By Hoccas Siwel
There is a groundswell, and it’s slowly gaining momentum. It is akin to a revolution of some sort. From vox pops to ataya bases, from public and private transport and the media and all around the country, the main topics of discussions include one or more issues of governance, than the usual gossips. Our people are slowly beginning to take active interest in their governance. This interest cannot be wholly divorced from the advancements in technology that put local and global news right in the palms of the people’s hands.
Local and international media, civil society and nongovernmental organisations can also be credited with our people’s sudden growing interest in the social, economic, and political administration of Sierra Leone. This interest is the stuff of public debate, approval, and censure. It is the groundwork of the quantum leap in our understanding of the constitutional democratic setup. It would eventually lead to the setting up and maintenance of strong and vibrant institutions that would further enhance our democratic credentials. It is the springboard into the kind of unity we need as a people to steer our country into prosperity for all, regardless of which party you rightfully choose to belong.
The people are tired, and are forced to start speaking up. Listen to them comment on social media. Check out the comments they make during heated debates on governance issues. They are no longer fools for politicians. As a matter of fact they feel like they have been taken for granted, even as fools by their leaders they trusted to manage their affairs. They are also angry, especially the elderly who regret being used as pawns and played. They are angry that while politicians preached regional, tribal and partisan politics, they got richer, while the population sank into abject poverty.
Under the guise of sectarian unity the elders say they were robbed in broad daylight by their so-called brothers and sisters in parliament.
For the young and fairly educated, they feel used by the contending parties, who instead of developing them for future leadership misled them into seeing their other struggling, poor and desperate Sierra Leonean brothers and sisters as enemies every election cycle. They regret being used to perpetrate the violence necessary to keep under and nonperforming politicians in power. Most of them have wasted their youth on the substances they were fed to keep them in their permanent states of euphoria, while their ‘bra-bees’ got rich off the very monies meant for them.
The people say both leading parties have failed them. Few would prefer both to move aside and give others the chance to lead. Most still prefer the APC and SLPP but admit that they have some serious work to do to convince them that they are working in their interest, as close to 60 years of public theft have left the people faithless in their leaders’ ability and promises. Some want to see all leaders suspected of corruption face their day in court, with the guilty charged, sentenced and made to restitute what’s stolen, even forfeiting everything accrued from such theft. They want the ACC to lobby for changes to the law for those convicted for corruption, to deter others. They demand leadership that is accountable.
But this sudden interest is worrisome to some, who would prefer that the electorate stay in the dark on issues affecting theirs and the lives of their generations, even those unborn. For them it is their ambition to keep the people ignorant of their rights and the legal and other procedures to employ in relation to their nefarious activities. Using every tactic in their arsenal, these men and women, despite their education, financial status and exposure, continue to misinform the public about their activities.
They appoint violence to ward off whistleblowers, use black magic to cower the superstitious, and money, gifts and lies to infiltrate those who champion the cause of the people these men and women claim to represent.
But their days of viewing the public as fools are slowly coming to an end. Change must and will come. As a matter of fact, only blind and politicians in denial would not see the telltale signs of their impending doom. Slowly waking up, the people are demanding accountable governance; they want responsible leaders with integrity; they want to enjoy the fruits of the land and share in the national pie; they are the government and they want those they choose to represent them to behave like and not forget that they are servants.
For too long civil servants in Sierra Leone have behaved uncivil; they preach one thing and do the opposite. Desperate to occupy public office as their birthrights, they use everything including the law and violence to cling on to power. They have encouraged the poor exam culture to keep most of our people incapable of knowing the extent of their rights, and the gravity of our leaders’ wrongdoings. They use and spread violence across the country as a means of cowering the people. They shy away from public debates fearing they will be exposed for lacking understanding of the subject matter.
But the greatest realisation to come out of this awakening is how the people view leadership and those meant to check their excesses. In the main, the people now know that since they are the ones that elect their servant-leader, they expect him/her to serve regardless of which party he or she represents. They know that a successful government means a successful country hence people. They want the best man or woman to lead, regardless of tribe, sex or region. They have seen a black man rule the US; are seeing a Fullah vice president ably performing his vice presidential duties; and have long seen women presidents leading major democracies like the UK, Australia, Germany, and New Zealand. They are starting to see that tribalism is a disadvantage to progress as it disenfranchises segments of the population necessary for national development. They believe in collective effort for national progress and security.
After years of blindly following their leaders, whether good or bad, crooked or honest, they now know that our leaders are just as fallible and easily corrupted as the next man/woman. They now see the role of the fourth estate and any other individual knowledgeable enough to query our leaders as necessary for our advancement. They consider it unpatriotic for people to keep quiet when a wrong is being perpetrated by those in public leadership.
Our leaders can no longer hide behind their tribe, region or party. They must serve the people, do so with pride and honour, and be content with their pay. They are expected to prove how they earned or are earning every penny, for the sake of integrity as a mere accusation could so tarnish a leader’s hence the people’s reputation that even after being exonerated. The stigma takes much longer to go away. So they want leaders who will keep their hands out of the public cookie jar/money, and want men and women, from all sides of the debate, to speak up in the cause of the people…The revolution continues!