Rule of Law Dismissed
Let us give thanks to the Sierra Leone Bar Association for authorizing the idea of restoring the rule of law to where it was for sometime (barring the military and one party period).
It should be noted that a conference on the Rule of Law was held in Freetown in 2001. That was during the tenure of office of the democratic SLPP. Came 2007 when the lawless ones held the sceptre. They immediately set about dismantling almost all the democratic structures in place. Their first act was to swoop down on the headquarters of the then opposition SLPP destroying everything in sight and raping women without any provocation save to display their savage instincts. They set up Commissions for the heck of it and straightaway counteracted their findings. Auditor-Generals reports were treated with the contempt they did not deserve .Procurement regulations were simply by passed at will.
They rendered the raison d’etre of the Bar Association Conference which was to provide a forum for discussing the various problems related to the Rule of law in Sierra Leone useless .In her presentation entitled ‘’Police Powers and the Rule of Law ‘’ Mrs. Kadie Fakondoh described the Police as ‘’a very important cog ‘’ in the machinery of justice. She also said the Police were being trained to respect human rights and that the concept of human rights was now a part of the Police Training Programme. The recent arrest and detention of civil rights activist Edmund Abu Junior is the latest in the array of Rule of Law violations perpetrated by that institution parading as a Force for Good.
Title Posh
There is this craze for titles all with a view to appearing more important than one is. As a result there is an African syndrome of sticking on to titles even when the purposes of those titles no longer exist. The title Honourable is carried over by ex-parliamentarians even when they are no longer Members of Parliament. They would even answer to the title MP after they have been voted out. This is dishonesty. It is not merely for sycophancy .By the same token it would be absolutely right to be calling former Vice-President Albert Demby His Excellency and also former Vice-President Solomon Berewa. Call them so and there will be no harm .If there is any furore refer to this column through the Managing Editor.