SLEEPLESS NIGHTS FOR SLPP
The letter from the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court – ICC, Karim A.A. Khan, inviting president Bio to a meeting in the margins of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly and Debates has caused sleepless nights among the ruling party members.
Many fear that while the president was invited, he was not invited for what he had done directly.
‘You have to understand that most of the leaders that get invited to the ICC are there for what those under them had done. Charles Taylor never stepped foot in Sierra Leone, didn’t fire a single shot, didn’t mine any blood diamond, but he is in jail for what happened here. The worry that is causing sleepless nights is that people are worried that if the president was to go on trial, who will be going with him,’ said a strong member of the ruling SLPP.
The stalwart said the wording of Prosecutor Khan’s letter was straight forward and was written with no compliments made to the executive.
‘People are saying this meeting will be to discuss Sierra Leone being part of the Security Council and its role in the ICC, but the chief prosecutor won’t invite you for a job. If the police station invites you to the station, what would you think? Either someone has made a complaint against you, or the police has something on you. The ICC is mandated to look into human rights, war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Khan does not invite people to discuss job opportunities. What is worrying many in the party, especially those involved in denying people their rights and shooting people across the country, is that if the president goes, then they will also have to go. This has caused many to consider leaving the country,’ he continued.
Last week, in a widely shared letter, the chief prosecutor of the ICC invited president Bio to a meeting during the UN Debates to discuss issues that we are sure have to do with president Bio. What the meeting is about is a matter of speculation, but it has caused quite a stir in the ruling SLPP as people are trying to make sense of the letter.
Meanwhile, president Bio is expected in Kenya for a summit before making it to New York for the UN. Despite the fear and uncertainty that he and members of his party are going through, the president we are told is determined to make it to both the debates and the ICC meeting.
‘The president should not worry. If he has a case to answer we will be here for him. But we know that if he goes down, many people that we know are responsible for all the extrajudicial killings that took place since the advent of the New Direction regime will also go down. Those who shot people, those who sought people out to be shot, like those who tracked down and shot Evangelist Samson (Hassan Dumbuya) in Makeni, the prison killings and so much more. This is still a wait and see game but this letter has caused quite a lot of sleepless nights from the president down,’ the SLPP strong man informed this press.
Only time will tell what awaits our president at New York, where the meeting will be held between president Bio and Karim A.A. Khan, chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court.
