Sierra Leone: Celebrating Democracy

(Chadia Talib)

As Sierra Leone prepares for the Presidential Inauguration on Friday, February 22nd, the final process that puts in motion the Ernest Koroma Administration, following the elections of November 17, 2012, there have been criticisms in some quarters, questioning the essentiality of the inauguration process. Much of the criticism is based on what the cynics claim is going to be unnecessary spending on the part of the government to host the event. Such criticisms do not have merits and must be stopped.

Inauguration of an elected President is a conventional practice. It is a significant function of modern democracy everywhere. It goes back to the first ever inauguration of a democracy, that of the first President of the United States, George Washington.

After a long and bitter campaign period, the inauguration, provides the elected President, being the father of the nation, an opportunity to reunite all again, as one country.

President Earnest Koroma

During the inauguration Sierra Leone will be ushering in another five years of the Ernest Koroma Government. It will be another moment for the entire country to celebrate the administration’s victory and plans for the future with a President, who appears determined to serve the nation and to take the lead to solidify the democracy that the entire country craves.

As he promised, President Ernest Koroma is resolute to exert policies for the kind of transformations that would see the country overcome hardships and achieve the impossible, as he leads the nation forward in the next five year.

Sierra Leone will, on Friday, celebrate the declaration of its belief in the freedom and rights of all people. It will bring together leaders, both from within and abroad, who would interact with people from all walks of life, be they cleaners or messengers, teachers or media practitioners. For some, it is going to be a rare moment to experience history in the making, and sense the collective strength and soundness of the foundation on which the nation, and its hard-won and cherished democracy is built.

For critical minds regarding the importance of the inauguration, it should be known that the process also propels optimism, and an unflinching will, to continue in the transformation from what was the Agenda for Change to what is now the Agenda for Prosperity. It is important because it will provide an opportunity to showcase the strength and importance of the institutions of society that have been put in place within the past years, and the new pathway to the future. The inauguration gives the entire nation an opportunity to listen to the President as he explains, publicly, in details, his visions and future plans for the country as a whole and outline what he wants his legacy to be.

There are those inaugural addresses that will forever be remembered. President Barack Obama's first inaugural address was one of the most memorable in the history of the United States because of its historic significance; the first American of African ancestry was becoming President of the United States. Another was President Franklin Roosevelt’s, also of the United States in 1933 when he inherited a nation in the midst of a woeful economic crisis, confronted by rising fascism and communism in Europe, and some skepticisms at home about the future of capitalism and representative democracy. Roosevelt reassured his countrymen and women that the nation will forever endure. In May, 1994, South Africa’s first democratic elected President, Nelson Mandela, in his inauguration, called for a united country when he said: “The South Africa we have struggled for, in which all our people, be they African, Colored, Indian or White, regard themselves as citizens of one nation is at hand.“

As were with Presidents Roosevelt’s, Obama’s and Mandela’s, President Ernest Koroma’s Inaugural Address is going to leave an indelible imprint in the political history of the country. He is going to stand front and centre with his policy of audaciousness, defined by courage, boldness, honesty, enthusiasm and the determination to succeed, an undertaken never before seen in Africa, the crusade that is the Agenda for Prosperity. Undoubtedly, the address will be dominated by what he has in stock as the Agenda for Prosperity.

It would be disingenuous for anyone to deny that significant changes have taken place in the country during the past five years under the Agenda for Change; from agriculture to infrastructure to private investments, health care, energy, as well as the enhancing of the mineral and marine sectors and improvements on education and the general wellbeing of the ordinary Sierra Leonean. Also there have been transformations in the armed and police forces, bringing those two institutions to standards. Local councils have seen huge flows of funds from the central government, for the implementation of sound projects. Women are now taking leadership roles in every sector of society and youth participation has been a record high in development programmes throughout the country.

In the information and communication sector, the media, in particular, is allowed to practice freely without fear of government’s interference. The human rights records of the government have been impeccable, realizing that the observance of human rights is fundamental if democracy is to flourish.

