In a bid to ensure a free, fair, credible and violent free election, a group of women, men (all dressed in white and holding banners) representing the Sierra Leone-Gullah Kinship Association and school children in their uniforms, yesterday paraded the main streets of Freetown in a peace march representing the Sierra Leone-Gullah Kinship Association.
The march was led by the President and Founder of the association, Chief Pa Komrabai M’bompa Dumbuya and other traditional heads from all tribes around the country. The march took them to the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), All People’s Congress (APC) party, People’s Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC), National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the United Democratic Alliance (NDA) where the party representatives appended their signatures on the peace communiqué.
The march was also extended to the Independent Media Commission (IMC) and the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) as they are with the responsibility of regulating media activities and disseminating information to members of the public.
At each political party headquarter, a peace statement was delivered by the various leaders and school pupils emphasizing the need for a violent free election as most people have suffered during the past eleven years civil war.
“As school going children, these indicators have awakened us to undertake this peace building march in order to register our concern and advise all political parties to please preach and maintain peace before, during and after the November 17, 2012 elections,” says one of the pupils.
The people where chanting peace songs like “Salone na wi all yone”, as others were displaying placards carrying peace messages like “Peace is all we want”, “Stop the violence and intimidation”. An estimated six hundred people participated in the march. Pastor Vincent Nicolson, Coordinator for the Western Rural District said the march was organized because they wanted peace in the country. He added that during the eleven years war lot of things happened that destroyed the country.
“We need peace and non violence before, during and after the elections”, he emphasized. He noted that though the elections are in November, there have been cases of violence involving political parties. Pupils who were part of the march reminded political parties of the eleven years rebel war and the skirmishes in Bo, Kono and most recently, Freetown.
They stated that as children these indicators have awakened them to undertake this peace building march in order to register their concerns and advise all political parties.
According to marchers, they are expecting all political parties to put Sierra Leone above everything else, and are appealing to politicians to desist from all forms of violence, intimidation and humiliating statements or provocations against each other such that has the potential of igniting chaos and subsequently violence in their beloved nation. They maintained that the people are no longer in position to tolerate another war.
For the children, they maintained on behalf of their colleagues across the country that they want permanent peace and an enabling environment for teaching and schooling to take place. “We do not want any situation that will punctuate our educational process,” the children appealed.
The Sierra Leone-Gullah Friendship Association was founded in 1994 to promote the historic and cultural ties between Sierra Leone and the United States. It has branches in over one hundred and eighty communities and one hundred secondary schools in the Western Rural and Urban Areas. The organization has over thirty thousand registered members.
At State House the marchers were received by the Chief of Staff in the Office of the President, Keifala Marah. In his response to the marchers’ peace message, Chief of Staff Marah acknowledged the white dress of the marchers which he noted is symbolic of the peace and decorum the marchers are wishing for their beloved Sierra Leone. He assured the marchers that he will convey their message to President Koroma.
He disclosed that as the people are going round to deliver the peace message, so also is President Koroma trying to maintain the peace. He recalled the President’s call for national fasting and prayers which he maintained was a manifestation of the President’s commitment to maintaining peace and stability in the country.
The Chief of Staff encouraged the marchers not to allow others to inject violent messages into their clear-cut and well planned programme that could result to violence. He added that the people should allow peace to prevail before, during and after the election in the interest of all Sierra Leoneans.
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