The presidential running-mate of the main opposition Sierra Leone People's Party on Monday launched her party's election campaign at the district party office in Koidu city, but without the huge crowds the party had expected.
Addressing party supporters, Dr. Kadie Sesay said that the launch in the diamond-rich district was important because the district had contributed greatly towards the development of the country.
“Kono is the breadbasket of Sierra Leone and deserves better in terms of development,” she said. She encouraged the Kono people to vote in the SLPP for the development of the district and the country at large.
Dr. Sesay said that with the “New Direction” manifesto of her party, if voted in, there would be free primary and senior secondary school education, improved conditions of teachers' salaries, payment of examination fess for the primary school-leaving NPSE exams, as well as the middle and senior school leaving BECE & WASSCE exams. She also said that they would support girl child education, free health care for children from zero year to eighteen years, development fund for women and poverty eradication.
The running-mate told her supporters not to give in to intimidation of paramount chiefs. “We hear that chiefs are intimidating and forcing you not to vote for your party – the SLPP – but I tell you...don’t mind them don't fear them” she said. She urged them to “Go ahead, campaign and vote for your party. International observers are seriously observing these elections,” she assured.
She derided the APC's ‘Agenda for Change” calling it “an agenda for fake and unfulfilled promises and massive corruption and tribal sentiment in work places”.
She pointed out that the five years of APC had brought nothing but shame to Kono and its people, adding that despite the Vice President and his wife plus the First Lady coming from the district nothing had been done for Kono. She criticised the poor state of the roads, the lack of pipe-borne water and electricity in the diamonds-rich city of Koidu.
Outgoing minority leader in parliament and MP for Constituency 21, Emmanuel Tommy said that they did not need to campaign in Kono because the APC had done so for them by failing to deliver on promises they made to the Kono people during 2007 elections. He assured the running-mate that they would secure their seven parliamentary seats in the district and claw back the one the APC had won in the 2007 general elections.
A party supporter Tamba Saquee told Politico that they did not get the numbers of supporters which he blamed on “poor preparation” on the side of the party executives. He maintained that on their next campaign on 27 October they would ensure they paint Kono district green “as the district belongs to the SLPP”.
Meanwhile, the district mediation officer of the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) in Kono, Kaliefan Tharawalie has described the campaign processes in Kono so far as “peaceful”. He encouraged party supporters to maintain that.
(c) Politico 25 October 2012
