By Andrew Keili
Well, our Parliamentarian signed the Bo declaration two weekends ago. A declaration touting unity and a quest for purposefulness of duty is laudable especially considering the travails of Parliament over the past year. It has been a hectic time for them and certainly not devoid of frequent bouts of melodrama. The controversies surrounding the election and swearing of the Speaker and his Deputy, walk outs from parliament, court cases, expulsions, violence in bye elections, sparring over the media, locking up of MPs in prison….who can say it has not been eventful? We have seen, mainly because of electoral appeal judgments how the minority has become the majority. There have always been controversies surrounding parliament but this past year has indicated how bad schisms between parties can get.
All the more reason why the retreat organized by Parliament with support from the European Union, Westminster Foundation for Democracy and others should be applauded. I was intrigued, listening to Hon Sidiki of SLPP on radio to learn that there was a lot of confessing done. I applaud his candour when he said…”Well they did a lot of bad things to us when we were in opposition. I myself was a victim in many circumstances. So, when we came to power we decided to revenge. But we have probably gone overboard. We therefore entreated our brothers on the other side that we should all wipe the slate clean and start afresh”. Asked what had gone wrong, he replied in words I can only best explain in the Mende maxim- “Numu be dapi hunge”, meaning “you do not go about explaining the details of a fight blow by blow”. Ho Kugbei Honourable Bashiru!
Anyway, confess they did. They asked each other for forgiveness and promised we will now see a new parliament of “contrite sinners” who will now be on the straight and narrow. Reports indicate that people who had not spoken to each other for years hugged and made peace. They indeed built bridges to give credence to the theme for the retreat – “Building Bridges to Enhance Cooperative Governance”.
One report states:
“During the deliberations and frank discussions, former and current political and administrative leaders of Parliament boldly confessed and sincerely repented to work in harmony and peace, irrespective of their political affiliations. The reconciliation retreat adopted several recommendations that are geared towards the smooth running of Parliament in the best interest of the country. It was also agreed in unanimity by the various leaders present that they would present the peaceful declaration to their political parties and leaders in order to resolve their differences for a peaceful co-existence in and out of Parliament. In the declaration, all political parties constituting the current Parliament have committed themselves to working together in promoting political dialogue, peace and cohesiveness and consensus building in the legislative process of Sierra Leone.”
I was not there but can guess details of the main confession made:
“Fellow Sierra Leoneans, We have erred and strayed from your expectations like lost sheep, We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts, We have offended against the laws of the state, We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us. But you, O citizens, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare those of us, O Sierra Leoneans, who confess our faults. Restore those of us that are penitent; According to the promises our parties declared unto Sierra Leoneans through the mouths of our leaders at election time. And grant, O most merciful Sierra Leoneans, for the sake of national unity, that we may hereafter live a righteous, and sober life, To the glory of our blessed country. Amen.”
Here are other promises one wishes were made at the retreat:
1. We promise to be mindful of the role of external players-mainly our top party officials, in fueling our controversies.
2. We promise that, in making legislation, we will refine and pass legislative bills to improve the lives of Sierra Leoneans.
3. We promise as part of our oversight duties to better scrutinize financial, administrative and management practices of public officers and other public institutions, playing a key role in transparency and accountability.
4. We promise to be model representatives of our constituents, bridging bridge between the electorate and the government and relay issues facing our voters to the government for consideration.
5. We promise to better scrutinize the government and hold their hand to the fire, withholding support where necessary.
6. We promise to exercise the ‘power of the purse’ fairly, regulating revenue and expenditure of public resources through the budgetary process.
7. We promise to be a platform of drawing attention to areas of critical public concerns that is either lacking a guiding regulatory framework or neglected by the government.
The question being asked after this retreat is whether our MPs will now provide national leadership to achieve the country’s political, and socio-economic aspirations and carry out the unwritten responsibility to provide national cohesion and reconciliations of conflicting and competing natural interests through dialogue and debate.
