The Coalition for Change Party, while making their position clear on the recent high court rulings and their aftermath, has noted in a press release that they had hoped the agenda of the President, in calling for a Peace and National Cohesion Conference, was a genuine attempt at bridging the perceived divides in the country.
They pointed out that, prior to the recent Bintumani 111 Conference, approximately 200 employees were being sacked from a state institution.
“A matter of days after the conclusion of the said conference, cases relating to petitioned Members of Parliament from the last general elections were being concluded, but only those brought forward by supporters of the ruling party received judgments with stringent terms attached,” they regretfully noted.
The C4C release has also accused the judiciary of Sierra Leone of being complicit in disadvantaging the citizens of the country even though they should be seen as an independent arm that contributes positively to national cohesion.
“A one party state has left its indelible mark on Sierra Leone as stated by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report and other relevant documents and we should not be seen to condone any action that has the potential to plummet the country into an abyss of mayhem and chaos,’’ the release adds.
The leadership of the party called on the Judiciary to speedily listen to all sides. It is incumbent, according to them, for all of us to maintain peace and order.
“But it is paramount that the government, the judiciary and the legislature take the lead in this direction,” the release further noted.
The condemned what they referred to as the absurd behavior of the Sierra Leone Police and equally admonished them to desist from firing multiple rounds of teargas into buildings from which there is no resistance and in which there could be children, the elderly and sick people.
The Coalition for Change Party, which is the third majority party in Parliament after the APC and the SLPP, has continued to make its position clear on national issues as they affect the people of Sierra Leone. They have proffered a NATION’S FIRST approach to national issues.
They have increasingly accused the Bio regime of further dividing the country and also not complying with international and regional obligations. Lawyers for their leader, Chief Sam Sumana, have, in the last 48 hours, threatened to take further actions against the Government of Sierra Leone for failing to abide by an ECOWAS Court ruling to pay Chief Sam Sumana all benefits due him since the day he was sacked as Vice President by former Ernest Bai Koroma.
President Julius Maada Bio, while in opposition, made a clear commitment to honour the ECOWAS ruling, but we have witnessed a sudden change of stance when his Government withdrew security guards from the former Vice President, noting that he is not supposed to enjoy such benefits after being sacked.