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Editorial



SLPP GOVERNMENT AND CREDIBILTY : SILENCE IS NOT GOLDEN IN TODAY'S POLITICS

Wednesday January 22, 2003

The government has done it again. In the midst of all the uncertainties and fears that have enveloped the country once again, the government has decided to let the people feed on information scraps , instead of coming out with a detailed explanation of events that have put the country on its wit's end .

All that has emanated from the government is the usual appeal to the people to remain calm. But how does the government expect the nation to remain calm when there are so many frighful rumours out there ? How do they expect people to go to bed at night and sleep in peace when the nation has been torn asunder by uncertainties since the attack on the ammunition dump at Wellington ?

The government must realise that in today's politics, perception often is reality. If you allow your enemy to steal a march on you and start propagating his version without rebuttal or explanation of the whole issue from you , soon the public would begin to see only your enemy's viewpoints and start perceiving you in a different light .

It is time for the nation and the world to knew why a manhunt has been mounted for Johnny Paul Koroma, the achilles heel of the government.It is high time that the nation and the world knew why all the presents arrests are being conducted.

Because the government has failed to speak, all kinds of versions are abroad. We sent our Freetown correspondent, Olu Faulkner, out into the streets of the capital to sample the views of people on the present crisis. What he came out with is majority of respondents perceiving that the government is out on a witch hunt.

The public would want to be convinced that there was a credible threat to national security. And what is this threat ? Did the accused plan to overthrow the government ? Did they plan to assassinate government officials ? Did they plan to start the rebel war all over again ? What is the basis for the government's assurance that everything is under control ? W need to know the truth.Only a complete knowledge of what the accused planned will make Sierra Leoneans and the foreign elements within our midst use their own instincts and perceptions to gain that needed assurance that the government has the situation under control.

We hope the government will come out with a detailed explanation of what is really happening in Freetown . Johnny Paul Koroma has had his own say and what he has said is damaging to the government. Nobody in his right senses will invest in a country where the ruling government is perceived to be always out on a witch hunt that only further exacerbates the nation's problems.

We need the truth.We need all the details.This is the only way that we can go about our business in peace. This is the only way we can sleep soundly at night, assured that we have a government whose acts and words can be trusted.

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JOHNNY PAUL KOROMA'S ARREST AND GOVERNMENT/MILITARY RELATIONS

Saturday January 18, 2003

With suspicion and distrust the keynote of the relations between the government and the military, today's arrest of retired Lt. Col.Johnny Paul Koroma will further polarise ties between the two forces.

Events emanating from the last General Elections showed that Koroma is still the blue-eyed boy of the Sierra Leone army, despite the changes that have gone on in the military .

Koroma won a majority of the votes cast by members of the armed forces, who, correspondingly gave a negligible percentage of their votes to President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. The government downplayed this curious political dynamic , but observers of Sierra Leone politics could not be convinced that something could not be read into the statistics.

What many Sierra Leoneans fail to realise is that the army would naturally support their own in the power-politics of nations like Sierra Leone and Liberia,(countries where the military has tasted the fruits of power stupendiously ) and where soldiers especially complain that they were not receiving the required preferential treatment from the government in power. Despite his unsavoury reputation as head of a junta that oppressed and suppressed the people, Koroma represents a bridge between a government the soldiers do not wholly perceive as pursuing their interests as vigorously as they would have liked, and the army 's dreams of a share in the control of the nation .

If the government will have to convince the army that this arrest was not a mere witch-hunt, it has to provide a mountain of credible evidence to link Johnny Paul Koroma to the alleged "conspiracy to destabilize the security of the nation ".

Today's arrest has also placed Johnny Paul Koroma's political career and his acceptability to the Sierra Leonean people on the crossroads. If the government proves beyond a reasonable doubt that he was involved in a plot to destabilize the already fragile country, public sentiments will be heaped up against him and his political career will die ingloriously .This is because Sierra Leoneans still bear scars and recriminations from his role as leader of the AFRC Junta, which was involved in extreme human rights violations.He is a man that Sierra Leoneans had always viewed with suspicion.

