Siaka Stevens
By Joseph Lamin Kamara
The Publicity Secretary of the main opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) says President Ernest Bai Koroma is "worse than President Siaka Stevens" who ruled the country for 17 years most of which was under a one-party system.
In an exclusive interview with Politico at the party's headquarters, Musa Tamba Sam said current events in the country left a lot to be desired.
With talk of a third term agenda for Koroma having petered out, Sam implored the APC to "kill and bury the dream" adding that if they did not, he and his SLPP party would resist them with all their might.
He said the president’s silence on the issue proved he strongly harboured “the third term dream.”
He said Koroma was worse than Stevens because upon his assumption of office in 2007, the former had said that the APC party was different from that which existed in the Siaka Stevens’ era. He however cited the recent ban of a radio programme, Monologue, calling it undemocratic.
The opposition spokesman also blamed the judiciary for alleged political manipulation, citing the granting of a court injunction in favour of the Minority Leader in parliament amid what is a groundswell of opposition to her leadership by what is obviously the majority of her party's MPs. He said with media being "muzzled" and the judiciary being "compromised in this day of the internet age, Koroma is worse than Stevens".
A spokesman for the governing All People's Congress party has dismissed the allegations. Cornelius Deveaux said “Ernest Koroma made it clear some months ago that he is not interested in any third term.” He furthered that the president “made it clear that the issue of his succession will be discussed only in 2016” saying he was only interested in leading the country to success.
Deveaux said the judiciary was an independent body with no political interference adding "the SLPP should have known better so as not to wash their dirty linen in public" and settle their differences in-house and not in court.
On the alleged muzzling of the press, he said the temporary ban imposed on Monologue was justified as it was done "constitutionally". He said the IMC's position statement made it clear that the programme owner, David Tam-Baryoh had apologised for the content of the offending programme but blamed the Independent Media Commission for not taking "the appropriate steps at the time".
Tam-Baryoh himself has strenuously denied any wrongdoing or ever apologising for the programme.
(C) Politico 17/07/14
