By Septimus Senessie in Kono
With just two days
to polling day, the Political Parties' Registration Commission (PPRC)
has ended a non-violence session and a peace rally in the volatile
Kono district.
According to the
Mediation and Programme Assistant of PPRC in Kono, Karifa Tarawalie,
the dialogue and rally were aimed at bringing all political parties
under one umbrella and to recommit themselves to a peaceful conduct
of the Saturday polls. He said all the political violence over the
years in Kono had been orchestrated by political leaders operating
behind the scene while pushing their supporters to unleash violence
against opponents.
He cautioned
political parties especially the two major ones – APC and SLPP –
to conduct themselves appropriately and “set a strong democratic
foundation for other political parties in the country”.
Assistant
Inspector-General of Police, East, attached to Kono, Mustapha Kamara
said he was sent to the district to provide technical support to the
two police divisions there during and after the elections. He said
the district was so far peaceful and they had enough personnel to
“efficiently and effectively” police the elections in the event
of violence. He described his officers as apolitical.
He presented the
police code of conduct of 2012 which ”demands police to adequately
provide security” for election materials, ensure the NEC-imposed
vehicular restriction.
Mohamed Bangapoma
Bangura, the district coordinator of the Office of the National
Security condemned violence and told the political parties to revisit
the communiqués and go by its provisions.
Various political
parties in the district including the APC and SLPP recommitted
themselves to a peaceful conduct of the polls and abidance by the
political parties code of conduct of 2012.
A street rally in
Koidu climaxed the occasion.
