As Sierra Leoneans, we pride ourselves as being able to conduct three credible, free and fair elections after the rebel war. However, the same sentiments can hardly be expressed for our elections being free from violence. What we have been perhaps best at has been good electoral management by the National Elections Commission (NEC) and local observation by the National Elections Watch. On March 2, 2019 Sierra Leoneans would be looking on with abated breadth to see if this time round the re-run bye-elections in Ward 196 scheduled for March 2, 2019 will pass off peacefully. The modern trend essentially demands peaceful democratic elections as necessary for fostering peace, social cohesion, security and sustainable development. For most African countries like Sierra Leone, decades in, decades out, it has been most challenging to promote peaceful elections and practice democratic good governance, transparency and accountability, to create an enabling environment where democracy and political stability are sustained. The bye- elections in Ward 196 Samu Chiefdom, Kambia District held on September 29, 2018, saw ugly scenes of violence and unfortunately a 14- year old school boy was reportedly shot dead. The re-run of that election has been scheduled for March 2, 2019. There are a few questions here for the police and that is: How did the investigation into the aforementioned violence go? Any Report yet? What line of action has been taken to forestall future recurrence? Like I keep saying, violence at almost all elections in our country has so far defied every definition and rubbished all efforts at sustained peaceful co-existence. I can straight away venture to say that we have continued to have this ugly situation because investigations into election violence have hardly come out with any amicable conclusion and punitive measure. The Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) and the Police are equally to blame for not having any conclusive investigation and deterrent measures meted out to defaulters. The PPRC in particular needs to be strengthened with prosecutorial powers to fully perform its functions. Right now they don’t even have a Chair as the former passed away a couple of months ago. For long that outfit has been adopting the combra stance to resolve impasse between parties. They have not been hard on parties especially the two main ones. This has only succeeded in entrenching impunity. You can visibly see party stalwarts flouting regulations with arrogant levity and impunity. For their part the police have always suffered intimidation from party operatives. Of course we all know there is this fear of being demoted or transferred to unwanted stations. Can you really blame them? In a country where even sneezing has been politicized, public servants stay on their jobs at the behest of a state actor benefactor or godfather. President Bio really has a lot to clean up. He needs to be reminded to follow up his promises of policy review to bring our legislation in line with our realities and reduce the powers of certain State actors. It is mostly alleged that it is politicians in high places that remotely sponsor violence. One major violent event during the last election campaigns was the daring youth mayhem at Campbell Street, Saint John. That violence nearly brought Freetown to a standstill when supporters of the ruling APC went on a rampage during their final campaign, unleashing an orgy of destruction, with at least one confirmed dead. It was a very worrying reminder of the fragility and precarious nature of politics in Sierra Leone and the ruling APC’s seeming determination to hang on to power. The ruling APC denied responsibility for the violence, which came just five weeks before elections. The 51 youth arrested were taken to court, found guilty, paid fines and later freed. Many Sierra Leoneans thought they could have stayed in detention till after the elections. Tell me why was it that in June 2016, Sierra Leone was rated ahead of Ghana as the second most peaceful country in West Africa in 2015, according to the Global Peace Index of the Institute for Economics and Peace in Australia. Although there were many reports on Sierra Leone highlighting our ugly side, this good report was run with by the Government Public relations in a frenzied manner. However ensuing political events especially related to elections cast a heavy shadow in a rubbishing way. The Police main role in a country is to protect life and property. In every election, the role of the Police is critical in ensuring the process goes on in a very peaceful manner. Over the years many electorate have not been comfortable with the police at polling stations. This is why agreement was reached for the police on polling Day to stay outside the polling Centers. In the recent Tonko Limba bye –elections we are told there were up to 10 policemen at each centre yet there was chaos to the extent that one 14-year old boy was killed and a ballot box was broken open and ballot papers strewn about and NEC had to cancel the entire bye-elections. There were reports of the presence of top party stalwarts of the APC, SLPP and the NGC. Their presence of course as always is intimidating. This is why some years back stakeholders agreed that no party operative should travel to the area where bye-elections are held except if they are registered voters for the locality. Every time there is bye-election, party operatives violate this restriction and for whatever reason we have not seen the PPRC punishing any political party that is found wanting. This definitely is impunity. Even in football a coach can actually be given a red card and asked to step aside. I still wonder why the Police and the PPRC do not call defaulters to order. Of course the police are yet to sum up courage to stop party operatives from entering the constituencies and wards where bye-elections are held. Is it that we as a nation have run out of ideas and think solution will remain elusive? I don’t think so. The laws need to be enforced without fear or favor and this should start with defaulting party big fishes. We are tired of investigations into electoral violence that lead us nowhere. We need to push forward and this should start with fighting corruption and indiscipline. Here electoral discipline should be paramount if we have to have high democratic credentials. I think the time has come when perpetrators of electoral violence should be banned from partisan politics for up to one whole term. We should let our politicians know that the power of love should overcome the love of power.
19/1/19
By Beny Sam
Monday January 21, 2019.