You might want to know why civil society came on the development scene. Simple, it was because governments especially in Africa failed woefully to deliver, that civil society organizations sprang up to be the bridge between insensitive governments and their suffering populace. Of course you will agree with me that governments are still failing their people. Countries where there are some amount of good governance and the observance of human rights, you have very few civil society organizations.
I really get worried when personalities in the top echelon of governance prefer hugging their so-called mandates or statutory roles as if they operate in a vacuum. Why don’t we learn lessons from the football team? Sometimes for the ball to hit the back of the opponent’s net, it touches over six to eight team mates. Yes, the person who scores gets the praise, but indeed the other team mates supported the process and they all get happy for the goal. That was why I was taken aback when an MP some months ago said over the air that civil society was only to limit itself to social and environmental issues and not meddle in political ones. I really wonder where he draws the line. In Africa, Sierra Leone included, politics indeed deeps its fingers into every pie. In fact, it is hard to reduce poverty and injustice without dealing with political injustice, harassment and ‘kapukapuism’.
Many governments renege on their promises once they win elections. Like earlier said, it is because governments failed and continue to fail that the Civil Society came into prominence. In Africa, where corruption is kind of institutionalised, the people’s participation in decisions that impact their livelihood becomes imperative if democracy has to work. In fact, many countries are shifting power from the capital to the regional and local administrations. That the 2004 Local Government Act ushered in local Governance was one good step but just now that Act needs revision.
Those on the right side, who holler about social accountability, are actually saying that there should be much more engagement between citizens and the government for better governance. Is it not high time that people really understand the role of the Civil Society?
Remember the debate over our Members of Parliament pushing a bill through to choose their Speaker from the Parliament? Would it not prove foolhardy that our Arms of government are left on their own to take decisions only in their favour? The fact that there seemed no dissenting voice, not even from the opposition belies something. But of course our MPs are Honourable men whose key mandate is to make laws. And this is why I quarrel with this word called mandate. In this 21st Century, dialogue and consultations sometimes some people become so obsessed with safeguarding their positions that they indulge themselves into outlandish philosophical analysis that smack of politicians who twist the facts to suit their lies.
State governance is not like a worreh where you have cows. Yes, because every day some are taken out for slaughter are those remaining live in fear thinking they will be next? It is like when you are travelling you worry more about getting to your destination and not so much about the journey itself when you know that they are both important. I was reading the entertainment column of a controversial Newspaper and this Nigerian actress called Afrocandy saying that if she decided to rather out stage Ini and Mercy should they blame her? She said they should not hate the player, they should hate the game. Well, you can open your own debate.
When leaders do not believe in accountability and do not show enormous tolerance in order to work collectively together they will not take us anywhere. We should know that accountability does not ever come naturally; it has to be worked on. If we want a fair Sierra Leone and reduce poverty, then we have to embrace accountability. As a nation we should not leave anything to chance. Indeed, the tears of a man crying in the rain are known only to himself. It is like somebody fasting but keeps diving in a river for long periods. Only he knows whether he is drinking the water or not. We really have to be interested in the governance of our country because mistakes done in governance go a long way to affect even generations yet unborn. You can imagine if the railway was not phased out in this country how life could have been much easier especially when it comes to the movement of food stuff. A lot of policies are formulated all over the place but most are not impacting the people positively, so it’s no work done.
Civil society thus plays a major role. The government’s civil service has been made too weak to spark. But their compatriots in the Civil Society realm could well be the last hope. Civil Society largely contrasts with that of government. Many a time Government’s efforts are often large in scope but limited in impact. Civil Society through NGOs are taking advantage of the increasing inability of government to fulfil its obligations in a number of areas. The new trend of beneficiaries participating in the NGO or Civil Society activities is putting them far ahead of government. The lack of functional structures has contributed to mismanagement. An empowered Civil Society is a crucial component of any democratic system. Synergies between states and CSOs can help overcome challenges of poverty, widening inequalities, social exclusion and unsustainable development. Now policy issues have gained high prominence for very good reasons. CSOs participation in policy processes is key to ensure inclusion and effective policies. CSOs therefore contribute to building more accountable and legitimate states, leading to enhanced social cohesion and more open and deeper democracies. The CSOs should wake up to this sacred responsibility, no need being sycophantic about fighting on the side of the people. You really have no choice.
As foremost development actors, CSOs should have the capacity to reach out to the marginalized and empower them, trigger social innovation. Civil Society comes in handy to cushion off any injustice meted out by those in governance and the Business community, two groups that often easily get along well for obvious reasons. For our compatriots in governance, always remember that reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation you can easily win.
A big advantage Civil Society has is its varied make-up. In fact one can safely say that some sections of the independent press play the roles of Civil Society when they are on the side of the depraved people. The simple yardstick is whether you are on the side of the people or not. This is why strictly speaking not all NGOs are Civil Society. Those who connive with state actors to further entrench the poverty and depravity of their hopelessly helpless compatriots count themselves out. I hope you get it! Far from being antagonists, MPs and the Civil Society should maximize their synergies and complement each other. Remember that it is the idea that some lives matter less that is the beginning of all the problems we have in the world.
By Beny Sam
Tuesday November 17, 2015
ADVERTISEMENT