Aspiring candidates for the two main political parties, the All People Congress (APC) and the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) for the local council and Parliament have assured the Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD) and the people in Bombali district of their total commitment and engagement with their constituents before projects are undertaken in their respective wards and constituencies.
The project received support from ‘Trocaire’ for the implementation of a seven-month long interim project in Bombali District titled, ‘Community Monitoring for Accountable Leadership and Access to Quality Basic Education Services’ in five Chiefdoms in Bombali District.
The commitment was made during a one-day interactive session organized by NMJD as one of their specific objectives in the area of Accountable Governance Programme in the organization’s current Strategic Plan for (2011-2016) at the SLTU Hall in Makeni on Saturday 4th October 2912.
The project is aiming at strengthening the capacity of poor people and their representative organizations thereby allowing citizens to participate in processes and institutions of governance at all levels.
The program according to the Regional Co-ordinator for Network Movement for Justice and Development, Joseph Pokowa, everybody will not be a leader at the same time in a particular place. That was the reason, according to him, why people choose their leader through a consultative means like Elections.
Joseph Pokowa said before now, they have engaged potential voters in the three constituencies in Bombali district; 28, 29 and 30, where they prepared what he described as ‘social contract agreement’ on key thematic areas. Against this backdrop, they called on the aspiring councilors, Mayor and MP to look at the demands for their onward commitments.
Responding to the thematic issues, the participating political party aspirants pointed out that it was important that NMJD invited them to explain the various roles and responsibilities of each player in the Local council and central government.
They pointed out that before now, constituency members were of the opinion that development of their area, lies in the hands of their MP.
The representative for Bombali District Youth Committee, Gibrill Hassan Koroma, said the issue of transparency and accountability must start among themselves, noting that, most people don’t even pay their local tax and house rates. This, according to him, is not part of good governance and democracy because as leaders, they should serve as pace-setters and not rule brokers.
The opposition SLPP councilor aspirant for ward 89 in constituency 28, Aminata Fofanah, said the issue of differentiating roles and responsibilities among councilors and Honorable is very crucial because even they the politicians find it difficult to separate.
The project Animator in Bombali district for Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD) Bashiru Bangura said, experience has shown that citizens’ participation in the governance of the state is largely limited to voting. This means that the poor, marginalized women, men, youth and persons with disabilities do not take active part in making decisions that affect their lives.
Bashiru Bangura said the elected Members of Parliament (MPs) and Councilors/Mayors/Chairpersons have the habit of alienating and disconnecting themselves from the very people they purport to represent instead of regularly engaging the electorate to discuss issues affecting them. Most times, he went on, the people are left to grapple with the stark reality of power play and sometimes control.
By Mohamed Kabba
ADVERTISEMENT