By Foday Moriba Conteh
As part of their strides towards creating a peaceful, sustainable and inclusive country, the All Political Parties Youth Association (APPYA) with support from the Ministry of Youth Affairs has on Monday 3rd October, 2022 held a one-day sensitization of youth leaders in the Western Area on the effect of political violence in the country. The one-day sensitization meeting was held at the former Special Court of Sierra Leone, Peace Museum on Jomo Kenyatta Road in Freetown.
In his welcome address, the President of the All Political Parties Youth Association, Mohamed Jalloh, expressed appreciation to the Ministry of Youth Affairs for providing the funds for the event.
He said that Sierra Leone is facing profound challenges, with a series politically instigated skirmishes happening around the country and yet young people are not only heavily affected by those crises they are on the frontlines for action and solutions.
The President saluted young people across the country for raising their voices in the streets and online and standing up for peace, democracy, social justice and so much more, stating that stakeholders need to ensure that young people have a seat at the table forging inclusive solutions that combine peace, democracy and sustainable development in the country.
“We represent a source of innovation, ideas and solutions that have the propensity to catapult our beloved nation to the next level. Time and again, young people have been at the forefront of efforts to build and sustain peace, including activism and peaceful protests,” he maintained.
He pointed out that over the years, with support from the Political Parties Registration Commission they have been taking steps to harness that potential as a positive force for building peaceful and tolerant societies, adding that as the country heads towards a defining period of our democracy (The 2023 Elections) they are calling on the international community to step up their support to young people in politics as this will be a strong investment in our Democracy.
“I hereby assure you all that you can count on the All Political Parties Youth Association to continue to amplify young people’s voices and support youth led efforts towards a peaceful, sustainable and inclusive future, especially leading to the 2023 elections,” he concluded.
Giving an overview of the event, the Secretary General of the All Political Parties Youth Association, Samuel P.O.V Macauley said that over the years there has been a lot of misconception about who is a youth and in most times youth in Sierra Leone are termed as people who are unemployed or perpetrators of violence.
He maintained that the youth form a very important component in society with lots of innovation and ideas that will help towards the development of the country.
Samuel P.O.V Macauley stated that the a one-day sensitization of youth leaders in the Western Area on the effect of Political Violence is part of their efforts to access the causes of violence within the youth community in the country especially when the country is gearing towards 2023 general elections.
In his statement, the Public Relations Officer for the National Commission for Democracy Sierra Leone said that political youths are supposedly young men and women between the ages of 18 and 35 years who are fully involved in the operations of the State and non-state institutions in the context of party politics and youth groups, among others and that whether as members of a political party or movement or as activists or as members of a youth organization, political youths have a certain level of consciousness with implications for the governance of the State at all levels.
He stated that the reality on the ground speaks volumes about the negative participation of young folks as much more is expected of them as they change mindsets and move the destiny of their beloved motherland in the right direction, furthering that it must be remarked that as political parties youth leaders in the Western Area in particular and the entire country in general, they owe it to their beloved motherland to contribute their quota to peacebuilding and state building starting with their locality and the group they belong to or are part of.
In his keynote address, the Minister of Youth Affairs, Mohamed Orman Bangura commended the move by the All Political Parties Youth Association in order stage a one-day sensitization of youth leaders in the Western Area on the effect of Political Violence in the country.
He pointed out that time in Politics is a very short time of which he said politics should not be used to divide the country.
The Minister further commented on the Criminal Procedures Acts which he said should be amended as there are a lot of young people in Correctional Centers due to minor crimes.
He used the opportunity to call on all youths across the country to endeavor to preach peace adding that at this moment it is important that all Sierra Leoneans should put hands on deck in order to promote peace in the country.
Other stakeholders present also made similar statement on the significance of the one-day sensitization of youth leaders in the Western Area on the effect of political violence in the country.
On their part, youth representatives of Political Parties present at the event commended the All Political Parties Youth Association for bringing them together as youth leaders in the Western Area on the effect of political violence in the country. They assured all that they will cascade the knowledge they have acquired to their various political parties.
