SLPP Scribe condemns manipulation of the Judiciary for political reasons
The Chairman and Leader of the main opposition Sierra Leone Peoples Party [SLPP], Chief Seborah Sumannoh Kapen has stated that the meeting was called to give a run down of happenings in the country since the election of President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma.
Addressing newsmen at the party’s Wallace Johnson Street, Freetown headquarters on Thursday, November 28 this year, he emphasized that the country’s economy is very sluggish, unemployment on the rise, education, food, health and electricity all going down the drains.
“If Government would have provided a regular supply of electricity, would we have faced intermittent supply of energy all over the country?,” he queried.
He stressed that any serious government in the world must first address education, food, health and security issues as they are the most paramount issues in any community.
He maintained that the All Peoples Congress (APC) Government has not been able to deliver what they promised to the people of this country six years ago, predicting that if urgent attention is not paid to those areas they will be a recipe for underperformance, corruption and chaos.
He urged all Sierra Leoneans to examine whether there has not been a backslide of the fundamental principles of democracy and good governance.
Presenting a press release titled, ‘’First year into the APC second term of abject poverty, lawlessness and despair under review,‘’ the party’s Secretary General, Mr. Suleiman Banja Tejan-Sie, recalled that Saturday, 23rd November, 2013 marked one year since incumbent President Ernest Bai Koroma commenced his second and final term as President of the Republic of Sierra Leone and six years of APC rule under the Koroma Presidency.
He maintained that their assessment of this period has “been marked by unprecedented waste, weak governance structure, high youth unemployment, growing lawlessness, deteriorating infrastructures, poor social services, rampant corruption and growing hardship.”
Mr. Tejan-Sie further stated that the APC Government inherited several road projects from the SPPP including the Lumley-Tokeh Road, the Hill Side Bye-Pass Road and the Kailahun –Pendembu Road in which he said funds were already committed for their construction when the APC assumed power.
He noted that the APC commenced the reconstruction of township roads, like the reconstruction of the Township Road Project in Freetown and the twelve district capitals in 2009 and 2010 without feasibility studies and proper planning.
He furthered stated that six years after, most of these projects have not been completed while some have even been abandoned.
“After six years of APC in Government, the situation remains deplorable after expending well over one hundred million dollars of tax payers’ money in providing emergency electricity, in completing Bumbuna and the effort to electrify rural areas,” he lamented.
He observed that five years since Government declared its completion, the Bumbuna Hydro Plant is yet to solve Freetown’s power crisis as the project is currently plagued with serious technical problems.
He further revealed that the APC Government’s failure to listen to the advice of the Engineers was mainly because of their determination to switch Bumbuna on at all cost to ensure that they were true to their pledge to provide Freetown with hydro electric power within their first one hundred days in office. He further lamented that in effect, today, no one actually knows the true fate of Bumbuna except the APC Government.
He also noted that the highly trumpeted limited health care for under fives, lactating mothers and pregnant women is speedily becoming a mere sham with a substantial amount of drugs always going missing.
He pointed out the recent Global Competitive Report 2013 in the area of health is also abysmal adding that, our country rated as follows: fighting the Malaria endemic-144 out of 144; Malaria cases per 1, 000 per population-139 out of 144 and infant mortality per 100-144 out of 144.
On education he said our schools especially Senior Secondary Schools across the country are over crowded because of inadequate class rooms and Teachers coupled with the fact that the Education Ministry is led by a Minister that is purely preoccupied with fighting ghost Teachers and ghost schools rather than improving quality by providing better service in the sector.
On the issue of youths and sports, he said the only outlet for the youths to enjoy themselves has been football but the APC’s systematic and methodical destruction of this beautiful game has robbed the youths of this country of their only opportunity to fraternize across party lines.
Speaking on good governance, Mr. Tejan-Sie said one year into its second term under the leadership of President Ernest Bai Koroma, Sierra Leone continues to wallow in abject poverty resulting from endemic corruption, lawlessness, blatant disregard of the rule of law and weakening state and democratic institutions.
He lamented that the processes leading to their choice of candidates in Constituency 005 and 015 in Kailahun and Kenema Districts respectively were done on very flimsy grounds, which resulted in petitions even though it was pronounced that the Constituencies were won by Mr. Ansu Lansana and Retired Captain Afiju Kanja who were then suspended pending the outcome of that matter in the High Court.
He maintained that as a party they condemn this manipulation of the Judiciary for political reasons, promising that they will mount a robust legal appeal to ensure that the people’s mandate is not stolen like it has always been the modus operandi of the APC.
He appealed to the press, civil society, the Bar Association and the international community to play their part now and prevent the APC from returning this country to the instability and turmoil of yesteryears.
By Abdulai Mento Kamara
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