ELECTIONS IN SIERRA LEONE

National Equal Rights, Justice, Freedom and Peace

The elections in Sierra Leone are scheduled for Saturday 24th June 2023. It is a truism that both the All People’s Congress and the Sierra Leone People's Party have an equal chance of winning. The evidence of that is the past election in 2018 that brought a sucker punch to the optimism of the APC. There is the possibility that SLPP might have the same sucker punch.

 

The lessons of the civil war and an increase in socio-political awareness remain to be helpful to a reasonable amount of our people. We know that some continue to be consumed by blind loyalty and extreme creeds to the extent of not being supportive of improving the traditional political myth of violence, intolerance and poverty gap.

 

The unfortunate situation is the main political parties concentrate more on turning against each other than focusing on delivering the contents of their manifesto. Both parties forget that they are one national family and the predominant creed in their political and personal DNA continues to make our people worse off and remain in abject poverty. Wealth gathering at the expense of their people remains a norm- they want all for themselves and continue to deprive our people of a national cake that belongs to all.

 

Both  SLPP and  APC parties are known to instil fear in our people when it comes to elections and forget the fact that our world is now civilised beyond political pettiness and the traditional myth of political intolerance. Sierra Leone is a fragile state and continues to be a focus of international players. The optimism is that there be will no political violence, although the country is envisaged to experience pockets of violence through the after-effect of election results. Pockets of violence after elections remain to be the trend and that is truly unhealthy for modern politics- the trend of violence calls for immense sensitisation from the core of political groups.

 

The caution to those individuals, political members, households, communities and the country at large that have the right to vote in tomorrow’s election is that please be wise and vote responsibly. The decision that shall be made would either land the nation in perpetual poverty or rebuild the country from decade poverty and socio-economic backwardness.

 

Elections are held every five years and it is significant to assess the performance of political parties every year. The information about the performance of the political parties can be gathered from observation, online and otherwise. The performance assessment tip below can be of help in making an appropriate decision and in the determination of a vote.

 

 

Performance Assessment Tips: Political Parties in Power

 

The political party in power has a great influence on the government machinery. The national resources of any country are managed and led by the political factor. The failure of the political factor to show true management and leadership qualities can result in socioeconomic malaise and lead to a failed state. The performance assessment tips to consider in determining the performance of a political party in power are:

 

o   What is happening to poverty? This requires a consideration of the poverty gap (whether wide or small). Is the national income reasonably shared or clustered around the few elites or political cronies? Are people across the country benefiting from the revenue from various public sector departments? Are the incomes received abroad through aid and government businesses properly accounted for in the country’s income pool?

 

o   What is happening to employment? - Is the national recruitment fair? What is happening to employment trends from one year to another throughout their five years in power?

 

o   What is happening to inflation? - Are the inflation figures from one year to another decreasing or increasing throughout their their years in power? This can be determined through prices of goods and services from one year to another throughout their five-year term. It is a good Inflationary indicator if prices of goods and services are decreasing throughout their five years in power.

 

Performance Assessment Tip: Individuals and households

 

o   Did the political party in power bring any change in your well-being? The type of change that empowers you to earn an income to meet basic needs, meet your health care need, make provision for life after retirement, support your mental well-being, etc.

 

o   Was the government accountable to you through information about its activities?-Income received from public activities and expenditure.

 

o   Were you informed of the income-expenditure spreadsheet and is the information made known in the different languages in the country through the different communication mediums in the country?

 

o   How fair was the wealth distribution model of the government? Did the wealth flow fairly across the country, east, west and south of the country?

 

o   Do the children have enough playgrounds throughout the country and were there enough day centres across the country for children, young people and young people?

 

o   Are the children and young people in the country well fed or did the government empower parents and carers to put enough food on the table for children and young people?

 

o   Are children and young from poor parental or carer backgrounds having free meals at schools?

 

o   Is education accessible to all from primary, secondary and tertiary? Is there a provision for supporting those who cannot be educated or cannot afford to be educated?

 

o   Do you have a comfortable place to sleep? What provision has the government made in your housing needs?

 

Performance Assessment Tips: Political Party Members and Party Loyalists

 

o   Political supporters or members are meant to be taken care of by their political parties. Did your political party empower you to earn a living or meet your welfare needs?- Are you employed or is there fair government support for self-employed members and loyalists

 

o   Is the political party accountable? The party management structure nationwide or subgroup wise is obliged to provide a comprehensive report of its activities.

 

o   Are you involved in decision-making in the party? - Is the process of decision-making democratic?

 

o   Is the process of making political appointments fair across the country or in all the regions?

 

o   Did you sense any ethical divide unhealthy for politics and the country?-Are the party members looking at themselves as one national family focused on a common political goal or are there ethnical divisions of form that is against the general principles of a political party?

 

o   Are you generally happy at the party or happy with your general well-being?

 

Performance Assessment Tips: Communities

 

o   What is the position of infrastructure development in your community? - Are the road networks, education, health, water and sanction, etc., satisfactory in the community? Are the same facilities in cities present in the community?

 

o   Is the political party in power or government of the day supportive or subsidising community development efforts?

 

o   Is there any decentralised system in your community? Do you have sub-government offices in your community? - Both rural and urban sectors. Are facilities in the city or urban available in the community?

 

o   Is the government engaging the community as a whole in investment opportunities locally and from overseas?

 

o   Is the community benefiting from activities by investors (both locally and overseas investors)? - Are the investors responding to their corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the community? Are the people in the community aware of any gifts and other benefits from those investors? Are community leaders accountable and transparent to their people?

 

o   Are there social amenities for children, young people and adults in the community?

 

o   Do the ageing and retired have a social safety net or opportunities available to them in the community?

 

o   Are the people generally happy in with their government, community leaders and otherwise?

 

 Author: 

Prince Foday

London, United Kingdom