the result for the elections conducted is hereby upheld.
E) WEST RURAL DISTRICT.
1) In constituencies 110, elections for the positions of Women’s Leader, Financial Secretary, Treasurer and Organising Secretary are to be re-conducted.
2) In constituency 111, the secretariat is directed to convene a meeting of the parties involved to discuss and give further directions.
3) In constituency 112, the elections to be reconducted after a full verification of the delegates list.
3. SOUTHERN REGION.
A) BO DISTRICT.
1) Executive election for the SLPP Bo District is hereby postponed, a new date will be duly communicated.
2) That the Chiefdom elections in Komboya and Badjia chiefdoms be re-conducted.
3) That the sectional elections in Bagbe chiefdom be completed and the chiefdom election be conducted.
4) Elections in Bonthe, Moyamba and Pujehun are to proceed without any hindrance.
4. EASTERN REGION.
a) The party leadership will very soon complete its discussion of the directions given by the PPRC in respect of Kenema and Kono and shall proceed thereafter to issue its own statement.
b) District election in Kailahun should proceed on today’s date.
5. NOTHERN REGION.
1. The party leadership is monitoring the elections in Bombali, Koinadugu, Falaba and Tonkoli to ensure that the party’s constitution and Rules and Regulations are strictly complied with.
2. The party shall nullify any elections that are conducted in breach of our Party’s Constitution and Rules and Regulations.
6. NORTH WESTERN REGION.
1) The elections in Karene, Port Loko and Kambia are to proceed without any hindrance.
All re-run elections shall be duly conducted in a very transparent manner and all election processes shall be duly recorded and presented to the Leadership of the party.
All party members and supporters are advised to maintain the peace throughout the process and continue to be patience.”
A slap on the wrist is what the SLPP gets for widespread election violence. Compare that to Justice Fischer’s ruling that banns the APC Secretary General, the APC chairman and Leader and all chair persons of the APC for not following a code of conduct of a different kind that does not involve violence. Justice Adrian Fischer does not want to be seen as the man who banned the APC but his action is tantamount to banning the APC party. Instead of issuing a warning and have the APC conduct its convention, he took it upon himself to cripple the APC. Why is there such alarming disparity between how the various parties are treated and how the PPRC and the courts treat cases These are sad days in Sierra Leone.
Stargazer, would it be out of your character to use language palatable to the wider audience, especially my grand children who read the forum pieces? You can still make your point by using non-inflammatory language. ENOUGH RESPECT.
Hahahaha…Alright i see where this is coming from;Yup,the kitchen has become too hot for them to handle and they now believe that Stargazer is the one that is creating the heat that is suffocating them – I heard voices from a distance chanting frantically in frustration Stargazer must now GO. (lol) Oh Well,before I would attempt to answer any questions from anyone,they will first have to earn it.Now here’s a riddle I created so that i can easily be able to assess the mental aptitudes of my detractors.(lol)
Here it comes: A man walked into a restaurant and orders a half of a chicken;The waiter repeats the order and said;”A half chicken is all you want?” And the customer replied:” Yup that’s correct.” So the waiter disappears into the kitchen and returns a few minutes later with a whole chicken roasted with fresh garlic and onions. The customer was ecstatic. Then the waiter asked the man;”Is this what you ordered Sir?” And the customer replied;”Precisely prepared,thank you”. Now here comes the question – he ordered a half chicken,the waiter repeated and confirmed it,yet came back with a full chicken and both agree it was correct; Answer – Why was it so? And there you have it,rack your brains over it and get back to me; (lol) Shout-out to my lovely Nubian Princess that sticks with me even when I lose my cool and sometimes act the fool.(lol) I appreciate you baby girl!
The political parties registration commission latest criticism of the democratic credentials of the ruling SLPP party, on their latest forays and conduct of district level elections shouldn’t come as a surprise to us. It should concern us all. Just because we are not members of the SLPP party,or any party for that matter, we shouldn’t be dismissive of the concerns raised by the political parties registration commission. What they are doing in the SLPP party in suppressing voter participation, can be easily applied in our national elections. So it is in the interest of all of us, to make sure these parties and their leaders obey the rules that underpin the democratic process within their parties both at local and national level. Because the people who end up forming national governments come from these parties.
The SLPP party and its leaders have shown time and time again they are not interested in nurturing or encouraging voter participation, which is the only vehicle use by the voting public for effective representation and accountability that is the ingredient of what is and remains the only tool that is expected in a truly functioning electoral system in a democracy. When we talk of political parties, they are the only vehicles used by the voting public to access political representation. And when people running these parties can’t conduct local party elections on district level, or within their own party without party activist and the larger membership fearing for their safety, then we extend that kind of thuggish behaviour in the wider electorate nationally, then we know our country is suffering from deficiency of true political representation.
The ejection of elected APC members is a case in point. In effect the threats of violence you see within the SLPP party, is always replicated nationally. Their conversion to upholding democratic representation within their party, and nationally or the ability for party members to choose their leaders is once again left in the hands of one man, the supreme leader Marshall Brigadier Julius Maada Bio.
The PPRC should not be surprised about the undemocratic conduct in the district elections that the criminal SLPP cabal has been putting on full display for the whole world to see. Why should an authoritarian be compelled to act otherwise? How long must a Wake of Vultures feeding on rotten decaying flesh continue to bemoan their lack of freedom and inability to reveal their real identities? The PPRC should leave them alone and not try to change hyenas that thrive on drinking blood into little adorable puppies that only crave for fresh milk.
These people represent everything that is wrong with our struggling stagnated nation. They came to power professing to be pious religious monks but they were nothing but brazen thieves;(lol) And the dubious games are still not over; Be
rest assured folks there is a judgement on its way,like an arrow zipping towards its intended target burning with flames of fire that cannot be quenched by the SLPP thief. Folks, the writing is already on the wall and this is what it says; “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land. For everyone that steals shall be cleaned out….I will send it out declares the Lord of Host and it shall enter the house of the thief…and remain in the house and consume it Timber and stones.( Zechariah 5: 3 & 4 ) SLPP thieves you have already been warned,change your corrupt thieving ways.(lol)