Those who do not support the government will, no doubt, view today's arrest as another move by the government to subdue all their perceived enemies.

This belief will gain currency in the days to come ,but the government could also get Koroma off their backs for good if they provide a good investigation and surface with undeniable evidence to link him to attempts to create chaos in the country. Koroma then will be a gonner and a mere footnote in the evolving new political dispensation in Sierra Leone. His reputation will be tarnished beyond repairs and he will become a pariah like Foday Sankoh. However, the government could turn Koroma into a hero if they provide a weak case against him and he wins . This in turnish will destroy the image of the SLPP administration as a government that is very vindictive and would not just leave their critics and perceived antagonistists alone.

The last thing that should emerge from these tense events is the perception that the government felt threatened by Johnny Paul Koroma's popularity in the armed forces and his new profile as a parliamentarian. By arresting him , the government too has placed its credibility on the line. If they provide no convincing evidence against Johnny Paul Koroma, they will give credence to the criticisms of their accusers that they are a government adept at witch-hunting in their quest to impose unchallengable rule in Sierra Leone.

As a newspaper that believes in democracy, we denounce any attempt to change the status quo by force of arms. Sierra Leone does not need a coup and the SLPP deserves the chance to finish their term of office . We support a change of government wrought only through the ballot box. However, we will be the first to condemn the government if it all turns out to be trumped-up and stage-managed events.

We trust that Governor Clarkson's prayer for Sierra Leone will remain potent and those who knowingly try to subvert the will of the people by force of arms will fail , and fail miserably

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WHO WILL ACCOUNT FOR ATROCITIES COMMITTED BY GOVT.FORCES AND THE CDF ?

The Human Rights Watch's blockbuster report on the widespread sexual violence perpetuated against thousands of Sierra Leonean girls and women has raised a very worrying phenomenon of the brutal Civil War .

According to the results of the HRW investigation , it was discovered that "there was also a disturbing intensification of abuses by pro-government forces ."

The report states that "the Sierra Leonean government caused numerous civilian casualties through helicopter gunship attacks during May and June 2000 against rebel strongholds of Makeni, Magburaka and Kabia." The investigation also unearthed numerous cases of sexual violence ...including gang rapes by Kamajor militiamen and commanders.

While these fighters were working to defeat the dreaded scourge, the RUF, and restore peace and stability in the country, there is definitely no excuse for the atrocities they too committed against poor, hapless civilians. The guns that seek to redeem the people must never enslave or brutalize them.

It is a part of our political culture that whenever there are conflicts that force government soldiers to go out into the streets to restore order, they too often join dissident forces to brutalize the innocent civilian population. This is a flagrant violation of the oath our men-and -women-in-arms took to defend and protect the civilian population.

While we want to thank our soldiers and CDF for a job well done, we think that they too must account for the atrocities committed against civilians , not only to ensure justice for the victims and the nation, but to hammer home the message that nobody is above the law anywhere in the world.

It has often been argued that the reason that our security forces do not respect the lives and properties of the civilian populace is the assurance that they have that they will always go scot-free. In our culture , we do not consider it a moral, legal and political expediency to punish law enforcement officials, even when they commit vile crimes against the people while attempting to restore peace and order . A message should be sent through this time to those soldiers and militiamen who feel that they are above the law that things have changed. We have metamorphosed from the distressing era when the law in Sierra Leone favoured the rich, government officials and the security forces.

The government too must account for the lawless and reckless deeds of its security forces during the war. All commanders deemed to have been guilty of dereliction of duty --that is, watching their men commit these atrocities without taking any necessary measures to stop them or punish them-should be held accountable for these war crimes against the people . Neither the government forces, nor the Kamajors or what-have-you should be above the law.

