[align=left]From: "julien ABALO" <freedomsal@yahoo.fr>
To:
Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2007 5:42 PM
Subject: Push for constitutional order in Sierra Leone!

SIERRA LEONE PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC LEAGUE

P.D.L.

TO: 1. The African Union (AU).
2. The Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS)
3. The Commonwealth
4. United Nations
5. Rights' Groups
6. The Print and Electronic Media
7. Africans on the continent and the Diaspora.

SUBJECT: PDL stands on political developments in
Sierra Leone!

STATEMENT:

The purpose of this public statement is to draw the
attention of the international community on the
painful political developments in Sierra Leone. It is
intended also to make clear our opposition to attempts
by the Tejan Kabbah dictatorship in Freetown, to
destroy the Constitution of the Republic of Sierra
Leone by viciously, illegally and unjustly extending
its term of office beyond June 2007, when the elected
President is supposed to open the new Parliament.

It is not about vengeance, or hatred or malice against
the President and his government in Freetown. It is
all about the concern for peace, stability and the
future of our country, which is still rated top of
United Nations Human Development Index (UNHDI) as the
poorest and educationally backward nation on earth,
second only to desert prone Republic of Niger.

WHAT THE CONSTITUTION OF SIERRA LEONE SAYS-

The Constitution of the Republic of Sierra Leone
provides for Multi-Party democracy and guarantees the
rights of Sierra Leoneans to participate in electing
their leaders in a peaceful and democratic atmosphere.
The Constitution provides also for the holding of
presidential and parliamentary elections every five
years. In other words, the term of office for elected
office holders, i.e. the President and Members of
Parliament is five years.

THE LAST ELECTIONS-

The previous election that culminated into the birth
of the current government was held in April 2002, the
same period the Republic of Mali held theirs. Going by
the Constitution of Sierra Leone, the mandate for the
government of President Tejan Kabbah ends after the
holding of elections in April 2007. The inauguration
of the new Parliament supposed to take place on first
Friday of June 2007. The newly elected President is
expected to present and address Parliament that day.

If democracy is all about rule of law, respect for
human rights and freedoms, the Constitution that
guarantees all these noble principles must be upheld
in the first place. All must also respect the rights
and freedoms of the people of Sierra Leone to vote and
be voted for in a free, peaceful and democratic
election as stated by the Constitution.

THE ROLE OF SIERRA LEANEANS IN DEFENDING THEIR
CONSTITUTION-

No one denies the fact that Sierra Leoneans, after
going through decades of One Party rule; bitter civil
war and violent change of governments reject anything
unconstitutional to change their government. They
reject military rule as well as civilian dictatorship.

The international community, the United Nations,
Commonwealth and Western nations bear witness that the
military coup of May 25, 1997 led by Major Johnny Paul
Koroma did not received the support of the Sierra
Leonean people, including the Sierra Leone People's
Democratic League (PDL). Our people came to the
streets to say no to the subversion of the country's
Constitution and fought for the reinstatement of
democratic rule. They paid the highest price in
history-they suffered nine months of military
brutalities, pains, international embargo,
tribulations and more, to force the junta out and the
enthronement of constitutional order.

THE POSITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY-

Democracy they say is the foundation of peace and
development, and therefore, it is a principle worth
fighting and dieing. No sacrifice is too great for
democracy.

To most political commentators who, in the last few
years, have been familiar with the Sierra Leonean
politics will agree that the country is retrogressing
by the passing day. They will agree that all the
sufferings, pains, agonies, tribulations, brutalities
and traumas Sierra Leoneans went through to see the
enthronement of democracy have yielded nothing than
the emergence of a one-man civilian dictatorship
syndrome in the country.

When the current government of President Tejan Kabbah
was unconstitutionally and illegally removed by the
military in May 1997, the unified position taken by
the international community was that, there was no
room for unconstitutional removal of government in our
age. It was agreed that Sierra Leoneans must be
assisted by the international community to restore
democracy. A week after the May 25 coup, which brought
Major Johnny Paul Koroma to power, on June 2, 1997 the
Nigerian military tyrant, the late Marshall Sani
Abacha ordered the naval bombardments of Freetown
killing at least a hundred civilians.

