‘SLPP Prove Witch Nar 98.1”
During the Good Morning Salone program aired of Radio Democracy on 2nd June 2022, Dr Dennis Bright, Leader and Chairman of the NGC, said that the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Publicity Secretary of the ruling party, Lawrence Leema, “prove witch nar 98.1FM” when he confirmed that the results of the mid-term census will be used to create new constituencies, as the census is the actual distribution of the population of the country, stressing that the population in the south and east far exceeds the population of the west and north.
Quoting section 38 of the 1991 Constitution, Lahai Lawrence Leema said that the said provision gives the electoral commission the power to create new constituencies. He stressed that the census called on people to go to where they come from (their home town). He furthered that it is against this backdrop that people from the east and south returned to their respective hometown to be counted.
However, in his submission, Dr. Dennis Bright furthered that the census is part of the grand plan of the government to win the 2023 election, as it will enable the government to get the electoral body to create new constituencies, where the ruling party will get more constituencies and reduce constituencies in both the north and western area. This he said has been confirmed by Leema when he quoted the provision in the 1991 constitution, where the electoral body will have the power to do their bidding.
Dr. Richard Conteh then gave a breaking news that the SLPP intends to create 3 new Constituencies in kenema, 2 constituencies in Kono, reduce 1 constituency in Bombali, reduce Falaba by 1 constituency, reduce Port Loko by 1 constituency and the Western Urban by 9 constituency, adding that during engagement with the Political Parties Liaison Committee (PPLC) say that they will wait on census report before delineating boundary.
In Dr Dennis Bright’s submission, he said that there are 4 components of a grand plan by the government to win the 2023 elections, namely: 1. Census, 2. Boundary delineation, 3. Registration and 4. Proportional Representation. Thus, with what they have now from the census, they will then proceed to cut the country into constituencies that will favour them. Dr. Dennis Bright said that the plan is unfolding according to the government’s plan, and can be easily seen in the current census result. The NGC, he said knew before hand the plan of the government, and this has been the reason behind their advice to their supporters, especially as the SSL had so many challenges, such as financial constrains, technical constrains and others.
In his response, Lahai Lawrence Leema said that what his co-panelists were anticipating determine development, adding that the constitution section 38 says that “Sierra Leone shall be divided into such constituencies for the purposes of electing the member of parliament referred to in paragraph b in subsection 1 of section 74 of this constitution, as the electoral commission acting with the approval of parliament signified by resolution of parliament may prescribe.”, adding that subsection 4 reveals that the electoral commission can alter boundary or distribute boundary on what is required. He stressed that there will be more constituencies created, to which the other panelists say he has given confirmation that there will be new constituencies, and Dr. Dennis Bright also stressed that the real purpose of the census is to carve out more constituencies.
