The relationship between the ruling APC Government and the Council of Paramount Chiefs in the South and Eastern Regions is reportedly exploding and there is desperate need for urgent intervention to avert chaos.
This clash of interest is because of alleged reports of ‘Hand picked’ appointments of Local Court Chairpersons which seemingly has led to the near total absence of local court jurisdictions in most of the local Chiefdom in the Regions.
Paramount Chief Alimamy Jaia Kaikai of Kpanda Kabondeh Chirfdom on behalf of Paramount Chiefs in the Pujehun District wrote a complaint letter to President Koroma dated the 21st November 2008.
He categorically spelt out in the letter that “as Paramount Chiefs we are dismayed over the names of controversial, rebellious and ill disciplined people (who) have been imposed on their respective Chiefdoms as Court Chairpersons.”
According to the letter, the imposition of Court Chairpersons is a total disregard to their earlier recommendation made to the Provincial Secretary for the attention of the Resident Minister and the Local Government Minister.
The letter referred to such behavior as indeed inimical to good governance, peace and stability in their respective Chiefdoms and a recipe for chaos and instability in their Locality.
They therefore appealed to President Koroma for his timely intervention to remedy the situation.
It must be stated that similar complaints have been forwarded by the Council of Paramount Chiefs in Bo District and similar action has been followed from other Chiefs in the Eastern Region who equally view this singular action of APC party stalwarts on the grounds that it is counter productive.
In an exclusive interview with this reporter, the National Secretary General Council of Paramount Chiefs Alhaji Issa Kamara Koroma of Gallines Imperi Chiefdom Pujehun District disclosed that series of complaints had since been taken up with concerned authorities.
Some APC high profile officers in the region when questioned simply said that the Chiefs are up to their age old sabotage tactics although others say that something should be urgently done to avoid jungle justice and allow the normal court system to prevail
By Easmon Moigula
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