By Kemo Cham
The Sierra Leone government is under enormous pressure from citizens to reconsider the new pump prices of petroleum products announced last week with calls for protests planned for this Friday.
A group calling itself the Renaissance Movement says it has informed the police about its intention to stage a ‘Walk to Work’ protest as a demonstration of disapproval of the government’s decision.
This follows a botched attempt by a different group on Monday to stage another protest dubbed “Black Monday” after police deployed heavily armed personnel on the streets of Freetown.
Truckloads of armed police wearing and carrying antiriot gear as well as armoured vehicles were seen throughout the streets with some stationed at strategic positions, including around the iconic Cotton Tree in the city centre where the protesters were due to gather.
The Cotton Tree stands at a major junction leading to the main entrance of State House.
A police statement says the botched protest was illegal because the organisers did not seek permission as required by law. The law actually says the police should be “notified” but this has been taken to mean “permission” in recent years prompting concern from the Human Rights Commission.
Activists and critics say the police hardly ever deny pro-government protests.
The 62% increase in the pump price of fuel was occasioned by the government’s decision to remove fuel subsidies in place for over 10 years. The announcement came shortly after the presentation in parliament by the Minister of Finance and Economic Development of the 2017 Budget proposal.
Government says the fuel price hike is part of ongoing implementation of its austerity measures announced in October. But activists say the move is detrimental to the majority poor Sierra Leoneans, as has been seen by the sudden hike in transportation fares and prices of basic commodities.
The “Black Monday” protesters had mobilised via social media which was inundated with photos of people wearing black shirts or displaying silhouette Facebook profile pictures in response to calls by the organisers.
Police say the planned protest for Monday was illegal because the organisers could not be identified and had not sought clearance or given details of their routes to help for proper planning and provision of security.
“Much as the Sierra Leone Police is aware of the right of the citizens to hold peaceful demonstrations, the public should also note that such rights are accompanied by responsibilities,” says the statement which was signed by Deputy IGP, Richard Moigbe.
Emmanuel Saffa Abdullai, Acting Chairman of the Renaissance Movement, which is behind the planned Friday “Walk to Work” protest, says they intend to march “in solidarity with the suffering masses who are bearing the brunt of the government’s decision emanating from its incompetence”.
The Renaissance Movement say they are a group of young Sierra Leoneans with the goal of standing against a country divided along party and regional lines. Its members are drawn from across the political and social spheres including the civil society community.
“We are not saying government isn’t faced by an economic problem caused by the Ebola epidemic. We are saying government has mismanaged the economy somehow. We are saying there has been a lot of wastage through phoney contracts,” Abdullai said in a television debate on the issue.
He said the government’s argument of economic difficulty as reason for the imposition of austerity measures wasn’t justifiable because it was the government itself that had “destroyed the economy due to mismanagement and incompetence”.
Some people took to social media to vent their anger against the police action on Monday.
Hassan Bangura Jr was among the few who ventured out despite the police warning. He told Politico that amidst the enthusiasm among the people to come out and protest, it was the presence of men in arms that scared people away. He also said that they had “a robust political machinery” of the government deployed on social media sending disinformation to confuse the public.
The call for a police permit is just a rhetoric, Bangura said, adding: “People have been asking for a permit for simple demonstrations, it has not been granted. School pupils have asked for a permit to protest for their exams result against WAEC (West African Examinations Council), it was not granted.”
Bangura accused the police of being “against any form of protest, peaceful or whatever you want to call it. They just don’t want people in the street. And I think the government is just using them as an apparatus to suppress people’s views,” he added.
Presidential spokesman, Abdullai Bayraytay, dismissed allegations of police bias. He said in television interviews that the government would never interfere with the action of the police adding, however, thus: “The right to protest comes with responsibility.”
Culled From Politico
No comments:
Post a Comment