Freetown , 22nd September, 2022 ((SLENA).The Chairperson of the National Commission for Democracy, Madam Marian Suma Madam Samu noted the statement made by the United Nations (UN) Secretary General, that without a free press, democracy cannot survive and freedom of expression cannot be taken for granted or even treated with leniency.
She made this statement during the commemoration of the International Day of Democracy at the Freetown City Hall Conference Room on the 15th September, 2022. The ceremony was organized by the Youth Alliance for Democracy and Accountability Sierra Leone in partnership with the National Commission for Democracy (NCD).
In her Keynote address, Madam Marian Samu, reiterated on the essence of upholding Democracy in Sierra Leone and called on all Sierra Leoneans not to relent but stand firm to support democracy.
Media freedom she said has improved drastically after the repelled of Part 5 of the Public Order Act of 1965. A law which she said was used in the past to suppress of media freedom and free speech..
According to her, the task of consolidating Sierra Leone’s democracy cannot be realized on a silver platform but rather calls for concerted efforts and the work on the key elements of democratic consolidation and maturity. This, she said is achievable in the context of a resolution between the populace as enshrined in the social contract reflected in the national constitution.
“As we engaged during the course of this conference, we must deepen our understanding of democratic consolidation with clear emphasis on the following concepts and variables; diffusion of democratic rules, legitimization, neutralizing and free political atom, eradication of authoritarian phase, stabilizing electoral rules, decentralizing state powers, establishing judicial reforms etc. These related concepts and variables should warrant into spectrum as repel of existing systems and structures to consolidate the democratic systems in the country.” Madam Samu concluded.
