Sierra Leone’s political situation is characterized by challenges ranging from political hates, disrespect for rules and procedures, national and ethnic divisions and gross state – sponsored human rights violation due to government’s deliberate denial of adherence to comply with the principles of the rule of law. And this has placed democracy in fiasco in Sierra Leone, to a point that no right is respected by the government.
A situation that is presided over by Julius Maada Bio as the democratically elected president, is not presenting the good credentials of Sierra Leone’s democracy, as it is endangering democracy in Sierra Leone in such a way that periodic public elections are always characterized by broad day light rigging, occasioned by state-sponsored violence by the police, as if the country had long been reverted to a military rule.
As it was Wednesday 23rd November 2022 again vividly manifested in the conduct of the Clerk of Parliament, Umaru Paran Taeawally who is on records for always instructing the arrest and manhandling of the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) Members of Parliament for of their disagreement with persistent illegalities being imposed on them in House, again called the police to storm the well and tortured APC MPs. That exposed the savagery of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party and the very weakness of the country’s uncivilized democracy.
His undiplomatic outburst further led to the standoff in parliament during which police personnel allegedly injured APC MPs., all because his party had wanted to illegally table the controversial Proportional Representation bill and forcefully get the support of the opposition for a debate. The opposition could not have their say of the issue which ignited a fight between APC and SLPP MPs in the well under the watch of the Speaker, Dr Abass Bundu. This is exactly how far president Bio and his ruling SLPP have come in consolidating Sierra Leone’s democracy. What a shame Mr Father of democracy?
To the very deliberate misplacement of the theory of Democratic Consolidation, by the SLPP rule, the scheme does not only limits its scope to the conduction of periodic public elections, smooth transitions of state power from one political party to the other et al. It must go beyond peaceful and smooth exchange of power from SLPP to the APC, and from the APC to the SLPP, and goes further to also provide wider space for civic platforms, wherein Civil Society Organizations are widely encouraged to air their voices for and on behalf of the voiceless masses, especially on critical national issues such as the present state of affairs in Sierra Leone. The consolidation of democracy in a country should as well be seen in strict adherence to the principles of the rule of law, as some of the significant ingredients that firmly consolidate a country’s democracy. This is the exact opposite of what Sierra Leone has come through and continue to be confronted with for closed to five years now under the Bio hegemony, failing to realize that democracy must be regarded as the most appropriate way of governing by majority public. That is not respected nor implemented under the Bio rule. The majority APC is always bullied for reasons best known to the ruling class. And undemocratic mannerisms and misconducts are rapidly paving the way to military rule also under Bio. This has dashed the hopes of Sierra Leone being a strong democracy. Of course not, it is no longer one of those civilized democracies left this nation by the late President Dr Alhaji Ahmed Tejan Kabbah and former president Ernest Bai Koroma.
After two successful democratic presidential and general elections, from 1996 to 2002, which brought in the late President Kabbah, up to 2007, when he completed his second terms of office, then came in former president Koroma. There were indeed every high hopes of Sierra Leone being a very strong democracy in Africa. However, that has lost into thin air since April 4 2018 to date, with huge tendencies continuing to endanger national efforts at consolidating democracy, in such a way that the Bio government does not consult with parliament among so many thing that are being done. He’s is just always imposing on the House for whatever his regime wants, against the wishes and aspirations of the people. The PR bill never receive the consents of opposition MPs, but government had wanted to forcefully make a presentation of the already fake-gazetted, document which the Deputy Minister of Justice, Umaru Napoleon Koroma had mischievously wanted to lay in the well of parliament for debate. That clearly manifested government’s undemocratic imposition of the Proportional Represent system on the people of Sierra Leone. And as APC MPs attempted to have their say on the issue by way of questioning it legality, then fighting violently erupted in the well. That is among dozens of laws the Bio government has taken to parliament, militarily forcing MPs to pass against the democratic wishes of their constituents.
And Wednesday 23rd November 2022 fight among MPs is not new. And the Clerk of the House as always, called the police to forcefully arrest the opposition APC MPs, during which one APC MPs Hon Abdul Karim Kamara was injured on his lip. It could be recalled that during the proclamation of the controversial Mid-Term Housing and Population Census, and so many others laws forcefully passed under the Bio rule, never receive the democratic consultations of opposition MPs, especially the main opposition APC lawmakers.
Since day one when the Bio regime took up office, the House of Parliament has been transformed into a battle ground, encouraging all sorts of undemocratic and illegalities under the watch of Speaker, Abass Bundu. These happen most times when there are disagreements among MPs over certain unlawfully imposed bills on them. A situation that continues to largely weaken democratic consolidation in Sierra Leone, and by extension has reversed gains made in the last two decades by Bio’s predecessors.
FORUM therefore call on moral guarantors of Sierra Leone’s democratic process and development including the United Nations and the European Union to make a timely intervention as the nation is fast approaching the June 24th multi-tier elections. Otherwise Sierra Leone is fast reversing to military dictatorship under Julius Maada Bio as presidency.
