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The Secretary General of the main opposition party All People’s Congress (APC), Lansana Dumbuya have stated that the ruling Sierra Leone People Party (SLPP) government should not be trusted.
According to the Day Break Newspaper, Dumbuya made this statement in an exclusive interview while speaking on issues regarding the implementation of the recommendation from the Tripartite Committee.
“As we are trying to implement the Tripartite recommendations, we know that the government is not to be trusted since they were and are not forthright,” he said.
Dumbuya emphasized that their party is going to push to see that the said recommendations are fully implemented, adding that the recommendations when implemented will discourage the toxicity of politics as was evident in the 2023 elections.
“All those that represented the APC did a marvelous job,” he said. He, however, confirmed that the government might accede to some of their demands in the recommendations. He drew reference to some recommendations that have strict timelines which have elapsed.
He also confirmed his party leadership recent meeting with some diplomatic and foreign partners on the issue, stating that they were promised the recommendations will be implemented.
Dumbuya further accused the SLPP government of working behind closed doors rather than form a partnership with them in implementing the said recommendations.
“We want a fair level of representation (in any committee) in the furtherance of any discussion,” he said. He maintained that while the APC does not want 100 percent representation, they nevertheless keen on the party being represented in whatever committee.
He cited the Steering Committee as an example which composed of nine ministers and 15 other government institutions and just three APC members. He said that even the APC members serving that committee were chosen by the government and not the party.
“The people (APC Steering Committee) members are qualified but they should not choose for us,” he affirmed.
The APC Scribe said the government should give them the free will to choose and that they have also made that point clear to members of the international community.
The Tripartite Committee was set up in the aftermath of the 2023 elections. The elections witnessed a heightened political atmosphere after the main opposition failed to accept the results citing that they were rigged in favour of the incumbent.
The party decided to boycott governance in the West African nation as a sign of protest and only participated months later after the international community intervened.
The two political parties agreed to set up a committee to look into the mishaps of the elections and draft recommendations in the interest of peace and democracy. It could be recalled that in June this year, the Committee completed series of recommendations drafted by the two parties.
Sierra Leone is preparing to go the polls again in 2028 and there is hope that the poisonous political atmosphere could be avoided if the recommendations by the Tripartite Committee are fully implemented.
