Concord Times (Freetown)
Alusine Sesay
4 May 2011
Freetown — The United Democratic Movement (UDM) has expressed its outright condemnation of both the main opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the People’s Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC) for boycotting the country’s 50th anniversary cerebrations ceremony held at the National Stadium in Freetown last Wednesday.
The 50th independence anniversary parade hosted at the National Stadium attracted thousands of Sierra Leoneans, proudly clad in the country’s green, white and blue colours. The occasion also attracted both diplomatic and political dignitaries across the world. The occasion gathered lots of momentum with a full display of Sierra Leonean values and culture. However, the opposition – for one reason or the other – boycotted the well-attended occasion.
In his statement to the press, interim chairman of UDM, Mohamed Bangura, referred to the act as unpatriotic, untimely and that “it undermines national interest and political tolerance”.
Bangura noted: “As leaders our responsibilities should be nation first and not personal interest”.
He observed that the two leaders of the SLPP and PMDC must have had genuine reasons to grieve, but insisted that no reason was sufficient for boycotting a national event like the independence anniversary celebrations.
Meanwhile, the UDM chairman also raised concern over the way and manner in which the national honours were awarded to certain individuals. According to him, though the recipients deserved the awards, but that certain individuals who more than deserve such honours were left out by the independence anniversary committee.
Among them, he cited former President Alhaji Dr. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, whom he said tremendously worked to restore peace to the then troubled nation, the young members of the fourth estate, university students and other civil activists.
He called on both the ruling government and the opposition parties to be collaborative in the future on issues of national interest.
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Original post:
For Boycotting Independence Celebrations – UDM Slams SLPP, PMDC