STATE HOUSE, Freetown, June 19, 2013/- President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma has said that he is working hard to leave Sierra Leone very unified and peaceful by the time he retires in 2018.
“As President, I look forward to leaving this country very unified”, he said, while adding that “democracy is not just about elections, it is about how people, districts and constituents relate to each other”.
President Koroma made this declaration shortly after receiving the Three Days National Consultative Conference report on the theme; “Building a United and Cohesive Nation” from the Chairman of the National Commission for Democracy (NCD) in his office at State House.
Sierra Leone, he confidently maintained, has taken the lead in the advancement of democratic values, pointing out that the country had demonstrated its democratic maturity in the conduct of last November 17th 2012 multi-tire elections.
He also said government will carefully study the recommendations of the report very closely and the document will not enjoy the comfort of the shelves, but will be fully implemented as proposed by the commission. He profusely commended the commission for the initiative.
Chairman NCD Dr. Abubakarr H. Kargbo said that the unity of Sierra Leone should be the paramount concern for all well-meaning citizens and as such, the NCD provided the leadership as a good governance institution in bringing together people from all works of life in the nation to engage in a robust dialogue on the issues that are germane to “Building a United and Cohesive Nation” in the aftermath of the November 17th 2012 multi-tire elections.
He observed the importance of certain benchmarks in serving as valuable reference points that will provide the necessary education in keeping the nation together so that it is not fragmented along regional or tribal lines.
The NCD Chairman further said it is the purview of the report to signpost the issues that make for a united and cohesive nation and as such, it is a valuable reference tool that requires wider dissemination for the message of unity to reach the length and breadth of this nation even as the “Agenda for Prosperity” is actualized in the near future.
Dr. Kargbo appealed to President Koroma for the sustainability of the activities of the commission, especially at a time when Sierra Leone is poised for a constitutional transformation, adding that the report shows interconnectivity in all topics presented and debated.
