Sierra Leone opposition fears return to one-party state

Justice Abel Strong, Speaker of Sierra Leone Parliament

The usually mute main opposition in Sierra Leone recently raised the alarm bell accusing the governing All Peoples Congress (APC) of seeking to manipulate the ongoing constitutional review process.

The Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP)`s fears were based on a proposed bill they say seeks to relax qualifications for the Speaker of parliamentary.

Current provisions require that the office holder has a legal background and the experience or qualification of a judge of the Superior Court.

Supporters of the bill say present provisions are discriminatory.

The Constitution of Sierra Leone (Amendment) Act 2013’, as the bill is titled, will slacken the requirement to only five years of experience in parliament as prerequisite to be Speaker. That means almost everyone in that House can be Speaker.

But the SLPP thinks all this is part of a grand plan by the ruling party to reverse the democratic gains the country has achieved since the end of the brutal civil war in 2002 by reintroducing a one-party system.

The opposition also say the APC is seeking to extend the tenure of the Deputy Speaker which could see the holder of that office serves an uninterrupted five year term, instead of having to be elected at the first sitting of every legislative year.

They want the proposed bill withdrawn. Unfortunately for them, however, with its parliamentary majority, passing it will be a mere formality for the APC.

Siaka Stevens, first President of Sierra Leone and architect of the 1978-1991 one-party system under the ‘first’ APC government, managed to dominate most of the country`s post independence politics before the war with a tight control on parliament.

His handpicked successor, Joseph Saidu Momoh, under pressure for democratic reforms, orchestrated the landmark 1991 Constitution which set forth the stage for the current dispensation. That constitution is now under review.

The fact that the APC is putting forward such a proposal even as the ongoing review process is in motion left the opposition particularly concerned.

The logic is simple – why not let the reviewers take it into account and the people will decide during the pending referendum.

Sulaiman Banja Tejan-Sie, SLPP Secretary-General, told journalists earlier this month that the 1991 Constitution reflected the views of the people that someone with legal background should hold the office of Speaker as such persons would be independent minded and were more inclined to impartially arbitrate proceedings.

They “understand the intricacies of the law making process and will be more equipped to interpret the provisions of the constitution and the Standing Orders,” he said.

An SLPP statement added that the proposed amendment could only have been designed “to take us back to those inglorious authoritarian days as they are taken from pages of the infamous 1978 One Party Constitution which did not provide legal qualification for the speakership, and parliament was reduced to a rubber stamp authority of the executive.”

The 1978-1991 one-party experience was principally blamed for causing the war that took Sierra Leone decades backwards in terms of development.

With an inclination for grassroots politicking, the APC often accuse the SLPP of espousing politics of elitism with the latter`s emphasis on education.

The SLPP, on the other hand, accuses the APC of adopting crude methods bordering on the most extreme of measures to prolong their stay in power.

With their grassroots support, APC often legitimize their actions as having the support of the people they are fighting for.  

However, in the midst of the current argument, the question remains, is there any need to rush such an important bill through the “back door” while a constitutional review process which could easily handle it is on?

After all it is by no means an urgent bill that would warrant a ‘Certificate of Emergency’.

The issue kind of gives credence to all sorts of worries being espoused by critics as to the APC`s intent on changing so many things about the constitution, like parliamentary term.

Word is that they intend to increase from the current five to seven the term of members. Now, this, if effected, will mean elections for parliament will be held on different occasions for those for President and other offices. Sources within the National Electoral Commission have indicated that in terms of both logistics and finance, having a multi tier elections is far more ideal.

Also, as opposition spokesman Musa Tamba Sam convincingly argued, a serious legal-minded Speaker, who`s gone through all these years trying to build a respectable profile, will want to safeguard it and not want to be told by their colleagues that ‘you messed up and neglected your profession’.

Someone selected ‘puppet’ of a Speaker, with my experience in Gambia, can even offer their own destiny on a silver platter if their benefactor so demand.

No country can be safe under such a situation.

If it is the betterment of the nation we do really want, checks and balances that can`t be flouted over night are the best for us. Anything short is a joke.

The current Speaker, Justice Abel Strong, has barely completed a year in office and has four more years to go, except of course if there are plans to cut short his tenure as has again been alleged by the opposition.

The fact that Justice Strong has been praised for being neutral by the opposition even though he was supposedly appointed by the APC suggests a positive thing about Sierra Leone`s democracy. And I think it serves the country`s best interest to have such a unifying figure in the House.