By: Hafsatu Z Bangura
The Chairman of the Political Parties Registration Commission Mr Abdulai Masiyambay Bangura on the 9th May 2023 launched the PPRC Strategic Communication Plan ahead of the June 2023 elections with its theme “Join Hands for a Better Sierra Leone” at the PPRC Conference Room in Freetown.
Speaking at the press conference, Mr Abdulai Bangura said the work of the PPRC amongst other things includes communicating policies and processes to political parties and other stakeholders. The new PPRC Communication Strategy he said is to position the institution effectively, communicate and engage with stakeholders, especially considering the provisions of the 2022 PPRC Act.
He furthermore stated that all the misinformation is being peddled by Politicians.
And as an institution that oversees the affairs of political parties, he has a responsibility to ensure that they counter that misinformation, for a peaceful society, a level playing field for all political parties and most importantly transparency in the upcoming election.
He went on that the people of this country and the commission itself want to see an election that is credible, transparent, and peaceful and that the outcome of the election’s result should be acceptable to everybody that participated in it. So, therefore, he said the setup and launch of the strategic communication unit is key. There is no better time for us to have a strategic communication plan done, Mr Bangura averred.
He mentioned that the commission now has a new Act that invokes a lot of power and that the need for a communication strategy will help implement that Act alongside our political parties.
Mr Abdulai Bangura stated that as a commission they are mindful of the goodwill they are enjoying from political parties and the powers conferred on them as a commission, they do not want that goodwill that they get from political parties to be in turmoil.
He went on to say that they sat down and discussed those powers and agreed on them, but before the invocation of any provision of the Act, the parties wanted to be consulted and they wanted us to bring them along, and I think so far, both sides of the coin have kept to their promise Mr Bangura noted.
This he said is a specific communication plan that will help them as a commission to combat all of the misinformation that is now being peddled on social media.
As a commission, he said they have a responsibility to ensure that they diffuse tensions of politicians on social media that are being created by the very politician,
He was supported by the statements made by the governance speaker for the, EU that Democracy will only thrive in a peaceful atmosphere.
Mr Bangura opined that all of us will be victims of survivors, and we do not want a situation of that nature. This he said is the reason why they keep engaging, consulting with constituencies, in every way possible, so that we would gain confidence and trust in all of what we do. And get the cooperation of all constituencies.
Furthermore, he said it is also the hope of the commission that they start the communication plan that will increase their visibility to the public, that it is a key issue because the public needs to know what they do as a commission, why they are constituted and the nature of the job they do otherwise will be doing things that the public will not do and the public will be blaming us for things that we are to be blameless of he states.
The PPRC Commissioner said he can recall the IGR launching in one of their Afro barometer reports in which we scored very low when it comes to visibility in the provinces.
As a commission, he said they want to be real in their efforts in ensuring that they oversee the activities of political parties and that it will also enhance the commission’s networking, with UNDP as partners and the political parties that are being overseen.
He also said that this is an opportunity for them as a commission to interface with SLAJ.
This he said is a very timely document that the commission has launched.
Mr Abdulai Bangura thanked IDEAS for helping them develop these documents and as he said the commission looks forward to their continued support in the implementation of this strategic plan.
Mr Bangura also called on political parties to join in the fight.
Elections are around the corner, and everybody who is a player in the electioneering process, has a responsibility to this country, to ensure that we do what is right and then we promote peace So that our people will have the opportunity to go to the ballot box and determine the leadership they will want for the next five years.
“It is the right of the people to determine the leadership of their country”, Mr Bangura stated.
He, therefore, cautioned and encouraged all political parties to be respectful to the people of this country and to the commission.
Speaking on behalf of the IDEA the head of the Sierra Leone Country Program, Dr Idrissa Mamoud Tarawallie noted that the Sierra Leone Democracy strengthening program will be here to support the PPRC and other electoral and democratic governance institutions including the media long after the elections, as part of its overall objective of supporting democratic consolidation in Sierra Leone.
He went on that communication is critical and that PPRC should be trusted as a mediator.
Madam Serena Britannia Head of Governance and CSO’s stated that the European Union remain committed to supporting Sierra Leone’s democratic consolidation initiatives, and hoped that the development and launch of the new PPRC communication plan will further strengthen the commission’s capacity to engage meaningfully with the political parties and electoral stakeholders and effectively implement its mandate.
She concluded her statement by saying that “it is the players in the game that sets the outcome of the game, she also thanked the PPRC chairman for such developments and the transformation of the commission.
The development and formal Launch of the PPRC communications Strategy was made possible through the Sierra Leone Democracy Strengthening Programme which is funded by the European Union and implemented by IDEA. IDEA is an international, intergovernmental organization that advanced democracy worldwide, as a universal human aspiration and an enabler of sustainable development, through support to the building, strengthening and safeguarding of democratic political institutions and processes at all levels. Its headquarters is based in Stockholm.
