A Sierra Leonean youth group, Youth Arise, has issued a stern warning to supporters of the Vice President and SLPP Presidential canadidate Solomon Berewa(photo), to cease and desist from using its name in their campaign activities.
We publish below the press release from the group:
YOUTH ARISE!!!
14 Fort Street, Freetown, Sierra Leone
Tel; 077-632-167
PRESS RELEASE
SLPP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE BEREWA CAMPAIGN GROUP: STOP USING NAME OF “YOUTH ARISE!!!”
The National Executive of Youth Arise!!!, and the executive of all the 35 branches of Youth Arise!!! in Freetown, Bo, Kenema, Kono, Moyamba, Bonthe, Bombali, and Port Loko, including the Youth Arise!!! Branch in Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone appeal to the SLPP Presidential Candidate, Hon. Solomon Berewa, and the Political Parties Commission, and the APC, PMDC, PLP, and all civil society groups, all youth and women groups, religious groups, UNIOSIL, and the international community to appeal to the apparent Solomon Berewa Campaign group using the nomenclature “Youth Arise!!! for Solo B” to STOP using the name of “Youth Arise!!!”.
Seven months ago, Youth Arise!!! wrote a formal letter to the SLPP, through its Secretary General, Mr. J. J. Saffa, complaining about the use of Youth Arise!!! by the Berewa sub campaign group; this was followed by a meeting with Mr. Saffa in his office in SLPP headquarters in Freetown (a meeting in which Hon. Victor Reider, SLPP Publicity Secretary was present).
Mr. Saffa assured Youth Arise!!! that he will talk to the sub-group to stop using the name of Youth Arise!!! For reasons of respect to the SLPP Presidential candidate, Hon. Berewa, and reverence for the office he holds as Vice President, Youth Arise!!! had given time to the SLPP as the oldest political party in the country to do the decent thing.
In recent publications in UNITY newspaper and the Exclusive newspaper, mention was made of the same “Youth Arise for Solo B”: this has elicited hundreds of telephone calls from our membership around the country, and caused confusion in their minds - since Youth Arise!!! is politically a non-partisan body.
In the aforementioned letter to the SLPP Secretary General, Youth Arise!!! pointed out that Youth Arise!!! is a legally registered entity with the Ministry of Youth and Sports - which formally collaborated with Youth Arise!!! in 2004 to clean the streets of Freetown. Among the many activities of Youth Arise!!! was the organization of the BRAIN OF SIERRA LEONE Senior Secondary School Quiz Competition in 2005, in which nearly all the leading schools in Freetown participated.
This quiz, sponsored by AFRICELL, was graced by sports minister, Dr. Dennis Bright, communication minister, Dr. Prince Harding, present finance minister, John Benjamin, information technology guru, Dr. Sylvia Blyden, as well as musical stars: Manzu Avec C’bolt, and Daddy Saj, and No I Karate expert in Sierra Leone, Sensi Amara. The education ministry sponsored part of the prizes for this ceremony.
Youth Arise!!! painted the slogan “Smuggling is Economic Murder - Stop it Now” on the Sierra Leone Ports Authority wall (opposite Customs House in Cline Town) in 2004, in a ceremony graced by an official of the National Revenue Authority, which pledged to work with a group like Youth Arise!!!, and Youth Arise!!! has been the only youth group regularly to take part in NRA’s public activities
Youth Arise!!! has been on UN Radio over a dozen times; has been on other radio stations around the country many times; has been in nearly all the leading newspapers in the country many times; and, even the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, His Excellency Tejan Kabbah, in 2001, wrote a letter to Youth Arise!!! - with his personal signature - lauding the role of Youth Arise!!! The point here is this: Youth Arise!!! is too well known in this country for another group to just come and use its name like that!!!
We are hopeful that a sense of decency, a feeling of respect for civil society groups, especially youths, would prevail, and the Leader of the SLPP/Presidential Candidate, would get the “Youth Arise for Solo B” disbanded to prevent further conflict, and embarrassment.
This Press Release will be sent as an Open Letter to hundreds of organizations locally, and internationally, given the reality that though Youth Arise!!! is a ‘small seed’, it is inherently a big plant that would soon be felt around the globe.
Umaru Jalloh
Communication Director
Ishmael Kamara
National Vice President
Oswald Hanciles
National Coordinator
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