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A letter that has been sent to European political leaders and the press
 

IT IS NOT TIME FOR A REAL DEMOCRATIC ELECTION IN SIERRA LEONE

On the 14th of May, elections will hold in Sierra Leone as planned by the Ahmed Tejan Kabbah government. There are very serious reasons however why the elections should not hold and the following are some of the dangers inherent and imminent in the proposed elections:

1.  SECURITY: The timing of these elections is extremely dangerous to our national security. The people of Sierra Leone are just emerging from a period of eleven years of one of the most devastating and brutal civil wars in modern time with the worst records of human rights abuses which have not been investigated nor reconciled. Tensions as a result of the pains are at the moment very high. The forth coming elections will most likely be rigged by the Kabbah Associates, the same protagonists who committed some of the worst massacres which are now crying for Justice. If the elections are held and rigged as will most likely to be the case there will certainly be a reaction the end of which no one can predict.

2.  INSTITUTIONAL  STRUCTURES: The minimum institutional basis for elections do not exist now in Sierra Leone.

First of all there are still thousands of Sierra Leoneans and refugees in exile in neighbouring countries of Guinea, Nigeria and Liberia; alone there thousands of Sierra Leone nationals, highly qualified who could contribute positively to a genuine process of reconciliation and reconstruction of our homeland. The return of Sierra Leoneans abroad should first be pursued as a prime objective before genuine and an all embracing government can be established through the democratic process. Not to do this will spell doom for Sierra Leone.
It is my humble intention to propose the fulfilment of the following conditions before elections can be held.

1.  That Ahmed Kabbah and all members of his cabinet who have cases to answer in the coming War Crime Tribunal must resign to pave the way for a really neutral Interim Administration which will have a mandate to rule Sierra Leone for at least one year.
2.  That during this adjustment period, serious efforts should be made to create the conditions in my country for the exiled Sierra Leoneans to be able to go back.
3.  That A War Crimes Tribunal be set up to investigate and punish Crimes committed during the war period.
4.  That grass Root and Popular Political parties be encouraged and fully established to contest later elections.

In closing, I most solemnly vow as a patriotic and loyal Sierra Leone to reject next week elections in all its ramifications as lacking in authority and legitimacy and call on all your excellencies to reject the elections as well in the interest of peace and democracy in Sierra Leone .

Sincerely Yours,

Josè Maria Jones