Sec Gen's Message - Sierra Leone Peoples Party

Fellow Sierra Leoneans and friends of Sierra Leone, with delight, I have the honour to give you a brief account of SLPP yesterday, SLPP today and our vision of its outlook tomorrow.

The Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) formed in 1951 is one of the oldest governing political parties in Africa. It had majority seats in the colonial legislative councils in 1952, 1957 and pioneered the fight for freedom that made the people of Sierra Leone independent in 1961. It again won majority seats in the 1962 legislative elections. In 1967, the Party lost power to the All People’s Congress (APC) making it the first political party to lose power through a democratic process.

The Party stands for Unity, Freedom and Justice. It is the Party in which every ethnic group, every religious group, and every shade of opinion is well represented. As a Party, SLPP believes in equality of all ethnic groups and equal opportunities for all. It is a Party for all and it is the only party that can boast of a large number of young professionals and eminent people of experience and maturity from among whom it can always select the best men and women to conduct the affairs of the country.

During its era of governance, the APC ushered in a regime of intolerance, disrespect for the Rule of Law and destruction of democratic values. After two poorly managed elections in 1973 and 1977, the APC forcefully imposed the One Party State in 1978 thus created a perfect situation for a reign of terror. This gross misuse of power was later resisted by unemployed and underemployed rural youths and urban lumpiness in a form of a rebel war led by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). This caused the loss of many lives, destruction of properties and a near state collapse. The military ousted the APC in a coup in 1992 and formed the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC).

After 4 years of junta rule, a pluralist democracy was introduced. In April 1996, the SLPP won and regained power under the leadership of Alhaji Dr Ahmad Tejan Kabbah while the war continued to rage. Barely 13 months in power, the SLPP led government was overthrown on 25th May 1997. After nine months in exile in neighbouring Guinea, the Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS) though its military unit, ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), the SLPP government was restored in March 1998. On January 6th 1999, Freetown and other towns, mostly from the North were attacked bringing the war to its climax. It then attracted the attention of the international community. The Lomè Peace Accord was signed principally between the government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). After several efforts, the tolerant and matured SLPP Government with the assistance of the international community, disarmed, demobilized and reintegrated over 50,000 ex-combatants. The war officially ended in January 2002.

In September 2005, the Party conducted a National Party Conference as the last stage in its restructuring process. Key changes including Chairman, Secretary-General, Women’s Leader, Young Generation Leader, and Publicity Secretary were made in the national executive. Perhaps more important was the overwhelming victory of Hon. Solomon Berewa, as Party Leader and Presidential Nominee for the 2007 presidential elections. Prior to his election, Solo B as he is fondly called was a successful Lawyer and Attorney General and Minister of Justice (1996-2002). In his latter capacity, he successful brokered the Lome Peace Accord which formed a formidable basis for peace in Sierra Leone. Currently, he is the Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone.

Other candidates for the leadership election were Joseph Bandabla Dauda, former Minister of Finance, Rtd. Brigadier Mada Bio and Mr. Charles Margai . All except Charles Margai have renewed their pledge to work with Hon. Solomon Berewa and continue to be SLPP members. Charles Margai who was overwhelmingly defeated could not accept the democratic challenge and keep up with the political embarrassment and therefore left with a few members, mostly those who had lost party executive positions, refused party symbols by their people, have not benefited from public appointments and feel marginalized and disgruntled.

The APC and to some extent the public had branded the SLPP as an elitist party dominated by mendes. The APC preached broad-based party ideology, relied on anti-mende sentiments, workers, students and the unemployed youths for its support in 1967. Although this charge was not entirely true, there were grounds that gave credence to it. In 1996, when the war was raging, President Kabbah in his wisdom had topmost on his agenda, bringing the war to an end, promoting peace, reconciliation and unity. He embraced every well meaning Sierra Leoneans and made deliberate efforts to bring into the Party notable Sierra Leoneans, particularly from the North. Some traditionalists see this bold move as an attempt to mortgage the party. The current leadership of the Party is committed to embracing all well meaning Sierra Leoneans into the party fold and would not be blackmailed by conservative and retarding sentiments that the Party might be hijacked by Sierra Leoneans who are fairly new in the Party. The Party will remain broad-based, open to all Sierra Leoneans and respectful to chiefs and all other progressive traditional values and institutions. It is currently the main instrument for uniting the people of Sierra Leone .

