The Ministry of Defence and the Republic of Sierra Leone Arms Forces (RSLAF), has described as misleading and a misrepresentation of the facts that troops in Darfur have already voted ahead of the elections. The Defence Ministry yesterday told Awoko that the rumour is not only misleading but also an attempt to undermine the cohesion of the forces.
In reaction to the widespread rumour that troops due for deployment to Somalia and Darfur,had voted,the Staff Officer Public Relations/Information of MOD/RSLAF, Major S.P. Moody in an interview with Awoko in his office maintained that over the weekend, they were able to monitor some comments made on the social media, stating that the troops due deployment have already cast their votes, even before the stipulated elections date, explaining that there is no special voting for soldiers as “any voting exercise should be done and supervised by the National Electoral Commission in a transparent manner without any secrecy”. He said they as military officers were surprised about the information but at the same time, it has helped them to draw the attention of the public to ensure that they keep the military out of politics.
Major Moody states that as a military, “we will maintain our apolitical position” as members of the Armed forces have the right to vote but that they will do that during the election period and go back to their deployment, as they were not special in elections, maintaining that they do not know who is peddling this kind of information, as the personnel that should be deployed are still in the country on final deployment administration.
In addressing the issue of security before, during and after elections, Major Moody said that they will be working alongside the Police, as the Police are in charge of internal security. Meanwhile, an Assistant Inspector-General of Police (name withheld) disclosed that already they have instituted the MAC-P that will last throughout the election period until the final publication of the result. Major Moody also commented on the story about the planned repatriation of their contingent from Darfur, Sudan, stating that the deficiencies in their equipment cited as the reason for the repatriation have all been procured long ago, as they are presently in the process of shipment and that the Ministry of Defence has initiated contacts with the United Nations, informing them about the development, and that the public will be duly informed on the outcome.
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