And if it is found that certain government officials were in the position to exert their influence and positions to halt these atrocities but failed to act , while being under a duty to do so, they should be indicted by the Special Court, whatever their posts in the government.

This is judgement day in Sierra Leone and those who deliberately and wilfully harmed the people must pay the price.

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KUDOS TO GOVERNMENT ON REBUILDING OF THE ARMY

Frankly speaking , the President Tejan Kabbah government has done a remarkable job with one of the most vital institutions any nation can be proud of-the military forces.

To hear today of government armed forces repelling attacks on sensitive military installations or the borders , with consumate ease , brings pride to the heart of every citizen who once blushed when the name of our army was mentioned.

The government has done a great job and we doff our hats to them.

We also praise the British government headed by Mr. Tony Blair for its magnificient assistance in helping to rebuild the Sierra Leone armed forces.We are beginning to have an armed forces that we are proud of and we wish to hail the gallant men and women who have taken up with patriotic pride the task to restore peace and stability to our once veritable paradise.

We think that the government needs to go one step further . It must seek to expunge any misunderstanding that may exist between them and the armed forces, following past unfortunate occurences.The conditions of service of the Army, Police and Navy must continally be upgraded to keep the men and women - in -arms happy about their lot. The government must be viewed as having at heart the best interests of the armed forces.

It is a reciprocal relationship , in which the army too must demonstrate beyond all doubts that they are loyal to the state and the people . We should forever say goodbye to those days when the armed forces allowed themselves to be manipulated by polticians. Politics is the preserve of politicians and the army has no business in politics. The institution should remain neutral at all times in maestrom of political changes.

We also look forward to a better relationship between the army and the civilian populace. The armed forces are the protectors of the people and every effort should be expended to demonstrate the truism of this concept.

When all is said and done, Sierra Leone is the only home we have and the only home we know. If there and peace and stability in the nation , it is Sierra Leoneans who will enjoy the benefits. We should therefore endeavour to provide encouragement and goodwill to members of the armed forces , to inspire them to defend the nation and the territorial integrity of the state.We hope that what is happening is not a mere flash in the frying pan , but another positive step in the right direction.

READ OUR OP/ED PAGE FOR "INVINCIBLE MILITARY FORCE : A DIRE NECESSITY FOR SIERRA LEONE".

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MASKITA SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE

There are no words to describe the outrage that Sierra Leoneans feel about rebel commander Sam Bockarie, who is also known as "Maskita."

Bockarie was the head of the Sierra Leone rebel's war -machine that perpetuated what is now regarded as one of the worst ever examples of human bestiality and cruelty.His "OPERATION SPARE NO LIVING THING " and his scorch-earth principles during the war ensured that thousands of innocent people died brutal deaths at the hands of the rebels, while villages, towns and cities were burned down almost beyond our ability to ever rebuild them .

After ruining the lives of the Sierra Leone people, Maskita, with impunity that beats human comprehension, refused to be part of the peace process that offered wide-ranging concessions to his rebel movement that had killed over 20, 000 people.

Rather, he has moved his macabre theatre of horrors to foreign soil.He is now one of the fighters in Ivory Coast engaged in massive destruction of that country's infrastructure,looting and other war crimes.

While many of his collegues have been punished, Maskita remains at large, even gloating.This should not be. The UN is said to have declared him a wanted man, after the Ivorian authorities complained about his activities in their country.

Every avenue must be explored to ensure that this conscienceless killer is caught and made to pay for his crimes against humanity.His elusive qualities make him the most dangerous rebel on the loose in West Africa presently. It is possible that he may re-surface in Sierra Leone to destabilize the country and turn the lives of citizens upside down again .Infact, this is something he has bragged about in Liberia.

Maskita needs to be arrested immediately and brought to Sierra Leone to face instant justice .There is no longer any time to wait for the Special Court to issue him a summons.

Maskita must face justice now so that the West African people can breathe peace and tranquility once again .