By Alhaji Haruna Sani
Following the recently concluded National Delegate Conference of the All People’s Congress (APC) Party in Makeni, the National Commission for Democracy (NCD) has in a Release issued last week commended the APC for the method of open ballot utilized to elect its officials including the Flagbearer.
“Pursuant to its avowed goal of “creat (ing)a new political culture and attitude that will lead to good governance”, the Management of the National Commission for Democracy (hereinafter called NCD) through its Regional Office in Makeni observed the National Delegates Conference (NDC) of the main opposition party in the Country, the All Peoples Congress (APC),” the release reads.
In line with the observed processes and eventual outcomes, NCD wishes to commend the APC party for the method of open ballot utilized to elect its officials, including the flagbearer, carried live by the National Broadcaster, the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), and other sister stations, thus creating an atmosphere of transparency that is appreciated in the context of democratic good governance.
Consequent upon the outcomes of the Makeni conference of the APC party especially with the setting up of its National Executive, NCD is called for not just calm within the party in its daily operations, but also asking the party to contribute significantly to the peace and stability of the country by upholding the foundational principles of National Unity, Political Tolerance, and Social Cohesion before, during, and after the June 24, 2023, national elections or polls.
NCD extended the same request to the ruling party, the SierraLeone People’s Party (SLPP), and every other political party in the country as the country races towards the next set of national elections or polls.
Accordingly, NCD noted it is using that opportunity to remind all and sundry that in any contest including apolitical contest, there are winners and losers. It, therefore, becomes a nationalistic or patriotic appeal on the part of NCD to all political contestants that all must strive to be good losers and winners and avoid throwing the country into any form of chaos with the proclivity of undermining meaningful national development.
“It is also the reasoned view of NCD that keeping the peace, maintaining law and order, and upholding the human rights of every citizen in Sierra Leone should be the primary responsibility of every well-meaning Sierra Leonean in addition to state institutions and they should be seen as non-negotiable as they serve in the best interest of the country,” the presser reads.
