CHALLENGE TO THE PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PDP)

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2006

 First Name: Abu Bakarr

Last Name: Koroma

President

All People’s Congress (APC)

Washington DC, Metropolitan Chapter

North America Branch

USA

 

Comments: Is it true that Ernest Bai Koroma, Afsatu Kabba and others are members of

                   the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)?  This is a question I am posing to the   

       People’s Democratic Party (PDP) secretariat to answer and also furnish the 

       people of the Republic of Sierra Leone with documentary proofs.

 Is it true that Ernest Bai Koroma, Afsatu Kabba and others are members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)?  This is a question I am posing to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) secretariat to answer and also furnish the people of the Republic of Sierra Leone with documentary proofs.

 Now lets get a simple fact straight in the first place.  For the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to accuse Hon. Ernest Bai Koroma, leader and flag-bearer of the All People’s Congress (APC) party and Hon. Afsatu Kabba and others of not resigning from the PDP before joining the APC, then it means both of them are still members of the PDP right? Right.

 But here are my concerns though.  Not withstanding the fact that the PDP Constitution states that members must resign from the PDP before joining another political party.  Is there not a clause in the PDP Constitution that requires the PRP secretariat to write and demand a member to submit his or her resignation letter before crossing over to another political party?

 Also, is there not a clause in the PDP Constitution that states that if a member is continuously not meeting his or her financial obligations, and also not attending meetings, a letter must be send to that member from the PDP Secretariat demanding that member to pay his or her dues and also to show up for meetings or will face disciplinary action?  I am therefore in doubt whether the PDP Secretariat took any action to the effect.  If the PDP Secretariat did, I am challenging them to furnish the people of the Republic of Sierra Leone with such proofs.

 One thought I should bring to light is that I feel it’s the norm in Sierra Leone for politicians to move from one party to another without resigning from their previous party.  This practice I must vehemently condemn and say loud and clear that it is a bad practice and also illegal.

 If the PDP Secretariat wants to fuss about Hons. Ernest Bai Koroma, Afsatu Kabba and others not resigning from their party, what will the APC say about all the SLPP big guns who were APC and have now crossed over to the SLPP?  Did they resign their membership from the APC? I bet they didn’t.  I also bet that the founder and then leader of the PDP, the late Hon. Thaimu Bangura (may his soul rest in peace) did not resign from the APC.

 In Hon. Afsatu Kabba’s case, didn’t the PDP Secretariat know that she left the PDP and joined the ruling SLPP, and was even appointed as deputy minister?  And it was only after some misunderstanding between the President Alhaji Dr. Ahmed Tejan Kabba and Hon. Afsatu Kabba that she was relieved from her post.  And also it was later that Hon. Kabba crossed over to the APC from SLPP.  In this regard, I am calling on the PDP Secretariat to explain the people of Sierra Leone why they didn’t protested the appointment of Hon. Kabba as deputy minister on the basis of not resigning from the PDP, and only protesting now.

 Likewise, if the PDP is calling on the chairman of the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) to launch an immediate investigation on their protest, I must also call on the chairman of the PPRC to do like wise on every active politician in Sierra Leone who were with one party but later crossed to another to find out who resigned their membership from their previous party.