- reiterates opposition strongman
February 9, 2016 By Mohamed Massaquoi
The opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) acting National Publicity Secretary has slammed the proposed move by some desperate members of the ruling All People’s Congress (APC) to foist the ‘More Time’ concept on the people of Sierra Leone, describing the campaign as “unpatriotic and undemocratic”, warning that their party supporters and members will resist such an imposition.
Rtd. Lt. Lawrence Leema told Concord Times in an exclusive interview that “it is out of desperation for political power that members of theAPC have come up with a statement modifying their third term plan after it was condemned by Sierra Leoneans”.
He said the ‘More Time’ concept has not only received “outright rejection from the SLPP”, but as well from civil society organisations and members of the public who believe that the campaign has the propensity to derail the democratic gains Sierra Leone has made over the years.
“During the State Opening of Parliament on the 5th of December 2015, the APC Members of Parliament, from whom much is expected, reinvented the same unconstitutional ploy of ‘More Time’ in the presence of the President, who was probably in approval of their act as his face was beaming with smile in response to the sycophantic call by members of his party,” claimed Leema. “The SLPP party, in the spirit of democracy, patriotism and nationalism, maintains a strong position against the ‘More Time’ for President Ernest Bai Koroma as propagated by the APC Youth League, the APC Members of Parliament and other pro-APC youth organisations.”
It could be recalled that on 23-24 October 2015, the APC Youth League converged at the University of Makeni to deliberate on plans that will sustain the ruling party in governance.
“Following the recent position of the SLPP MPs, especially the acting Minority Leader Hon. Ansu Kaikai, damning the nonsense tagged as ‘More Time’ as unconstitutional, a notorious pro-APC tabloid re-emerges and justifying the campaign but in a manner different from the earlier campaigners,” noted the acting SLPP national publicity secretary.
“It becomes apparent that the ‘More Time’ propagated by the APC Youth League, MPs and other pro-APC actors does not approximate to lawful free speech and free expression but aims to destroy the democratic tenants of the country. Any attempt by [President] Ernest Bai Koroma to add to his tenure in governance will receive strong resistance from the SLPP and the people of Sierra Leone.”