Lawrence Williams: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 15 December 2020:
Sierra Leone’s elections watchdog – the National Election Watch (NEW) has condemned President Bio’s Minister of Lands for perpetrating what can best be described as gangsterism and machismo during the conduct of the Parliamentary re-run election in Constituency 110.
In a Press Statement released last Saturday 12th December, 2020, NEW said that before the opening of polls in Constituency 110 last Saturday, the Minister of Lands, Dr. Denis Sandy entered Polling Centre 15084 in Kent village with two unaccredited vehicles carrying thugs dressed in black suits and accompanied by an armed military officer. These thugs were made to “obstruct” the NEC officials from performing their sacred duty.
NEW further observed that the thugs did not only obstruct the smooth opening of polls and the start of the voting process in general, but also attacked the female Western Area Regional Director of the Office of National Security (ONS) with very serious threatening remarks after the lady exercised boldness and courage to ask the rascal minister and his group of hoodlums out of the polling centre.
The elections watchdog recorded the behaviour of the outlawed friends of the Cabinet Minister threatening to exploit all their means and connection with senior Cabinet Ministers like Dr. Denis Sandy (Photo) to not only remove the female ONS Director from the position she presently occupies but to further engineer her sacking from the job.
This press was able to confirm through the Independent Radio Network (IRN) election broadcast that morning, that Minister Sandy was not accredited to observe or monitor the election at Constituency 110 and therefore had no business in the constituency on Election Day, let alone a polling centre.
NEW observers also spotted the official vehicle assigned to the Deputy Leader of Parliament at a polling precinct in Tokeh village. This vehicle was among several other unaccredited vehicles roving the constituency on Election Day. Some of these vehicles had their licensed number plates removed.
In its final Press Statement released on Sunday December 13, NEW categorically stated that the presence of high-profile government officials and politicians persisted before and during the polls.
They further observed that the despicable act of using money to bribe the conscience of voters was at play as well as the abuse of incumbency, involving the use of State resources for partisan purposes. The organisation concluded that such acts do not bode well for Sierra Leone’s democracy.
In conclusion, NEW recommends speedy review of the Political Parties Registration Commission Act, with a view to give the Commission prosecutorial powers to address issues of incumbency, campaign financing, intra-party tensions and the outlawed conduct of political parties.
Section 117 of the Public Elections Act 2012 criminalises any act or behaviour by a person or group of persons that directly or indirectly interferes with an election and cause to prevent, obstruct or disturb an election by use of force, violence or threats.
This is the statement published by NEW:
NEW condemns behaviour of Lands minister Sandy at polling station constituency 110
In my opinion, I believe that the hatred of Mr. Sandy has clouded the minds of some Sierra Leoneans who are constantly engaged in drawing negative attention towards him. Mr. Sandy is a patriotic Sierra Leonean who has earned the TRUST AND RESPECT of the president and nothing will change that reality. He is an educated man and a former professor of the University of Sierra Leone who has played an important role towards educating our citizens. He is not an uneducated APC thug or thief that has been involved in any form of corruption in politics as member of PMDC or APC and currently the SLPP. The SLPP party chose him as an election supervisor during this election in constituency 110, just like the APC choice of the minority leader Chernoh Maju Bah as a supervisor during this same election.
The worst thing that can happen to Mr. Sandy if President Bio decides to sack him as a minister is, he will return to his profession as a lecturer because he has already been blessed with knowledge by the Almighty. The burden of proof is on the accuser to provide any credible evidence that Mr. Sandy presented any threat to the electoral process or it was just a baseless allegation just to tarnish the image of this respectable citizen.
I support the recommendations by NEW.
Today in Sierra Leone we have the minister of lands, Dr Denis Sandy, that believes, and act like he is above the laws of tbe land. He is either acting on his own, with his school boy playground bully tactics, or he is an outlier in the broad church of what his friend, and mentor believes in, Bio himself that you can only get your way in this world through violence and intimidation of your political opponents . Clearly his outrageous behaviour and appetite for street thuggery is becoming pattern. That everyone one eles have to obey the laws made by his government, or risk been sent to prison. Dr Denis Sandy the lands minister, in Bio’s government is not only becoming an embarrassment, and a disgraceful individual for his thuggish and mafioso type of behaviour, his outlandish behaviour is actually undermining the security of Sierra Leone.
A clear description of his street-wise behaviour has given him the accolade or labelled “ENEMY OF THE STATE, or the ENEMY WITHIN BIO’S GOVERNMENT “. We are not talking about a random street thug, or a reincarnated “HIGH WAY “in years gone bye, but someone who displays the same characteristics, and addiction to street thuggery. I wonder if Bio can spare some tax-payers money, and build a boxing arena in the grounds of Parliament for the Hon Dr Denis Sandy. Sierra Leone has had a real boxing champion in the past, in the form of Mr Len Johnson, born to a Sierra Leonean father in 1902 in Clayton Manchester England. He won 90 fights but because of his skin colour in those days, he was never recognised by the British boxing authorities.
But if our thuggish lands minister ever thinks of changing career paths, given his love for street fighting, I am sure every Sierra Leonean will come out to support you. You just put on your gloves and we will be right behind you all the way. Otherwise stop behaving like a street thug in the greatest capital of the world – Freetown. This low life and misfit in society, you will find they are the first in their family tree to acquire education, and worst exercising power over other people. You can take the man out of the jungle, but you will never take the jungle out of the man. The first question you ask yourself is, where dose Bio fit into all this almighty mess that his minister gets himself involved in? Either Bio is complicit to his outrageous behaviour, or Dr Sandy is the only person amongst his close circle of friends that knows where Bio buried the skeletons from his cupboard. If Bio can use his security forces to arrest Dr Blyden for random made up stories, and falsely accuse Ltd Major Paolo Conteh, of an attempt on his life, surely Dr Sandy, the “Golden Boy” in Bio’s dictatorship deserves some form of reprimand. This is not a true reflection of what every Sierra Leonean expects from our leaders.
ATTABOY – Minister Sandy keep on doing exactly what you are doing; I am loving it! Hey, Go the whole nine yards and more – Use the most despicable tactics your criminal mind can think of and tear down that already flimsy wobbly credibility of notorious SLPP that was created in the deepest shrines of maleficent Occultism and sorcery; (lol) Hack and tear them down to ensure a prosperous nation – Rip them completely to pieces for the benefit of our poor struggling people.(lol)