|
Putting aside their red and green of their respective parties colours and donning the green, white and blue colours of the country, both the APC and SLPP women stormed the Law Courts compound on Monday, 11th January, to lend their support to the Publisher of Awareness Times Newspaper, Dr. Sylvia Blyden, as she appeared in court on a trumped-up charge of "publication of False Story".
The women who were led by their respective deputy chairladies of the parties, Ms. Makalay Koroma and Hariatu Turay, said that they were joining hands together to lend their support because they saw Dr. Blyden's appearance in court as unfair.
"It was a story she wrote", Ms Makalay Koroma said "and as far as we are concerned, we see nothing wrong in that story that warrants the poor woman's arrest". Ms. Koroma said that the more this matter prolongs the more the President's name is dragged into disrepute.
Ms. Hariatu Turay said that this is not a matter of politics but about the interest of a country.
"We now live in a civilized world where freedom of expression is an acceptable fact," Ms. Turay said, "so why should it be different here?" We know only one First Lady and her name is Sia Koroma, so if another individual goes around impersonating her, she must be exposed for what she is".
It could be recalled that theAwareness Times newspaper published a story entitled 'President's Sweetheart in Kailahun Mess" on the 12th May, 2009. But foolishly though the Inspector General of Police came up with a public notice that because of that story, the author, was declared a wanted person who must either surrender herself to the police or be arrested whenever she was found.
On the 15th May, Dr. Blyden appeared in court.
Although the case has dragged on for eight months with no complainant and with no evidence tendered, the controversial magistrate presiding at Court No. 1, Steven Conteh, refused to discharge the case on the excuse that the Director of Public Prosecutions, O.V. Robin-Mason was sick.
The women have vowed to turn up in their thousands on the next adjournment date of Friday 15th January. |
Editorials 
