Salone Experiment with Diasporas in Governance.

Politics

For a very long time, Sierra leone heads of state have been experimenting with the appointment of diasporas and technocrats into our governance with the view that they have the necessary knowhow and experience to move this country forward, than home grown academics or not-so educated! Here we need to go back into a little bit of History.

In the 1970s and slightly before the Cold war was on between the Capitalist West and the Communist East. The Cold War was mainly between the then United Soviet Socialists Republic (USSR) and the United States of America (USA) Other countries, most of them poor and not industrialized were part of what was called the Non-Aligned Countries. These included African countries some of whom had gained independence while others were struggling to become independent.

Sierra Leone had had the distinction of being the administrative hub of West Africa and this meant a lot of opportunities. This was the time Fourah Bay College, university of Sierra Leone was referred to as the “Athens of West Africa” in parallel with the Greek City of Athens which at the time was the citadel of knowledge. With all this, up till the early 1980s Fourah Bay College did not offer Masters Courses, only First degrees. Students pursued their Masters degrees abroad, mainly in Britain or the United States of America. These were mainly on Scholarships with full bursary. Russia as part of the Soviet Union also used to offer scholarships to Sierra Leoneans to study in Russia. As time went on more and more Sierra Leoneans sought avenues to study abroad especially in the USA or Britain. In fact up to 1994 or thereabout, Sierra Leoneans did not need any visa to go to the United Kingdom. All they needed was someone resident there to pick you up at the Airport. It was when Africans in particular started flooding in other European countries especially Germany that through the European Union an entry Visa to all EU countries was made mandatory.

Year in year out many Sierra Leoneans strive to go to the United States and European Countries not only to study but to stay and work. With more opportunities there and the American Dream staying alive people keep struggling by virtually any means to go abroad. Some even go by Temple run, a risky trip across the Mediterranean sea from North Africa on “balloon boats.” Many die at sea and those who get across to Europe only do so by the Grace of god.

According to Statistics Sierra Leone, the number of Sierra Leoneans in the Diaspora is estimated to be 336,000. Many of these Diasporas have become citizens of those nations and made quite some huge fortunes.

In the Mid 1970s Sierra Leone was still a one party state ruled with a heavy hand by Late President Siaka Stevens. The economy was reasonably good but there was corruption among the ruling class. Many people thought this was so because many people in governance had not darkened the walls of a university and thus could not run things properly. Around this same time many students at colleges and university in Sierra Leone were reading Greek Philosophers like Plato and Aristotle. Plato in particular propounded a lot of theories and Principles including those of Governance through his book “The Republic.” According to Plato, a philosopher king is a ruler who possesses both a love of wisdom, as well as intelligence, reliability, and a willingness to live a simple life. Such are the rulers of this utopian city….

Students were greatly impressed especially by the issue of Philosopher Kings. The idea was unless Philosophers became rulers or Rulers became Philosophers, the State will not be properly run. Many Sierra Leoneans especially students piled pressure on Late President Stevens to appoint academics into governance. This was how he started appointing Professors and Doctors into key positions in governance. Unfortunately this move did not improve the accountability deficit in governance.

When Late President Kabbah took the Reins of power he additionally sought for Sierra Leoneans living abroad with high academic qualifications and wide range of experience to come and serve in his government. Some had to leave their lucrative jobs abroad to come and serve their country.

The diaspora participation in Sierra Lone politics increased during Former President Koroma’s administration. Many had been encouraged to invest and participate in the local politics. He even established the first Diaspora Office at State House in Freetown. The Ministries were overwhelmed by Diasporas with their brow American and British English accents. The Bio Administration, for his part, also brought in many experts to work in his administration.

Now let us look at the public perception of the inclusion of many Diasporas in our governance. For representation in Parliament, during the party nominations of people to gun for parliamentary seats, the APC excluded Diasporas who had dual citizenship locally referred to as “Two Sim.” This was a big blow to those affected given that they are reported to have spent a lot of money and indeed promised party symbols.

Generally the idea of our diaspora coming to be in government is good. By leveraging the multiple skills and expertise of the diaspora in addition to the roles of remittances, investors, philanthropists, innovators and tourists, Sierra Leoneans both abroad and at home are among the most essential assets for Sierra Leone to harness for development. (Sierra Leone Road Map)

A very persistent reservation that Sierra Leoneans at home have is that diasporas hardly know the issues on the ground and have no grassroots connectivity. With this disadvantage many Sierra Leoneans think Diasporas will find it difficult to traverse the local terrain. No matter how much western experience they have got, without the local touch they could find a lot of problem playing their roles.

Take the position of a councilor who is supposed to be with the designated community but is hardly around and does not feel for the people, it becomes very frustrating after elections. There is also this thinking that when candidates pour a lot of money into party activities, when they win, their first objective is to recover their “investment”. This is reason for corrupt acquisition of unexplained wealth. On other point often made is that when things go wrong, diaspora Sierra Leoneans simply catch a flight and go back to the west.

So whichever way one looks at it, the diasporas contribution to our governance is seen as a mixed bag with some locals believing that somehow they in an unfair competition despite their hands on support to their parties. I hope a common ground could be reached where by the country maximizes benefits from all its talented and professional citizens no matter where they are resident.

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