By Bampia James Bundu
All 10 political parties in Sierra Leone have pledged their unwavering support for the on-going review of the country’s 1991 constitution which is presently underway. This, they did at a one-day political engagement by the Political Parties’ Registration Commission (PPRC) with support from UNDP in Freetown.
Secretary general of the All Peoples Congress, APC, Osman Yansanneh, explained that at the state opening of parliament last year, the president emphasized government’s commitment to reviewing the 1991 constitution to meet international standards and to strengthen democracy.
He noted that the exercise was needed in order “to prove that the government supports a true democracy thriving on a multi-party inclusive system of governance”, adding that the government was also committed to the constitutional review process.
Yansaneh promised that as a ruling party, they would take ownership of the process and would educate their membership about the process. He commended the PPRC and the CRC for the conference and opportunity for political parties to make their input into review process.
His counterpart in the opposition Sierra Leone Peoples’ Party (SLPP), Sulaiman BanjaTejan-sie, also pledged their support to the process and assured that they would not only educate their membership on the review process but would also serve as ambassadors to ensure that the message reached all Sierra Leoneans.
United Democratic Movement’s chairman and leader, Mohamed Bangura, described the qualification for the office of the president as “unfair” and asked that the age limit be reduced to 35 years “so as to give opportunity to youths to contest the seat”. He noted that the 55% margin for a presidential contender to win general elections as was “too high”, suggesting that the figure should be reduced to 50%.
The politician said that UDM had several recommendations to the review committee and would submit them for consideration. He pleaded with Sierra Leoneans to take and treat the review process with seriousness. Other opposition parties also pledged their support and co-operation to the process.
Chairperson, PPRC, Justice Tholla Thompson, welcomed political party representatives saying their presence at the review would make room for debates, thereby allowing them to give their input to the constitution that would come out of the review process and thanked them for their assurances in support of the process. He said the process was a national issue that should not be politicized, adding: “your inputs toward this process will go a long way in ensuring that the CRC actualizes its objective”, he said and called on political parties to not only own the process but to also use their party structures to popularize the review process and educate their constituents on its importance for the country.
The PPRC chairman urged political parties to come up with position papers on the so that their contributions could be included in the reviewed constitution. He emphasized the need for the review process to be taken seriously because “determines the future of the country”.
(C) Politico 26/02/14
