By Alpha Abu
The Tonkolili District Chairman for the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) Saybom Kanu says the ban on street political rallies is in place, as long as it is to curb violence and maintain peace.
Kanu told Politico that despite the talk about the parliamentary election, what is more, supreme in any state is the peace and security of the people. He said the decision by the independent state institutions to put a hold on rallies along streets was remonstrative of their role in exercising checks and balances on the country’s democracy. He said that’s all part of the rule of law, and the SLPP just has to comply.
On having to contend with the limiting of rallies to within designated places like halls and fields instead of the street, Kanu said he found the decision reasonable enough, saying it is good for the people in the constituency to live in peace.
He said they as a party can still engage the electorate in communities but will try to avoid “en masse gathering’’ to forestall any threats to violence.
Politico made phone calls and sent text messages to the Secretary-General of the Interim Governance Committee of APC, Abdul Kargbo for his reaction to the ban but got no response.
Violence reportedly flared up between supporters of the APC and SLPP at Constituency 056 in Tonkolili district where the country’s two main political parties are vying for the vacant parliamentary seat after the substantive SLPP parliamentarian Musa Jalloh quit, becoming a Paramount Chief.
A joint press release by the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone, and the Political Parties Registration Commission dated 12th June 2022 instituting the ban said the decision was a result of the violence that “occurred during the APC rally on Tuesday 7th June 2022 in Sambaia Bendugu which culminated in personal attacks and the destruction of private properties in the said locality”.
The statement indicated that the campaign calendar provided by ECSL still remains valid but on the condition that the parties would now have to conduct their rallies at designated locations within their constituency. This move by ECSL is to discourage the holding of rallies along streets with a higher probability of violence.
Officials of both APC and SLPP traded accusations at each other for starting the violence that left several people injured and at least one house burned.
The Secretary-General of the Transitional Governance Committee for the APC, Abdul Kargbo earlier told Politico that violence was unleashed on their supporters by SLPP, but they ended up having eleven of their supporters arrested by the Police; an action which he said was unfair. Kargbo also confirmed that one retired Lt. Colonel Sheku Jalloh of APC was among those brought to the CID and detained. He said the videos were out there for all to see that the violence was perpetrated by SLPP.
Saybom Kanu on his part claimed the APC party got people with “militant posture” transported from Makeni, Mile 91, and Magburaka, to the constituency and said there are video clips out there for all to see, which he alleged APC themselves filmed.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (15/06/22)