Well, it will all come out in the wash. It was however surprising to note that in one programme on Radio Democracy which should have involved several Members of Parliament in various parties, only Hon. Bashiru Sidiki showed up. The others were probably too tired after the peacemaking. One surprised critic noted: “All of this is good, but why is it only occurring now when the minority has become the majority? Are the MPs going to reach across to their parties and ensure that any other bye elections will be peaceful? Will MPs stand up for their colleagues that may be unnecessarily harassed of imprisoned?”
The confessions and peace overtures are laudable. Let’s wait and see what happens next.
NEVER A DULL MOMENT
Football penalties are never a good thing. Depending on what is at stake, they are certainly not good for the heart of the avid supporter. My advice, as a football buff is always to be very picky as to who takes your penalties. I recall whilst in Lower six at CKC, we had a football match against Upper six. There were eighteen of us in class, so it was easy picking the team. A classmate from Bo school (I hope he does not read this) offered to take a penalty at a crucial moment when the game was tied. He placed it on the spot, walked back gingerly, advanced towards the ball and “chapped” it. He tried to retrieve the spinning ball and retake the kick but the harm had been done!
I feel for poor Zangalay, the Sierra Leone captain who followed in the footsteps of world renowned players like Roberto Baggio, Pogba, Tammy Abraham and co in missing crucial penalties. These days, supporters seem to go for your scalp when you miss an important penalty. I feel sorry for poor Zangalay, even though he could have done better with that penalty. Someone remarked to me that it was so weak, even Tamba Goat could have saved it. BTW Goat is now the Sierra Leone goalie coach! He further remarked that had it been Musa Tombo who missed the penalty, he would have been put on the first flight to Sweden to avoid assassination. Some Sierra Leone supporters however decided to take their anger to another level. Not being satisfied with stoning and harassing the Liberian team the day before, they now turned their ire on poor Zangalay. The Red Cross Ambulance Team became collateral damage and Zangalay’s house was not spared from stoning.
It’s certainly never a dull moment in Sierra Leone. Exam cheating has dominated the news and for the life of me, exam cheats seem to think it is a right. The only “cheating” I recall at CKC was when a classmate got excited in the exam hall when he saw the Latin paper. Noticing it had the passage he had prepared, he shouted in exhilaration, pumping his fists-“A kill am!”. He was thrown out of the hall for half an hour to cool off. The President has come in for some roasting for the strong stand his government is taking to bring sanity to the exam system. Just when I thought the cheats came from another planet, a “bright” young lady decided the best person to impersonate her and sit to her University of Sierra Leone exams was a Secondary school boy-yes Secondary school!
In another, now infamous cheating incident at the Fatiba Technical school, the Principal and teachers were exposed by the ACC. Condemnation was swift, but then the ACC decided to make history at the historic Cotton Tree by hanging posters round their necks explaining details of their alleged crimes. The tables were overturned when the perpetrators became the victims because of the ACC’s excesses. Condemnation came from all quarters- the Human Rights Commission, Human Rights Lawyers and people who felt the ACC was being judge, jury and executioner and was setting a dangerous precedent. This did not turn out well for the hard working, pistol toting ACC Commissioner who probably thought he could explain his way through the problems. His explanation gave true meaning to the maxim “When you are in a hole do not dig deeper”. The bright lawyer, who himself in his pre ACC days had stood up for many, whose rights had been violated did a bad job of explaining-“No, there was no “naming and shaming”. All we did was hang a notice round their necks and put them in handcuffs at the Cotton Tree”, he explained away in trying to extricate himself from the accusation that this was “naming and shaming”. Recognising that the condemnation of human rights abuse was coming left, right and center he had a mea culpa of sorts-“Well, we merely wanted to test the waters and see whether this type of deterrent was one that the public could accept, but now that we know many are against it, we will certainly rethink our strategy”. This “strategy testing” has certainly not worked for the ACC. President Bio in his wisdom has apologized on behalf of the ACC but the debate has only just started. In a classic case of ‘bush draw rope”, some people have started asking if there are more apologies pending on other issues from his Excellency. Is there more in store next week?
And who told you Sierra Leone is a dull country?
Ponder my thoughts.