HOW IT STARTED AND ENDED
BY Ibrahim Sorie Dumbuya
Legitimacy is not limited to elections, but also can be designated to local and international recognitions due to the advancement of Democracy and State power. The issue of political interference is not a subjective one, but one that is objective, built on the stage of international standards. Sierra Leone falls under the form of rational legal legitimacy via democratic means, as opposed to traditional legitimacy via inheritance.
Assessing the just concluded controversial elections, the circumstances under which our elections were held and the system used to have the results tallied and pronounced, cannot be considered as duly or credible under the pure meaning of democracy and international best practices. This is the position upheld by many democrats and international governments like, Ireland, UK, France, Germany, USA etc. These positions and concerns about the irregularities have recently been validated by the very controversial President, constituting a panel to look into elections issues for the purpose of reformation, but the sad part is, why do reforms after benefiting from the wrongs, bad policies and weird laws?
The recent unfair criticism against the US Ambassador for reiterating the position of his country is a complete misunderstanding of what entails or forms a political interference. The statements of the US Ambassador does not in any form amount to political interference, as that statement was firstly put out in written form, characterizing the position and concerns of the US Government via US Twitter Handling. What the Ambassador said on Radio Democracy 98.1 FM was not political interference, but reiteration of the concerns and position of the US Government, stating irregularities, lack of transparency and the falling short of modern days’ best practices of democracy. That statement was not a new statement or inference to the self-opinion of the Ambassador, but a statement of concerns and position taken by the US Government.
The present political crisis of legitimacy is peddling the time of development, national cohesion and peace, because it has mandated itself to a moment of concentration. Attacking the international community can’t define our independence as a sovereign state, it can only put us in conflict with international best practices and to a further extent, describe our system as a stereotype democracy, a democracy that is not ready to align itself to international best practices that the Nation has subscribed to as a member. It is obvious and factual that our sovereignty is limited to control, directives and conditions under the principles and forms of membership.
The continuous existence of the present political crisis is not yielding any fruitful development, but rather strengthening divisions among the inhabitants, and this poses a potential threat to peace and stability of the country. The political crisis is navigating its muscles to an irretrievable breakdown of the unity, peace and tranquility. This is also serving as hindrance to foreign and local investment. The Government has the mandate and obligation to fix the system to an enviable status of attraction for procurement of foreign investment that will help boost our economy.
The existing political crisis was constructively planned by the incumbent, when they robbed the fundamental rights of the people, and the initiation of it started when we witnessed the imposition of the Speaker of Parliament and also removal of elected Members of Parliament of the main opposition, unconstitutionally did the census, contrary to the existing laws of Sierra Leone, the Judiciary turned to ECSL, and the removal and serious beating of MPs by police, setting the agenda for the introduction of the Propositional Representation (PR), which many elites, political scientists/researchers, legal luminaries and foreign diplomats described as unlawful and unconstitutional, considering the circumstances of the time.
These agenda setting were well orchestrated, and achieved the present situation of the political tsunami that have struck and buried the good image that many lives were lost for.
In the wake of the present political crisis, the wind of poverty is interruptedly blowing and accompanying the storm of suffering, sweeping away the country’s potentials to a destitute, forcing our economy to walk with a prosthetic leg.
This political crisis cannot help solve the economic problems, neither alleviate the poverty and sufferings that are eating our peace, transparency and accountability.
