Road Safety Watch-Sierra Leone has issued a Press Release expressing disappointment over the arrangements of the meeting held at State House yesterday the 18th August, 2022 to engage Civil Society Organizations.

See Press Release below:

Road Safety Watch-Sierra Leone The above named Civil Society organization wishes to express it deepest disappointment over today’s meeting with  President Julius Maada Bio and Civil Society Activists, at State House.

Upon arrival at State House for the meeting as a registered Civil Society organization that has been addressing Issues  of Road Transportation & Safety in Sierra Leone we discovered our organization was not included into the list of civil society Activists/Organizations invited by the president. And we made to understand that the said list was prepared by colleague Civil Society Activists that were very closed in relation to the president, at the detriment of other vibrant Civil Society organizations/Activists.

Our organization therefore wants to draw the attention of President Julius Maada Bio to please reschedule another meeting for all registered Civil Society organizations/Activists and not just selected few as in the case of what happened today at State House, where many colleagues whose names were not on the list were not allowed.

This is a total monopoly of the Civil Society Forum at the detriment of others. No Registered civil society organization is better than the other, because each has it own space and Thematic areas of concern in the interest of the country.

So why choosing only those with familiarities, it is a sign of irresponsibility, marginalization and extreme sycophancy on those who prepared the  invitation list, depriving other relevant colleagues from attending such a relevant meeting proposed to discuss the way forward after the August 10th insurgence.

Next time names of all registered Civil Society organizations should be requested from Freetown City Council, which has been given the mandate to register all Civil Society organizations in Freetown and district councils for those operating outside Freetown for an inclusive meeting of purpose.

Looking forward to seeing a rescheduled meeting that is inclusive of all registered Civil Society organizations/Activists and not just selected few.

Executive Director Road Safety Watch-Sierra Leone,

Acting president of Civil Society Union-Sierra Leone.