While Mr. Tejan Kabbah was in exiled, in neighbouring
Guinea, he was encouraged to sign many contracts with
foreign mercenaries and international racketeers with
the help of the Labour government of Prime Minister
Tony Blair in London, to return back to power. While
the World Bank first in history was made to pay part
of the cost for maintaining the mercenaries, Sandline
International on the ground. The Commonwealth in
London supervised the deal between Mr. Kabbah and
Indian born international racketeer Rakesh Saxene,
which include ten million United States Dollars
(US$10,000,000.) to be paid to the mercenary group
Sandline International for its operations in Sierra
Leone. In return, Mr. Rakesh will be paid with diamond
concession worth hundred and fifty million United
States Dollars (US$150,000,000.).

The office of Prime Minister Tony Blair paid for the
purchase and installation of a pirate radio FM station
dubbed: "Radio Democracy" used to relay messages of
the exiled President to the people of Sierra Leone.
The FM station was also known to be broadcasting
messages intended to cause divisions and hatreds, and
set one Sierra Leonean against the other. The FM
station was said to cost the British tax papers of the
sum of sixty thousand British Pounds (£60,000.).


The United Nations on its own goodwill imposed a nine
month embargo to isolate the AFRC junta with the
outside world, while the late Nigerian military
dictator Sani Abacha received was task to use Nigerian
military might to reinstate the government of Mr.
Tejan Kabbah. The Guinean dictator, President Lansana
Conte was compensated with the tapping of the
resources in Sierra Leone's mineral rich eastern town
of Yenga and its environs, while the late Nigerian
Marshall dictator received as his personal gains, the
Sierra Leone Oil Refineering (the oldest in West
Africa).

Apart, the exiled government was encouraged to
recruit, train and arm an ethnic militia group known
as the Kamajors to fight against the junta government
in Freetown. The weapons used by the Kamajors to
execute President Tejan Kabbah's orders were illegally
shipped from the United Kingdom in the first place.
Former British High Commissioner to Sierra Leone, Mr.
Peter Pennfold, justified this action, which was
regarded as foul against United Nations arms embargo.


The United Nations, Commonwealth, Britain, the United
States, European Union justified their actions in the
aftermath of the coup against the government of Mr.
Tejan Kabbah as supporting the return of
constitutional order in Sierra Leone. They also
claimed their actions were meant to deter the
unconstitutional and illegal change of governments in
Africa and elsewhere. Unfortunately, we did not see
any action taken to reverse the coups that took place
in Niger, Guinea Bissau, etc since Sierra Leone was a
special case.

THE INVASION OF FREETOWN-

While in Conakry the exiled leader, through the
foreign media and his so-called radio democracy,
ordered the well-trained Kamajoor militia fighters and
the Nigerian led foreign forces on the ground to
attack Freetown on air, land and sea to reverse the
AFRC coup, led by Johnny Paul Koroma. He went on to
say that everything must be done by the Kamajors and
the foreign forces on the ground to remove the junta
out of power, even it cost killing all Sierra Leoneans
he will return to rule the chickens that will survive.


It took the foreign forces and their local Kamajoor
allies a week to force the junta out of power, at the
cost of over twenty thousand civilian lives caught in
the fire. Property damaged was never made public, but
we estimate it to be a little more than five hundred
million United States Dollars ($500,000,000.). All
these, the President defended the actions as the price
for constitutional order.

THE EXIT OF THE AFRC IN FREETOWN-

February 8th 1998 saw the final exit of the AFRC junta
in Freetown. While in Conakry, Mr. Kabbah ordered that
the Nigerian Commander, General Maxwell Khobe be
running the affairs of the country as Head of State
instead of former Vice President Dr. Albert Demby. Mr.
Kabbah announced again, through the BBC and local
radio that those Sierra Leoneans he perceived as
enemies should be identified as collaborators and who
must be killed. In the process, prominent Sierra
Leoneans like Sheikh Mustab, Alhaji Musa Kabia, Abu
Black and scores of others were lynched and burned to
death. More over, twenty-four (24) senior members of
the Sierra Leone Army, including three Brigadier
Generals were arrested, tried and executed, and their
bodies dissolved in sulfuric acid to avoid reburial by
their families. March 10, 1998 Mr. Tejan Kabbah
returned from exile.

THE EMERGENCE OF CIVILIAN DICTATORSHIP-

Mr. Tejan Kabbah's arrogant desires to become the
maximum ruler in Sierra Leone are not hidden; even
foreign diplomats in the country can attest to this
fact. It is clear than ever before that Mr. Kabbah has
an evil agenda to eliminate native Sierra Leoneans
concerned, in order to achieve his desires and make
Sierra Leone a trust territory under settlers
colinialism. This, he is pursuing with the tacit
support of the United Nations, the Labour Government
of Prime Minister Tony Blair in London and other
forces hostile to Africa.

