By Bampia James Bundu
Chairman of the Political Parties’ Registration Commission, PPRC, has warned against political parties violating constitutional processes while conducting their congresses and preparing their financial reports.
Addressing political parties at the commission’s headquarters in Freetown, Hon. Justice M.E. Tholla Thompson, said that his commission would change its approach in regulating and supervising political parties this year.
A political party, he said, was not established to contest elections only but to also participate in shaping the political will of the people, disseminate information on political ideas, and social and economic programmes of a national character.
He said the Commission would also ensure that political parties adhered to the country’s 1991 Constitution, the Political Parties’ Act of 2002 and their party constitutions.
He added that parties would no longer go to congress to elect their officials and change them months later without reference to their constitutions.
He advised political party leaders to inculcate the habit of consulting with members on the day-to-day activities of their parties.
“Lack of consultation leads to suspicions among party members,” he said, adding that political parties should focus on their ideologies rather than individuals. He maintained that politicians must be principled and must maintain fairness and justice amongst their members.
Speaking on the existence of political party offices in the country, the PPRC boss expressed dismay over the habit of political parties changing offices on a regular basis.
“This year my commission will be conducting unannounced office verifications tours of all political party offices nationwide. Let me advise party officials to put their houses in order or face the law”, he warned.
Justice Thompson, however, expressed disappointment at the delay by political parties to declare their financial statuses to the commission. That, he stated, would not be tolerated in 2015 as stringent measures would be taken against defaulters.
Speaking to Politico, Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Peoples’ Congress, Cornelius Deveaux, assured that his party would go according to its constitution “because we are respecters of constitutional processes and whatever we do we do in line with the law”.
He said the APC now had constituency and regional officers across the country, adding that those officers had been working in accordance with PPRC regulations and assured that they would continue to do so.
National Publicity Secretary of Sierra Leone’s main opposition party, (SLPP), Tamba Sam, also told Politico that they had always submitted their financial report to the commission, adding that they also had constituency and regional offices across the country.
So far, he added, they had followed constitutional processes “to the letter even though there have been some procedural challenges”.
© Politico 21/01/15
