As the New Direction Government is set to hold the Bintumani Conference from the 23rd to 25th May, 2019 it is evident that they are still clamoring for support from various sections of the Sierra Leonean population.
This is after it is coming out clearly that many Sierra Leoneans are either not supporting the move or some are of the opinion that Government needs to be more sincere to the process of national cohesion by making it very inclusive, credible and comprehensive to allow all dissenting views.
The build-up to the conference has been described as one fraught with many issues that are in themselves not speaking to national cohesion.
The Institute of Governance Research has against this backdrop called for a slight delay of the conference to be able to include the brilliant ideas and suggestions coming from many Sierra Leoneans on how this conference should go and what and what will be discussed by which groups.
They have called for our moral guarantors and other neutral players to handle the process since the ruling party is also a party to the problem. Sackings and nepotism allegations against the new administration are alarming and the North West and South East divide continues to deepen as the clock ticks.
A senior Government official, who could not say what is in the agenda of the organizers of the conference, has noted that it would look at what has gone wrong since we introduced democracy in 1996.
Many Sierra Leoneans, who spoke to this medium, have called on Government to look at the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which emphasizes the fact that many of the problems which led to the war, such as corruption, partial judiciary, violence against women, tribalism, nepostism and the politicization of the forces, etc., are still alive in the country. To call for another conference when we are aware of all these issues has been viewed as waste of resources.
Despite these calls the Ministry of Political and Public Affairs is busy going ahead with preparations for the conference with few Civil Society Organization. Government has stated that the recommendations of the three day meeting will serve as the terms of reference for the soon to be established National Peace and Cohesion Commission.
As we get very close to the conference, nightwatch has been reliably informed that certain invitations for certain groups, parties and individuals to attend and serve in key positions in the conference would be turned down due to the way and manner they have been treated by the new administration.
Government in the last few days have been currying support from the Keke Riders and other groups in the country with a view to get an endorsement for the conference, but what impact this will have on the overall conference we are yet to see.