The Executive Director Campaign for Human Rights and Development International, Abdul M. Fatoma, has damned Government for invoking MACPI in the country.He noted that it is an attempt by government to bring undemocratic processes into a democratic process.
Mr.Fatormah noted that the invoking of MACPI is always done when a country is in crisis and disclosed that government has failed to communicate to its people regarding the current state of the country necessitating the invocation of MACPI.
He told this medium that the heighten robbery situation as claimed by government which, according to them, led to the invoking of MACPI, is the constitutional mandate of the Sierra Leone Police.
The Police Mr. Fartoma says, is largely incapacitated to man internal security in the country.
Government, he added, should address such an incapacity problem with the entity that is charged with providing security rather than bring in the army.
The CHDRI boss described the deployment of the military personnel to our courts, markets places and police stations as ‘’very scary and not warranted in such situations when we are at peace’’.
This, civil society activist noted, that has created panic in the minds of citizens who are not aware about the current situation.
It has got some human rights implications and they as human right activists are concerned.
He described the military as an institution constitutionally mandated to handle and respond to external aggression, their involvement in civilian duties should be necessitated by extreme emergency.
The ONS says they have advised the National Security Group (NSG) the highest security body in the country chaired by the President, to invoke MACPI based on the high spate of lawlessness, indiscipline and armed robbery permeating the country.
Authorities from the ONS says the Sierra Leone Police is small in size and has been overwhelmed in the recent past with high incidence of robbery, clique violence and indiscipline, and that the MACPI has been invoked to address the high spate of lawlessness that has taken over the entire country.
The invocation the ONS says is for six months and it will be reviewed after such a period if necessary.Police primacy is still in place even at the invocation of MACPI, the ONS concludes.
Civil Society and Human Rights Organizations are apprehensive of the MACPI invocation on the grounds that it may be used for wrong or political reasons.
The MACPI was introduced few weeks after a civil society group in the country planned to hold a peaceful demonstration in the country and also pending a crucial bye-election at Constituency 110 in Goderich.
The Police have threatened the group saying they did not issue clearance to any group to take to the streets of Freetown.
The Sierra Leone Police is increasingly coming under the spotlight for arresting and incarcerating political opponents thereby not allowing space for free and fair participation in elections.