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The Chairman of the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC), Abdulai Masiambay Bangura has expressed concerns about the challenges faced in the ongoing Voter Registration exercise in the country.
The PPRC boss disclosed that the turnout in Kenema City was appalling compared to other places he had visited in the country, which he said is a serious concern to both PPRC and the leadership of Political Parties in the Eastern region. He urged stakeholders in Kenema to go out and intensify sensitization of the public.
“Voter turnout for Kenema city is very appalling, unlike other parts of the country, and it’s a concern to PPRC and other institutions,’’ he said.
He also stated that computers in the Southern District of Bo totally went off and the registration exercise could not commence earlier but said the registration staff channeled those concerns to ECSL for prompt intervention.
The PPRC Chairman noted that the voters’ registration has a few challenges around the country, but believed those problems will not disturb the registration process.
He stated that some Members of Parliament (MPs) made a misconception that ECSL computers in parts of Makeni were malfunctioning, seen as an attempt to stifle the registration process. He denied the allegations, noting that the issue of computer malfunctioning cuts across the country.
He said voter turnout on the opening day of the registration was impressive in some areas he visited and that they deployed staff from the All Political Parties Women Association (APPWA) and All Political Parties Youths Association (APPYA) to observe the process all over the country.
He highlighted the importance of the voter ID card which he said will enable someone to vote in the general elections, noting that it is a potent weapon one can prove to politicians which will enable them to take part in the governance of their ward, constituency, and the country as a whole.
Commissioner Bangura urged citizens to use the voter card to decide who should govern them in the next five years and not to embark on violent demonstrations. He said the government in power was voted for, saying nobody has the right to remove them by force, but only through democratic elections, and cautioned people to refrain from using lawlessness as their ‘right’.
He encouraged first-time voters that will be 18 years before the elections to come out and register as their constitutional right.
Meanwhile, the political party Agents assigned to the different registration centres in Kenema said they are not happy with the registration process in the district.
Morie Abdulai Kowa, an agent for the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) said the participation of people was not encouraging and called on stakeholders to do robust public sensitization on the registration. All People’s Congress (APC) party agent Ibrahim Kamara suggested it will be better for stakeholders to institute a two-day public holiday nationwide so that people can go out and register, noting that the one-month period allocated for the process will not be enough.
