“Naming and shaming is no more effective since most of our politicians are too shameless.” This was what a participant at a recent workshop on the political Parties Code of Conduct said. The All People’s Congress can take ten years and occupy all the media in Sierra Leone to justify the appointment of their flag Bearer and Running mate. To a lot of us the real issue is that the Constitution of that party is undemocratic to say the least. The National Constitution makes it clear that whatever the parties do, it must be within the ambit of democratic ideals guaranteed by the Constitution in Chapter III.
The party deliberately and intentionally allowed itself to go against the Constitution of the land by using the caveat of “selection” for appointing their leaders. Tell me why any party should be afraid of elections to be done to determine who he leaders are? The National constitution gives secret ballot as the method of voting. In this day and age when every nation is gearing towards compliance with the tenets of democracy and good governance how can we afford to be dragged behind?
One thing I have found out about the two main parties, namely APC and SLPP is that when it comes to very salient errors in our history the two parties feature in for blame. I read from a newspaper some time ago which carried the resignation letter of one of our foremost academics and statesmen, the Late Dr. Mohamed Sorie Forna. For the benefit of our younger compatriots, Late Dr Forna resigned his position as Finance Minister and was later implicated in a coup attempt together with several others and killed in not so clear a circumstance during the One Party regime of Late President Stevens.
It is worth noting that it was Dr Forna who advised against heaping too many powers in the hands of the Presidency. They put aside his advice and came up with the Executive Presidency. The Current APC Constitution was done in 1995, the Current salone Constitution was approved in 1991. So you see the National Constitution precedes the APC one by some four odd years So do you see how deliberate and intentional the APC was to decide to include “selection” in their constitution as an alternative model to get their leaders.
I keep saying that there is no way a flawed system can ever produce a clean system, let alone democracy and good governance. It is like plaiting hair on top of lice. Surely the plaiting will not hold since the person will be scratching the head until the plait loosens.
Well, last week the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) conducted a workshop on the review of the political Parties Code of Conduct (PPCC). I was a very important occasion that drew representation from all- fourteen registered parties. Unfortunately, although 21 representatives were invited per party, the ruling party APC sent only one participant and even that one was from Moyamba district. This conspicuously poor attendance was interpreted negatively by many participants. Many kept wondering why a party in power should treat a serious issue with levity at this crucial time.
One of the greatest highlights of the workshop was the deliberations in group work. Parties discussed the PPCC in their groups and reported back in plenary. Many parties were concerned about the need to formulate punitive measures for flouters of the PPCC. How they will go about this is, another matter altogether, given the limited legal framework within which the PPRC works. One major issue was the PPRC Chairman’s promised to push for the passing of the Political Parties Registration and Regulation Bill of 2012 which has been around for over four years? I hope stakeholders will make good the PPRC Chair’s determination. Well the last time I checked Parliament had not yet passed on the candidature fees and they are scheduled to recess on December 7, 2017.
For all these unfinished businesses that the next Parliament will inherit, I partly blame Government’s insistence on putting on board several activities to crowd the electoral cycle like the Re-districting; de-amalgamation; the passing of the National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA) without enough ready funds to make it functional and the subsequent clash between the legal instruments when it comes to authority to do registration for voting. Thank God NCRA and the National Electoral Commission (NEC) managed to find a common ground for the registration of voters and citizens..
As things stand everything is set for the march 7, 2018 especially as the government is dishing out a portion of the elections budget every week. This is good news. This country looks forward to political parties to Endeavour to go about the electoral activities with the framework of the existing laws which themselves have gaps. One major issue that needs clarity is the issue of notifying the Inspector-General of Police before processions are made. Does Notification means you need to wait for clearance?
The problem we have is that there is the age old 1965 public Order Act which every government dead or alive after the NPRC had promised but failed to review. One learned Lawyer once said that any law that has existed to twenty years has outlived its usefulness and should be reviewed. Expunging or reviewing the Public Order Act is a very sexy thing to promise and every aspiring President makes it a campaign promise, election cycle in, election cycle out!
A major challenge in our political history is political violence, before, during and after elections, for decades. Although violence has not actually disrupted to a stop an entire electoral process its preponderance is denting our political maturity as a nation. Somehow there have been marked level of impunity since perpetrators of electoral violence had not been brought to book as a deterrent, in any satisfactorily conclusive manner. As an attempt to minimize or curb political/electoral violence a Political Parties Code of Conduct (PPCC) was prepared and signed in 2016 by the 9 existing registered political parties.
On November 15, 2017, PPRC held a Workshop was organized by the PPRC with the view to reviewing the existing PPCC, to guide the actions of Political Parties, outline acceptable and non-acceptable actions and to facilitate conditions conducive to the conduct of free. Fair, peaceful and democratic and credible elections.The major issues and recommendations of that workshop were: PMDC:
National Broadcaster giving more air time to incumbent while marginalizing the opposition parties;
Code to include punishment for parties and State Media if they flout; Naming and shaming is not effective since many people are just too shameless;
The issue of notification of the IG and Paramount Chief was ambiguous and impracticable.
PDP: Also stressed on penalties and sanctions for breaching the PPCC; Equal security for all parties; A peace rally of all parties to be held to demonstrate commitment to peace.
PLP: Equal opportunity to be accorded the Disable, youth and women to participate in politics; Secret society ceremonies not to be used to intimidate people; Ban the use of alcoholic drinks and narcotics during ralleys; Banner sizes to be specified so that all parties will have space; Political Party Heavy weights should not be around voting areas. The PPCC should be enacted in Parliament.
SLPP: Need to develop Codes of Conduct for the Police and Paramount Chiefs.
NGC: To clarify the issue of Notification of the IG for ralleys; To work out an equitable access to the National Broadcaster; What will the PPRC do if the police exhibit bias? What will PPRC do when government properties are used to campaign? Generally the workshop was an eye opener to the many untoward behaviors that are potential for violence in our elections.
Well the strength of a nation is not judged by the number of arsenal or chemical weapons that it possesses, but by the sum total of its educated people.
By Ben Cambayma
Tuesday November 28, 2017.
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