Sierra Leone People's Party

Until recently, the SLPP was also seen as a party dominated by elders. There was an apparent inter-generational crisis in the Party. Although this might have been true, the last National Party Conference held in Makeni elected into strategic offices young, dynamic and educated people to man the affairs of the Party. Few of these were the Hon. Dr Bernadette Lahai, a renowned gender and agricultural specialist as National Women’s Leader, Hon. Victor Reider, a renowned civil society activist as National Publicity Secretary, Sahr Nyama (formerly Secretary, Kono district) another veteran civil society activist as National Young Generation Leader and myself, a former World Bank Development Economist as the National Secretary General. Under the guidance of the new Chairman, Alhaji UNS Jah, a renowned Islamic scholar, public confidence in the Party has been renewed. After barely five months in office, the Secretariat has been relocated to its own building and started putting in place systems for better party management. The young team is moving aggressively to rekindle the confidence of the youths in the Party and its development agenda. Public perceptions are changing and criticism of the Party is now shifted from the composition of the Party hierarchy to the performance of Government officials. Young professionals are being attracted to the Party as they now see hope of playing key role in national politics. This confidence is re-echoed by the flag-bearer, Hon. Solomon Berewa who has around him several young professionals either as government officials or unofficial advisers. Other well-meaning Sierra Leoneans with progressive ideas are welcome to make their contributions.

Since the end of the war in 2002, the government has since embarked on massive reconstruction of state infrastructure, restoration of social services and rebuilding of state institutions. Notable gains in recent years are economic and political stability, the conducts of free and fair parliamentary and presidential elections in 2002, at least 70 paramount chief elections since 2003, local government elections in 2004 and restoration of rule of law including freedom of expression, movement and association. Since the APC dissolved local government in 1972, decision-making became centralized and became the business of the Freetown-based government officials, largely those in the executive arm of government. Subsequently, this led to neglect of rural areas. The re-establishment of local governments in 2004 creates the opportunity to promote popular participation in the development process and reverse the centralization of power and its associated rural deprivation.

Consolidating the peace process and improving governance, promoting pro-poor growth and creating jobs, particularly for the army of unemployed youths, infrastructure development, food security and human development are the key development challenges. These challenges have been recognized by government and are articulated in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) and other policy pronouncements. There is a security sector reform in progress with emphasis on the police and military. Basically, the reforms aim at building the capacities of the security units to ensure a peaceful Sierra Leone . Today, few months after the departure of UN mission to Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone is still peaceful. There are also reforms in public sector, particularly in areas like finance and administration. The decentralization programme is on course. Responsibilities like primary health and primary school management are radically devolved to local councils. In the area of corruption, some of the efforts include establishment of an independent Audit Service, strengthening of Anti-Corruption Commission, and enactments of financial and procurement laws.

There has been a remarkable turnaround in productive sectors, particularly agriculture. Currently, domestic food production stands at about 69% of total requirement comparable to pre-war levels. Several initiatives are underway to rebuild the poor infrastructure including electricity in Freetown and other big towns and trunk roads linking large settlements. Policies and laws that affect investment flows are being reviewed to make them investment-friendly. A robust food security programme is implemented. Several social and economic infrastructures are being reconstructed particularly in rural areas and capacities are being built to improve on service delivery. Today, every chiefdom can boast of at least a primary school or a health unit or a community infrastructure. Economic activities have resumed in rural areas and income levels of many people are picking up and are now comparable to pre-war levels. Overall, since 2002, registered economic growth has been sustained above 6% per annum.

As we moved from emergency to recovery, our development activities were largely in the areas of security, basic livelihood support in the form of food aid and input supply for small-scale agriculture, rebuilding of social and economic infrastructures and restoration of basic social services. Like most post-conflict country, the level of destruction was the key criterion for resource allocation. By all estimation, the rural areas were most severely affected. It was therefore morally correct and economically rational to allocate more of our meagre domestic and external resources to the vast deprived rural areas stretching from Falaba to Sulima, Koindu to Songo, Dema to Fintonnia. These areas were neglected by the APC government and are today the chronic poor areas. As we now move into the development phase, infrastructure, private investment, mechanized agriculture and increasing income levels of the poor are key.

As we seek a new mandate to govern, I therefore implore Party members to remain respectful, disciplined, avoid violence and rude conducts, remain focused and not be bordered by the few resignations of those that do not believe in the tenets of democracy. The year 2007 is crucial for our sustainability and your support is crucial. I also advise you to be persuasive, preach party messages of improving on participatory governance, restoring law and order, improving education, creating jobs for the unemployed and ensuring food security. We should be hopeful that the party will be much integrated into public governance. The credibility of the Party will be restored and the apparent disconnect between the Party and government will soon be things of the past. Government policies will be anchored on party manifesto. Appointed public officials will regard the Party as their source of power. Competent and loyal party members will be proud to belong to the SLPP family. Youths and women will have their rightful places in society. Above all, national cohesion will be fostered, peace will be sustained and the economy will boom and living standards improved.

I therefore appeal to all Sierra Leoneans to vote SLPP for continuity of good policies and programmes .

I thank you all.

One Country One People.

National Secretary-General, SLPP

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