Week 2
The week started off with the official commencement of political campaigning and CCYA allowed me to attend the launch chaired by the head of the National Electoral Commission Dr. Christina Thorpe. Elections are a mere month away and the atmosphere is fairly polarized as the All People’s Congress, the People’s Movement for Democratic Change and the incumbent Sierra Leone’s People’s Party are each serious contenders for the August 11th elections.
Tuesday brought a red tide of APC supporters to the streets of the Western Area, which includes Freetown a traditionally APC bulwark. The rally flooded the streets in a sea of red shirts, costumed dancers, vendors and most of all energetic youth that vied for the public’s attention. The rally met at the national stadium, and traffic in Freetown was brought to a virtual standstill. The main presidential contenders are the following: for the APC Ernest Bai Koroma, for the SLPP former vice-president Solomon Berewa and for the PMDC Charles Francis Margai. Elections are less than a month away and speaking to Sierra Leoneans I get a mixed picture of fears and expectations. Particularly up-line tensions exist between SLPP and PMDC, which is a breakaway faction of the former.
People fear that voting irregularities could jeopardize the hard won peace, yet there are also great expectations for change. Many hope that the next administration will bring tangible changes to people’s livelihoods, including gainful employment, running water and electricity. Most credit President Kabbah for securing the much-needed peace, but at the same time the lack of progress in securing people’s basic amenities, even in Freetown embolden the opposition parties. The seven percent yearly growth in Salone’s Gross Domestic Product is clearly not pro-poor, which is evident in a drive through the east or just looking over the shanties under Peace Bridge.
All three parties are courting the youth, which make up over sixty percent of the electorate. Young men and women running for parliamentary seats is a contemporary staple of the 2007 election, challenging the attitude of wait your turn. Traditionally during the few elections conducted in Sierra Leone the youth were utilized to perpetrate violence and intimidate the opposition. CCYA is making efforts countrywide to sensitize the youth on the need for non-violence, including a three-day National Youth Dialogue Conference that we are planning for late July. In each party’s manifesto they vow to tackle youth unemployment and under-representation, let us see if they aren't just empty promises because the people of Salone deserve results.
• On another note, International Crisis Group Released an interesting report on the upcoming elections and the structural causes of violence. http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=4942&l=1
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