Concord Times (Freetown)
Mohamed Massaquoi and Kevin Hill
13 May 2008
National administrative secretary of the opposition Sierra Leone Peoples Party Monday observed that the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) was losing support from Sierra Leoneans after its ministry of information and communications closed down the SLPP-run Unity Radio.
Brima Koroma said APC has started losing favour among the general public because all the promises it made during the campaign period have not come to pass. He claimed that some reckless APC members have gone after the opposition party.
"The closure of Unity Radio by the ministry of information is another setback because people clearly know that the APC is not a party to reckon with" he said.
He said the establishment of Unity Radio was to consolidate peace among party members, to inform the public about the status of the party and other development in the country, as well as serve as a check and balance to APC's 'We Yone' radio station.
Koroma believed that Unity Radio was established to give accurate information to the public and that the closure of the radio is an abuse of the rights, freedom of expression and amounts to political repression.
He said the Unity Radio began broadcasting just after the August-September presidential and parliamentary elections, but was later looted by unpatriotic Sierra Leoneans who do not believe in the principles of democracy.
Koroma said during its tenure of office, SLPP allowed APC to operate their radio without any hindrance. He said it is good to note that people are losing confidence in APC.
SLPP activist Tamba Kpanda said despite the closure of Unity Radio nothing will stop them from unveiling the truth.
"We are committed to the hard won peace. We are not against anybody because our party brought about the peace we are enjoying today. APC should know that we allowed them to operate in a peaceful atmosphere," he said.
Secretary General of the All Peoples Congress, Victor Bockarie Foh, declined to comment on the issue but a press release from the ministry said the SLPP Radio did not go through the right procedures in terms of registration and that the ministry was not legally informed with regards the operations of the radio.
It also claimed that the SLPP Radio went ahead to install an antenna across other antennas at Leicester Peak using private engineers without the knowledge of the ministry of information.
"The installation of the said antenna caused disruptions in the transmissions of existing radio stations. These radio stations filed official complaints to the ministry of information, which caused Government to intervene," it said.
Meanwhile, the SLPP will be holding a consultative meeting with party members across the country to inform them about this unfortunate intervention by the APC and decide on an appropriate action.
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