Sierra Leone News: LoCASL Decries Mistreatment of Mayors and Chairmen
By Rima Turay
The Local Councils Association of Sierra Leone (LoCASL) has strongly condemned the mistreatment of chairmen and mayors of local councils by law enforcement agencies.
The statement came following the arrest the Western Area Rural District Council Ward C, Kasho Holland-Cole on August 14,2019 on allegations of his involvement in political skirmishes in Halmington during campaign period for parliamentary elections in constituency 110.
“This is not the first time Chairmen and Mayors of local councils have been treated in a demeaning manner with little or no regard for the position they hold in governance structure of this country” the LoCASL said in statement on August 28, 2019.
The LoCASL said, in 2013, the Mayor of Bo City Council, Harold L. Tucker was arrested and detained in Bo and later taken to the CID Headquarters in Freetown for no good reason. Also in 2015, the Mayor of Koidu New Sembehun City Council, Emerson Sahr Lamina, who is now the Honourable Member of Parliament, was also unprocedurally removed from office and the matter was never addressed.
“In as much as the Association respects the rule of law and the law enforcement agencies, it is equally important to note that the Chairmen and Mayors occupy a high public office in this country. It therefore stands to reason that all those occupying such offices should be accorded with some respect even in the face of allegations that could lead to police investigations as it was in the case of Chairman Kasho Holland-Cole,” the LoCASL said.
LoCASL said that they would highly appreciate should all law enforcement agencies and other security apparatus in this country recognize the respect attached to the office of Mayors and Chairmen, and treat them with such in cases where they become suspect in police investigations.
“We remain loyal to the rule of law in Sierra Leone and encourages all law enforcement agencies to look at Mayors and Chairmen of local councils as highly placed people in our spectrum of national development,” LoCASL said in a statement.
