As the biometric registration enters its third phase, Constituency 110 in the Western Area Urban has endorsed their current sitting All People’s Congress (APC) party Member of Parliament to represent them in Parliament for the second term.
Hon. Cuffie’s endorsement came at a well attended voter sensitization meeting held at the Pike Street Round About, west of the Capital comprising of Constituency party youth, youth from all works of life, as well as men and women from different communities in the Constituency. Constituency 109 has an estimated population of 28, 000 people.
Addressing the gathering on last Sunday, the Constituency Organizing Secretary, Frank Kargbo called on the constituents to go out and register, but warning them to refrain from under age registration and double registrations.
He said that it is only when one is registered as a voter that he or she would qualify to vote in the forthcoming elections. Mr. Kargbo cautioned the people against what he said was being rumoured that they will only vote for the President and not for the Member of Parliament. According to Mr. Kargbo, that decision would not augur well for the President as that will militate against his good intentions to work well for the people and country. “It is only when the President controls considerable majority in Parliament would he be able to work effectively as his programmes and policies would then have the required majority support by Members of Parliament,” Mr. Kargbo stated.
One of the Councillors, Sheka Dumbuya, said the meeting was timely as it brought together many people from different works of life. He appealed to the people to keep their registration slips safe which would in the final analysis guarantee them the award of their voter identification cards. Mr Dumbuya also called on them to vote for the person whom the party would award its symbol.
Publicity and Propaganda Secretary for Hon. Cuffie Campaign Team, Mano Bizoco Dumbuya highlighted some of the tangible and intangible developments undertaken by Hon. Cuffie in the various communities within the constituency.
In his statement, Hon. Julius Nye Cuffie debunked rumour making the rounds that he has not been visiting his constituency. He explained that he has been coming to his constituency frequently and interacting with his people, especially the youth.
He disclosed to his constituents his intention to run for a second term and called for their blessings and prayers.
“I want to continue with the good work I have started,” he declared, and made clear his role as Member of Parliament as being to make laws and perform oversight roles on government ministries, departments and agencies.
The Member of Parliament called on his people to support somebody that will sell the President’s ‘Agenda for Change’, and apologized to those whom he said he may have unintentionally hurt and asked for their forgiveness.
The crowd went into frenzy characterized by fanfare and singing of popular musical lyric, ‘come back oh, oh, oh, come back… you na mi old firewood’ (come back, you are my old firewood). Following this spectacle, speakers after speaker in their turns endorsed Hon. Cuffie for his second term bid.
An elderly woman of the Pike Street Community, Aminata Conteh said she had made up her mind not to vote for Hon. Cuffie but that having heard his plea and explanation, “I have changed my mind and I will vote for you,” Mammy Conteh said. The old woman disclosed that some people in the constituency have been talking uncomplimentary things about the MP without any tangible reason. She said they have always failed to give the right information to the people. “I am satisfied with everything I have heard in this meeting. I think we were being misled by the few people opposing Hon. Cuffie,” Mammy Conteh asserted.
Pa Alimamy Sesay also of Constituency 110 noted that the meeting provided him the opportunity to see Hon. Cuffie, his MP for the first time since the 2007 election. “I have never set eyes on my MP since I last voted for him in 2007,” Pa Sesay said. He however advised Hon. Cuffie to be holding such meetings on a regular basis as a way of changing some of the negative perceptions about him that which are being capitalized by his distracters to score political goals against him.
By Abibatu Kamara
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