By Mohamed T. Massaquoi
Sierra Leone’s newest political party has ruled out any coalition or alliance with the country’s two oldest and largest.
A founding member of the National Progressive Democrats (NPD) party, Jesmed Foday-Mami Suma says there is no possibility of coalescing with either the ruling All People’s Congress or the main opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party.
Addressing journalists on Tuesday he said they did not believe in the ideologies of either party which have dominated politics in the country since independence.
Suma, who is the National Membership Director of NPD, blamed the two parties “for the suffering of the masses” consequent upon “poverty and deprivation”.
He said they had failed the country by their inability to ensure economic freedom for the people.
“We do not believe in their political ideology. Even if we are going to have a run-off in the 2018 presidential elections and it happens to be between the APC and SLPP, we will not give either party our support because they are not progressive in their political principles,’’ Suma said.
This was the second press conference since the NPD was approved by the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) on February 14 this year. The party is working on its official launch, according to Suma who said that their membership was gathering momentum in and out of the country.
Headed by former human rights campaigner and erstwhile senior election officer of NEC, Alimamy Cyllah, NPD became the 12th registered political party in the country.
According to Suma they intend to contest the presidential election slated for March 7 next year, although they are yet to identify a standard bearer. He said they would do so soon through an election conducted on a level playing field.
Suma told Politico in an interview after the press conference that they were also planning to field in candidates for all contestable seats for parliament and local council.
He said they needed an estimated US$6.5 million to be able to guarantee victory in the presidential race and that they had already committed themselves to raising the amount.
He said there were four fundamentals needed to win or lose an election in Sierra Leone. “They are having the right message, the right strategy, the right messenger and the right logistics” he said, adding: “And when it comes to message and strategy and even logistics, no political party can beat us. All we need to get right is the messenger. If we get that right, I can guarantee you we will win the election”.
The absence of other founding members of the party at the press conference was very conspicuous, so that it attracted questions from journalists in attendance.
In response, the US-based activist-cum-politician said their absence demonstrated the absence of dictatorship in their party, explaining that every member had a responsibility to undertake. Suma said Sierra Leone needed a leadership that would transform the lives of its citizens to a better standard, something he said his party offered.
He cited poor healthcare system in the country and said much attention hadn’t been given to the education sector either. He said these two issues, together with agriculture, would form the NPD’s core focus.
“A nation that cannot feed its population will not develop,” he thundered.
Suma also spoke on the need for unity, which he said was one of the basis on which the NPD was formed.
He was joined at the press conference by two newly registered members of the party. One of them, Elizabeth Kanu, sought to encourage Sierra Leoneans to see the new party as their own. She said the NPD provided an alternative wherein existing political parties had been formed along regional and tribal interests.
“This is a party that believes in total inclusion irrespective of tribal or regional consideration,” she said.
Copyright © Politico 2017
