Sierra Leone/UN : Review of Sierra Leone media reports.

REVIEW OF SIERRA LEONE MEDIA REPORTS

Public Information Office (PIO) of UNIOSIL - 27 November 2007

[Disclaimer: Excerpts below are from print media and news agency dispatches. UNIOSIL cannot vouch for the accuracy of the media reports].

Bring perpetrators to justice - Human Rights Commissioner demands

In commemorating this year’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, has called for a global campaign to end impunity on violence against women New Vision writes. In her statement to mark the celebrations, she revealed that everyday, in all corners of the world, countless women and girls are killed, mutilated, beaten, raped, sold into sexual slavery or tortured. Ms. Arbour laments that most of the survivors of the violence have little hope of seeing their tormentors pay for their crimes and so the violence continues. This impunity, she pointed out, is built on a foundation of discrimination and inequality. Louise Arbour noted that although States have largely accepted the international human rights framework to prevent, condemn and punish discrimination against women, until these inequalities are addressed, including in the economic and social spheres, the violence will persist. “A woman will not report rape if we continue to stigmatize the victims of violence rather than the perpetrators”. International law requires states to adopt appropriate and effective legislative and administrative procedures for fair, effective and prompt access to justice, she said.

Japan through UNICEF bags over US$2 million to enhance child and maternal health

The Japanese government has approved over US$2 million to bolster the efforts of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) towards embarking on child and maternal health care in Sierra Leone, New Vision reveals. The money will be utilized for a project titled, “Infectious Diseases Prevention,” for the provision of vaccines, essential drugs and medical supplies for vaccine preventable diseases and control of malaria. UNICEF is expected to use the amount in its 2008-2010 programme of cooperation with the government of Sierra Leone and that the fund is in line with the United Nations avowed policy to address humanitarian needs to ensure the health of every Sierra Leonean.

NEC Chief allegedly on tribal attack

Front page articles by the pro-SLPP papers The Democrat and New Vision have accused the Chairperson of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Dr. Christiana Thorpe, of allegedly targeting workers from the South-Eastern region, mostly Mendes, as she considers them as impediments towards her plans for the Local Council Elections. The articles accuse Mrs. Thorpe of reportedly engaging in “ethnic cleansing” campaigns by illegally dismissing workers that were sympathetic to the former SLPP and replacing them with supporters of the ruling APC. The report said after the sacking of Commissioners Edward Nyallay and Winston Minah, both Mendes, three other senior officials have also faced illegal termination whilst five others have been demoted and their juniors, who have close ties with the APC, have stepped in their shoes. No reason was given by the NEC Chairperson for her decision only that those affected were said to have strong ties with the erstwhile SLPP and that she reportedly want to have a field day with the Local Council Election. SLPP Secretary-General Jacob Saffa, reportedly said that his party is monitoring the situation and that they will make known their views at an appropriate time.

Bank Governor’s position not vacant SLPP MPs declare

The ruling APC and the opposition SLPP are drawing daggers over the sacking of the Governor of the Central Bank, Dr. J.D. Rogers. The APC says such appointment should not be politically motivated and that the holder should be a professional, while the SLPP on the other hand, says that the sacking is unconstitutional breaching section 15(3) of the Bank of Sierra Leone Act of 2000. Expressing their anger over the sacking of the Bank Governor, SLPP members of Parliament headed by Hon. Dr. Bernadette Lahai, told The Democrat that as far as they are concerned the position of the Bank Governor is not vacant as the holder of the office has neither tendered his resignation nor has his removal from office been constitutionally done. Hon. Dr. Lahai quotes the act as saying “a Bank Governor wishing to resign the position should give a three months notice. Or in the case of his removal from office, two-thirds of Parliament present should pass a legislation to the effect.” Any thing short of this is unconstitutional and totally unacceptable, she fumed. She lashed at the international community and civil society for maintaining sealed lips over such critical national issues. Hon. Dr. Bernadette Lahai who doubles as Women’s leader of the SLPP, says the APC cannot successfully rule this country without the South-East whom she said is endowed with both natural and human resources.

APC, SLPP in war of words over the state of the economy

Erstwhile Minister of Finance, John Benjamin, has come down hard on President Ernest Koroma for saying that the economy that the SLPP government left behind was nothing to write home about. The furious John Benjamin told Awareness Times that President Koroma is deliberately misleading the populace about the economic gains made by the SLPP. “President Koroma has to face the reality and be honest to the people of Sierra Leone that the economy we left for the APC government is robust and was probably the fastest growing economy on the African continent at the time SLPP left power,” John Benjamin is quoted as saying. The out gone Finance Minister made reference to the IMF report of 14 November 2007, which says that the Sierra Leone economy under the SLPP government was robust and growing at about a rate of seven per cent. “The IMF report was accurate and on target and an indication of the extreme hard work that the SLPP government put into develop the economy”, he boasted. John Benjamin fought back by asking a taunting question: “Let President Koroma first describe the kind of economy that his APC left behind in 1992 and then he can start telling people about what is fit to be written home about.”