In an effort to promote non-violent local council elections, the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) and United Nations Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL) Tuesday hosted a non-partisan-inter-party discussion.
Despite positive dialog between five political parties, the Sierra Leone Police, National Commission for Democracy and the National Electoral Commission, the actions and words of some executives of political parties have cast doubts on the process.
Secretary General of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) Jacob Jusu Saffa told Concord Times that his party promises to remain peaceful, but “if one hits at us, we will also hit at him.”
This pre-emptive threat of retaliation demonstrates the escalating tension under the surface of the upcoming elections.
According to UNIOSIL, at the inter-party meeting the political parties “underscored their commitment to the holding of peaceful local council elections, as well as the need for complete compliance with the PPRC and NEC code of conduct.”
PPRC public relations officer Paul Kamara said the APC and SLPP have still not followed the commission's rules and regulations as both have failed to submit their financial reports, despite numerous warnings and postponement of deadlines.
“There has not been any compliance. We have issued a number of warnings, but there has not been any action,” he said.
The commission is now left with the prospect of issuing sanctions against those parties, including sending recommendations for action to the Supreme Court.
In addition, the closure or disconnection of the SLPP Unity Radio by the All Peoples Congress government, widely seen as being a political manoeuvre prior to the local council elections, demonstrates a lack of commitment on the part of government to free and fair elections.
Secretary General of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists Ibrahim Karim Sei believed the closure of the SLPP Radio was detrimental to the fragile democracy in the country. “In modern democracy, the voice of the opposition is required,” he said.
He said without freedom of speech, there can be no democracy, adding “the government is not above the law.”
Head of the Public Relations unit at NEC, Miatta French, when asked about the inter-party dialogue said “the commission is satisfied with the process so far”, as the working relationship between NEC and political parties has been cordial
Victor Foh of the APC, when contacted said dismissively “see me some other time - I have nothing to say”.