He has insulted all of the country's values and
cherished institutions; and built a cabal around him
surrounded by rogues, political prostitutes and evil
men and women. Having made himself the maximum
dictator and intoxicated with power, the President has
now resorted to political witch hunting and assaulting
the Constitution; and playing on the intelligence of
the Sierra Leonean people. The Constitution is no more
value to him as everything democratic has virtually
paralysed in the country.

THE GROWING THREAT TO PEACE AND STABILITY-

The real threat to peace and stability in Sierra Leone
has been the following:

a. The extension of the mandate of the government in
our view is capable of jeopardizing the fragile peace
in the country. The Constitution of Sierra Leone does
not provide the President any power to extend the
tenure of the mandate of the current government.
Unless otherwise there is an amendment to the effect,
which has not happened in Sierra Leone.

b. The attempt to disenfranchise the Sierra Leonean
people using sycophants like Christiana Thorpe to
execute the sinister agenda. The Election Commission
under Christiana Thorpe recently took a voters'
registration exercise. The result was that most of the
towns and villages outside the capital were excluded
in the exercise, while the list is dominated by
phantom names. The security forces are also excluded
in the process. How can the President and his
surrogates discriminate our gallant men and women in
the security services? These hatreds for the security
forces are untenable.

c. The continued aggression and illegal occupation of
the Eastern town of Yenga and its surroundings by
Guinea posed serious threat to peace in the entire
region. The international community has kept mute on
this peace-threatening issue.

d. The vicious plan announced by the President to hold
referendum on same day he wanted to organize his
parliamentary and presidential elections leaves many
questions unanswered. In the first place, the timing
for such an exercise further complicates issues. When
dictators are desperate they do everything to confuse
people. It would be an act of coward for the President
to think of holding referendum at this time.

These are our concerned and we want the international
community to understand the Sierra Leone People's
Democratic League (PDL) position with regards to the
entthronement of a legitimate government in the
country. And, the above points if not addressed now,
there is no way Sierra Leoneans will be at peace with
their local oppressors.

THE WAY OUT OF THE PRECIPICE-

The Sierra Leonean situation is a credibility test for
the international community to be honest and reject
the Tejan Kabbah dictatorship as not in the interest
of peace and stability. The international community
should as a matter of moral principle condemn
President Kabbah's attempt to abort the Constitution
of Sierra Leone. Sierra Leoneans have gone from a far
distance in their love for democracy and freedom. They
have made unmeasurable sacrifices for these
principles.

It is sad that after so many sacrifices, pains,
agonies, tribulations and brutalities suffered by
Sierra Leoneans to defend the principles and articles
of their Constitution, the President will now subvert
and throw these cherished principles into the pit. The
President decision to postpone the elctions date to 28
July 2007, against the terms of the Sierra Leonean
Constitution is illegal and irresponsible. It is an
invitation to anarchy and a creation of a political
monster that could not be controlled. It amount also
to abuse of state power; and a coup d'etat against the
Sierra Leonean people, who have suffered so much in
order that their Constitution may prevail.

On the thorny issue of the Christiana Thorpe Election
Commission in Freetown, there are many questions
regarding its credibility. It is an instrument of
disenfranchisement of the Sierra Leonean people, and
the enthronement of an illegal government. It
actvities are bordered on sowing the seeds for anarchy
and instability in the country. The PDL will insist
for a transition process of inclusion, against
exclusion of Sierra Leoneans in the election process.
Sierra Leoneans are ever ready and willing to defend
their rights and democratic freedoms against local
oppressors and thieves.


The solution lies in the following:

1. The formation of aTransitional Government to
replace the current dictatorship in the country.

2. The establishment of a credible, transparent,
impartial and democratic Election Commission, which is
capable of holding peaceful, transparent and just
presidential and parliamentary elections, and which is
capable of given birth to a legitimate government.

Having stated our case above, we call upon the
international community to have a second look on its
support for the government of Mr. Tejan Kabbah in
Freetown.

On the isue of participation in the election, the
Sierra Leone People's Democratic League (PDL) has
since 2004 concluded plans to take part in the forth
coming elections organized in a free, open, peaceful,
transparent and democratic atmosphere. We have plans
to fill in candidates for all parliamentary seats and
the presidency.

Sender:

Alimamy Bakarr SANKOH
Leader and Chairman of PDL
And Presidential Aspirant.


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