By Babah Kanu
babbiuskay@gmail.com
076-92-75-62
I have for long hands off the pen for obvious reasons. Only my close allies would understand the reason for my long absence in the media. This time, I will try a hand to contribute to the all-important issue of inter-party dialogue between the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) government and the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party. In this article I will try not to be pedantic but lucid for proper understanding of the issues therein.
Basically, peace is referred to as the freedom from disturbance and tranquility. Peace means being free from persecution due to one’s nationality, immigration status, race, ethnicity, political affiliation, religious beliefs (or lack thereof) or sexual preference. Peace also comes from the comfort in knowing that you have a roof over your head, food to eat and loving family members and friends. Peace could also mean a state or period in which there is no war. Here, war could be considered as a relative term; it could not fundamentally refer to the exchange of arms. A political stalemate as that witnessed by Sierra Leone could therefore be literally referred to as war, because there are disturbances as a consequence.
According to the Columbian College of Art and Science, peace is a state we all want to attain—for ourselves, for our loved ones, for the world. But peace means different things to different people and cultures.
Mika Natif, an Assistant Professor of Art History of the same Columbian College states: “Peace means making meaningful contacts with colleagues of diverse cultures. I am an Israeli. Two of my Islamic art colleagues are from Belgium and Syria. We forget about the terrible news coming from our respective regions, put aside our nationalities and talk person-to-person, one human being to another. We enjoy our philosophical discussions about the horticulture of the Mughals in Kashmir and the signs of modernism in Syrian architecture. Our rapport gives me great solace and helps me be optimistic about the future.”
In Sierra Leone, many wrongs have been perfected by regimes immediately after independence to date. The political culture of Sierra Leone according to history has been shrouded since when tribalism, nepotism and regionalism preoccupied the socio-cultural milieu. However, these vices have not affected personal daily lives as there intermarriages in the divide until recently, when the country witnessed a dirty and crude politics of hate. This according to personal observation stems from the fact that only those in power sip from the national tea cup, to an extent that even Yabom in one of the remote villages around Gbendembu now discuss political issues.
Since the start of democratic elections in Sierra Leone, there have been accusations and counter accusations of election rigging with a clear indicator. After the 1996 elections, President Ahmed Tejan Kabba appointed the Interim National Electoral Commission boss, Dr James Jonah as Finance Minister, an appointment many described as a compensation for an election sell-out in favour of President Kabba. Similarly, in 2012, President Ernest Bai Koroma did same by appointing Christian Thorpe in his administration after conducting an election as chairperson of the National Electoral Commission.
This rigging spree is viewed by many as the basis of the current political turmoil in Sierra Leone, which needed an attention by the team of negotiators for a dialogue.
Despite the fact that Sierra Leoneans are also contributing factors to the existing political stalemate, the political environment laid the premise for such embitterment by the populace.
The article will therefore provide a memorabilia of the political statusquo in Sierra Leone, especially at a time the country started practicing democracy, a venture Sierra Leone was not prepared to take. Take a look at the 1991 Constitution, one will argue that the country was indeed not prepared for a thriving democracy; hence, the end product; therefore, the clamour for a review by the last two regimes, although with ulterior motives.
To the Negotiators, please note that this political quagmire has a deep seated root which should be uprooted to leave the country in peace not in pieces. The division in the political system immediately after independence, led to the 11-year civil war which left us in pieces. We cannot allow such history to repeat itself. It is time to deny that history by bringing the facts on the table for a long-lasting resolution.
The Political Memorabilia
Sierra Leone is a small West African country with great natural human and capital endowment; colonized by the British. The country gained independence in 1961, an effort led by the existing Sierra Leone People Party and the people of Sierra Leone.
The existing political struggle started after independence, which was when hyenas came to town. This was when other political parties including the All People’s Congress emerged into the politics of Sierra Leone. The mudslinging of regionalism, tribalism, nepotism surfaced within these political parties, resulting to one party state.
The two largest ethnic groups (Mende and Temne) galvanized into the two major political parties. The Mendes of the South-east see themselves as compelling members of the Sierra Leone People’s Party, even though the party was said to have got its origin from the north; they thought they can only eat from the national cake when their relations are in power. The same is the situation for the Temnes of the North-west in the All People’s Congress party.
Of late, they have been shying away from this fact, which is now a clear writing on the wall. These signs started rearing up their ugly heads in the eleven-year rule of President Kabba (1996-2007) who was accused of appointing mostly south-easterners in key positions of his administration with few north-westerners. This deep-seated grudge according to many, led to the overthrow of his government by the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) in 1997. It was reported that the head of the then main opposition in Parliament, Dr Kerifa Smart of the National United People’s Party (NUPP) boycotted for what he referred to as the formulation and passing into law of bad policies including the Media Killer Bill.
The Ernest Bai Koroma eleven-year administration suffered the same criticism to an extent that Members of Parliament walked out of a parliamentary sitting and threatened to boycott. Politics became a social media game.
President Julius Maada Bio’s first term of office saw a sharp curve in the political direction of the country, especially when a so called ‘Adebayor’ took turns to insult politicians followed by a gullible but disgruntled populace. This deepened the wounds and opened the sore, the Negotiators are here to mend. The outcome of the June 24 multi-tier elections is just a confirmation of the brewing political culture in the country. Things unimaginable happened prior, during and after these elections, as if we are not in the same land that we profess to love so much. Evidence of actions and inactions was felt everywhere, I need not restate. God have mercy upon us.
A genuine constitutional review to reduce the powers of the executive is my take on the negotiation table. The appointment of key positions in the country including, the Chief Justice, the Inspector General of Police, the Army Chief of Staff, the Head of the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone and the Governor of the Central Bank should be the responsibility of an independent commission with a composition of members from all regions and political parties. When this is left in the hands of the executive, the appointees answer to the President and not the people, as it is current state of affairs. This has brought us thus far.
What we expect as you (Negotiators) go to the table is to speak the truth to the political duo. The theatre will be rancorous, but we want you to bring lasting peace; if not, you will leave us in pieces.