Alimamy Bakarr Sankoh: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 22 December 2017:
The People’s Democratic League (PDL) wishes to state its case against the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) led by Hon. Justice Patrick Hamilton. It is not the policy of the PDL to spend time complaining about the misanthropic policy of an established institution towards the very people such an institution was created to serve.
But looking at the policy of hatred and discrimination being championed by the PPRC against certain group of Sierra Leoneans it (PPRC) believes should be dispossessed of their human rights, freedoms and dignity, the PDL has decided to publish this public release statement for those who have been following PPRC’s media outreach.
As a democratic socialist movement, the PDL is of the view that registration of political parties should be made to further open up the political space, and not to discriminate or violate the human rights of the people.
While we welcome the recent registration of newly created political parties, we believe it’s only the emergence of a political party with a genuine pro-masses’ ideology and programmes will truly give more options to the people. This is why the registration of the PDL is crucial to ensure that Sierra Leonean voters have a real choice.
The new political parties recently registered submitted their applications much after the PDL whose application was submitted on August 17, 2016, more than a year ago.
It is becoming clear that the PPRC decision to frustrate PDL’s registration despite having fulfilled all requirements and conditions is politically motivated. Members of the PDL have a constitutional and democratic right to organize politically and participate in the democratic process.
The PDL has fulfilled all legal and constitutional requirements for registration as a political party. The reason we have not been registered is political. This delay was partly due to the machinations of the PPRC to disenfranchise, discriminate, frustrate and push us on the wall.
The slow pace of the matter is equally attributable to the nature of the PPRC which is primed to make it harder for the poor masses to ever get justice in Sierra Leone.
The PPRC on behalf of big party gurus is afraid of a third and moral alternative force to the moribund bandwagon. For us in the PDL, victory is certain as we believe that we have a very strong moral argument to indict the PPRC of being a tool used by big party gurus to undermine democracy and produce a fraudulent government in 2018.
The significance of our grouse with the PPRC is that having met all lawful requirements for registration, there is no reason for the continuous withholding of our certificate of registration.
As this matter continues to beat down the imagination of the public, it has become quite clear that the PPRC is serving the interest of big party gurus who enormously fear the prospect of the mass of the Sierra Leonean people organizing in a political party to oust them from their failed leadership.
However no matter how long it takes, we are resolved not to relent until the PDL is registered and becomes a full-fledged political party for Sierra Leone.
We are hereby using this opportunity therefore to demand that the PPRC should register the People’s Democratic League (PDL) and issue the party its registration certificate without any further delay.
The PDL is not a proxy Organ like others whose existence is determined by forces hostile to Sierra Leone’s peace, stability and prosperity. Ours is a melting-pot where Sierra Leoneans of all shades of opinion and different ethnic background, belong.
The PDL is committed to the realisation of the noble goals set-out by the African Union (AU) without compromising them to the whims and caprices of foreign detractors. The African Union stands for the peace, stability and unity of the continent, as well as the speedy eradication of poverty, squalor, HIV/AIDS, Ebola and other endemic diseases, illiteracy, unemployment, corruption, and all other problems of under-development.
Signed:
Alimamy Bakarr Sankoh – Founder, Leader and National Chairman of the People’s Democratic League (PDL), For and on behalf of PDL members and supporters
1 Zara Lane, Portee, Wellington, Freetown. Sierra Leone, West Africa
Tel: +232-77-861261/25-219727/78-767644
Email contacts: sierraleonepdl@gmail.com; sierraleonepdl@yahoo.com.
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