President Bio’s decision to appoint the Chief Minister Dr. David Moinina Sengeh as the Chairman of the SLPP constitutional review committee is a blessing in disguise to both the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and Sierra Leone at large. People from different quarters are supporting and lauding the wisdom that ignited President Bio’s decision.
The Chief Minister Dr. David Sengeh has not only proved his competency but he has steered the course without chaos, taking into cognizance the disagreements arising from the divergence of opinions and interests that is normally associated with any constitutional review process.
Dr. David Sengeh’s knowledge of the constitution under review is deep and all-encompassing. His aptitude in ensuring that the process is rancor free rests a rare form of humanity that displays his unrivalled leadership qualities.
Set aside Dr. David Sengeh’s academic proficiency, his ability to manage myriads of opinions and sentiments in juxtaposition with the reality that life offers makes him the apt person for such a historical and monumental undertaking.
During the gathering of stakeholders at the Bintumani hotel on Saturday 25th May 2024, Dr. David Sengeh sent a clear statement informing that the process must be done with the future generation in mind, noting further that the process will be counterproductive if the interest of current duty bearers were given premium over future interests.
Neither lenient nor unassuming, Dr. David Sengeh is democratic enough to give every hand in the room an opportunity to ask question, make suggestion and lash out with criticism of any clause that is placed under the radar of scrutiny.
For example, Dr. David Sengeh sought for a consensus when a member of the SLPP legal team floated an idea of allowing representatives of the SLPP legal team to serve as delegates in intra party executive elections. When the idea was overwhelmingly rejected by stakeholders, it was immediately dropped by the Chief Minister. Some critical voices were asking what about SLPP engineers, Bike Riders and Kekeh Riders etc? Therefore, it was agreed that one`s profession/occupation should not be used as a yard stick for the position of a delegate.
Despite being the current Chief Minister, when the suggestion of allowing sitting government ministers to serve as delegates in SLPP elections was barred by the majority of stakeholders, he immediately kicked against the idea.
Other issues such as the composition and age limits that qualify members to hold positions in organs that are indispensable within the SLPP were judiciously adjudicated by the Chief Minister Dr. David Sengeh, whiles other contentious issues were deferred for further consultations with the regional executive.
Other sticking points were the disaggregation of voting rights to the different chapters of the SLPP around the world, composition of the National Executive Council (NEC) and the proposal of allowing the Council of Elders to serve as delegates. On the issue of the later, a unanimous decision was taken to disallow the council of elders to serve as delegates because the matter of conflict of interest became obvious.
The Chief Minister simply said one cannot have an interest in an election and at the same time keen in becoming a moral guarantor in dispute resolution.
With regards the issue of apportioning voting rights to various chapters across the world, Chief Minister Dr. David Sengeh made allusion to the United Nations General Assembly where China and India with the largest populations in the World are accorded the same voting rights as Sierra Leone and the Gambia which are among the least populated nations in the globe.
The Chief Minister has demonstrated team work because he is working in Unisom with the stakeholders.
The stakeholders want the provisions of the new constitution to be framed to accommodate active, reliable and committed members who will occupy positions in the vital organs of the party.
Supporters of the SLPP party must be rest assured that the Chief Minister Dr. David Moinina Sengeh will midwife a constitution that is democratic, fair and inclusive to all and sundry in the party.
Credit: Uncle Sankara Media Platform +23277763898, 26th May 2024
