By Nasratu Kargbo
Following the signing of an Agreement to end a stalemate between the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) and the Main Opposition All People’s Congress (APC), the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) has called on both parties to commit to the communiqué they’ve signed.
The institution made this call in a Press Release dated 20th October 2023, and congratulated both parties for committing their signatures to the mediation communiqué which emanated from the Bintumani Agreement espousing national unity, and urged both parties to honour the resolutions in the agreement.
“We continue to appeal to the GoSL and the Opposition parties to always collaborate in the interest of the nation and the People of Sierra Leone, uphold democratic good governance best practices, and respect fundamental human rights at all times” a part of the release reads.
It says the association was looking forward to seeing the government and opposition parties work together in ensuring that the country’s electoral laws are reformed, and political systems reviewed, in order to get rid of divisive winner-takes-all tradition, and depoliticize the civil service, amongst others.
Resolving national issues through consensus-building, engagement, consultation, and dialogue were highlighted.
Members of SLAJ were urged to continue playing their part in promoting the mediation outcome, noting that they should do so in line with conflict-sensitive reporting guidelines to prevent fanning the already dying flames of the GoSL-APC impasse.
“Our members across the country were also trained on conflict-sensitive and election reporting to contribute to peaceful elections, peace building, and the successful mediation that has been achieved”, the release continued.
SLAJ asked that all Sierra Leoneans in and out of the country develop a positive mindset and commended AU, ECOWAS, and the Commonwealth for successfully mediating the political dialogue between the government, APC and the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion (ICPN) for steering the process.
The dialogue was aimed at ending the political impasses following the June 2023 General elections. APC Parliamentarians and Council Representatives are expected to take their seats in Parliament and Local Councils, respectively, ending a boycott that the opposition staged, in protest over the June 24 General Election results.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (25/10/23)
