Bo Mayor makes change commitment
Mayor of the Bo City Council, His Worship, Mr. Harold Tucker, has made a very strong commitment to lead in polity and behavior. The Mayor promised to embrace and domesticate positive change in the Bo municipality while delivering the keynote address during the post election workshop organized by the Secretariat of the Attitudinal and Behavioural Change (ABC) at the Bo City Hall on Monday 14th January 2013. The workshop is part of the Secretariat’s month-long civic education campaign on democracy, good governance and political tolerance. (Photo: The Mayor of Bo Mr. Harold Tucker delivering his keynote address)
“The Bo City Council is very much committed to attitudinal and behavioral change,” the Bo City Father disclosed, adding: “As a show of our commitment to change, we have taken the first step to recognize the impediment to development in the Bo city, which are lawlessness and street trading”. In that regard, the Mayor announced that the Bo City Council is toeing the line of the central government by clearing all the streets of street traders and other unwanted materials.
“This operation commences on Tuesday 15th January 2013, and no stone would be left unturned,” he emphasized, noting that the Council is not working in isolation on this issue, as according to him, they have the backing of all stakeholders.
“We are determined to make Bo a lawful and clean city once again,” he said.
Mayor Tucker described the ABC workshop as timely, while expressing elation over the fact that people from various works of life were invited and represented at the forum. He emphasized that checks and balances are important in all we do.
Sierra Leone, he said, is faced with a lot of challenges ranging from poverty to diseases, adding that the country will only develop when all hands are put on deck.
Cross section of participants at the workshop
In his statement, the Chairman of the Bo District Council, Mr. J.M Bindi, said discussing issues affecting the development of Sierra Leone is very much significant. He however expressed that we need strong laws guiding the behavior of the citizens. Sierra Leone, he said, have laws in place, but the enforcement and regulation of such laws is nothing to write home about.
Chairman Bo City Council Mr. J.M. Bindi
He recommended that the ABC Secretariat is strengthened with the powers of setting behavioral benchmarks for people and institutions, as according to him, preaching change is not just enough.
Chairman of the programmme who is also the Provincial Secretary South Mr. Jacob E. Quee
“If the citizens are not honest and sincere, we will never achieve necessary change,” he ended.
Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) Representative, Mr. Mohamed Dumbuya, reminded the audience that the ACC is a major pillar of good governance, while expressing happiness over the organization of the ABC workshop in post-election Sierra Leone. The work of the ACC, he said, revolves around positive change of the mindset, which explains why the ACC is always willing to collaborate with the ABC Secretariat in various fronts.
He congratulated Sierra Leoneans for successfully holding free and fair general elections. He encouraged Sierra Leoneans to see corruption as the number one public enemy of the state, while encouraging all to ensure they report corruption.
Representing the Sierra Leone Police (SLP), the Southern Regional Support Officer, Superintendent Kargbo, said the police force is gradually being reformed. He reiterated that the time for politics is over, adding that the time to embrace one another for the progress of the country is now. He assured that the police force will continue with its constitutional duty to protect lives and properties.
Members of the High Table at the workshop
Prisons Department Representative Mary Lahai encourage all to change their attitudes, while congratulating the citizens for a peaceful election.
Southern Regional Officer of the Fire Force, Mr. Albert Kpaka appealed to people to desist from the habit of making foolish calls informing of fake fire incidents. He further advised people to desist from the habit of storing fuel in their homes to avoid fire.
Senior District Officer Mr. Abdulai Mansaray said the President is always encouraging the citizens to change their attitudes. He furthered that the ABC Secretariat is on the same trend of emphasizing the President’s message. The Secretariat, he said, has done a lot to create awareness about the negative vices of bad attitudes and behaviours, while encouraging them to continue with the good work.
Alhaji Mustapha Coker representing the Muslims said Sierra Leone has achieved a lot in terms of religious tolerance. He therefore advised the politicians and their supporters to follow suit and ensure political tolerance.
According to him, it is clearly stated in the Holy Quran that God will only change a nation if the citizens of that nation change their attitude.
Representing the Christians, Rev. Simeon Timothy Gbondo stated that education starts in the homes. While advising the parents to instill positive traits on their children, he encouraged the children to always respect and listen to their parents.
A representative of the Office of National Security South said bad governance and pervasion of justice are major impediments of development. He called on all stakeholders to cooperate with each other for enhancement of democracy and development of Sierra Leone.
Women’s Group Representative and Youth Coalition Representative respectively commented on the importance for youth and women to exhibit positive attitudes.
Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) Representative, Ms Jenneh Smith expressed joy that no major incidence in terms of violence outbreak was recorded in Bo during the past election. She thanked the ABC Secretariat for hosting the post election campaign, while recalling that the Secretariat’s pre-election non-violence campaign yielded fruits. The attitude of the citizens, she said, depicts the future of the country.
Representatives from the All People’s Congress (APC) and People’s Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC) also made statements.
Earlier, Chairman of the Occasion, Mr. Jacob E. Quee, who doubles as the Southern Region Provincial Secretary described the timing and theme of the workshop as appropriate. He advised the audience to ensure that they jealously guard the positive record of the country in the past elections. He advised everybody to keep the peace and maintain law and order.
Courtesy of ABC Communications Office
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