One of the most important sectors that have demonstrated the Agenda for Change a success is the National Revenue Authority. With its remarkable performance in revenue collections, the NRA stands as an important lever that smoothly steers the machinery of government in an effective way. As democratic measures introduced in the country since 2007, are gradually paying off, there is now reason for celebration and for welcoming the second chapter of the Koroma Administration.    

The inauguration of an elected President is significant, particularly so for a budding democracy like Sierra Leone that is rebuilding from the ashes of a long war - which requires such moments of coming together again.

The inauguration will symbolise a rare moment as the entire country stand together with the newly elected President notwithstanding political differences, because it expounds the unity and strength of Sierra Leone’s democracy by way of smooth transfer of power.     

This week’s event will put in motion the new challenge of the day, Agenda for Prosperity, as the First Gentleman of the nation, takes an oath to fight corruption and weed out the ills of society, among other things. The inauguration is about celebrating the country’s hard-earned Democracy, which Sierra Leoneans well deserved. Let the skeptics understand!

Chadia Talib is a writer, women’s right advocate and entrepreneur. She lives in Bo, southern Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leone: Women’s Empowerment... “Don’t Push Us Around”

Women in Sierra Leone are stepping on center stage in a steady but slow pace to play their part as equal partners in national development. That movement, precedes roles by leaders the likes of educationist Dr. Talabi Lucan; Chief Justice, Hawa  Tejan-Jalloh; Chief Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Christiana Thorpe; university professor and former Vice Presidential candidate, Dr. Kadi Sesay and women’s right advocate, Nemata Majeks-Walker, to mention a few. But women are far from accomplishing their target for equality. More has to be done to pave the path. Women lag far behind men in decision making institutions, employments and access to education. This trend must change fast.

Throughout history, women have been relegated to the roles of ‘mothers’ and ‘wives,’ with duties that revolve within the confines of home-related chores: cleaning, cooking, babysitting and rocking the cradle. But that was then. Times have changed. This is the 21st century. Politics, education, employment or any other human endeavours are not exclusively for men, or for them to dominate. Even though women account for more than half the country’s population, they only account for a trifling 15 percent in the political arena at both national and local levels.
The idea of ‘being seen and not heard,’ no longer holds. The ideology of patriarchy, structured as a means to dominate and oppress particularly womanhood through so-called norms of society, have no place in society anymore. The meaning of patriarchy was ill-conceived as a tool to determine what shall or shall not be women’s role in society. Such ancient-inherited mentality is what is responsible for the state of affairs of women all over the world. It structures society as we know it today. As such, blames for the state of affairs should not be levied on governments alone. But governments have the biggest stakes in seeing women through.
The claws of patriarchy have gone rusty beyond repairs, and women are now saying a big ‘No’ to male dominance, and ‘Empowerment Now!’ But women themselves must do more. Much has been done over the decades for women to now realize that they ought to be regarded as equal partners in every sphere of life. The future depends on their display of courage and determination. More women, particularly the young, should get into party politics, starting by being active in their local communities as volunteers, organizers, leaders, councillors, educators, etc., and strengthening their advocacy and engaging in all civic activities.
That women are now occupying leadership roles in politics and other areas, should serve as stepping stone for their advancement. Those in other walks of life must also push for more women involvement and empowerment. In doing so, women would be recognised and appreciated, not just by their male counterparts, but by society at large.
Sierra Leone, like every other country has a responsibility to meet the challenges of the Millennium Development Goals. Whether those goals could be achieved sooner or later is another question. The fact remains, however, that there is no way it will be, without the full and unhindered participation of women. In that regard, education of more women and girls is of vital importance.
Education builds confidence and the will power to forge ahead. Education is power. It gives people the ability to make informed choices. It helps in a significant way to halt abuses of women such as their being regarded as sex tools. Now is the time for women to grab the moment.
Leading women all over the world have cracked open and cruised through the iron gates of oppressions to take the lead. Examples of such women are Sierra Leone’s UN Under Secretary General on Sexual Violence, Zainab Bangura; Prime Ministers: Indira Ghandi of India, Golda Meir of Israel and Margaret Thatcher of the UK; Sierra Leone’s first female political figure, Ella Koblo Gulama; Presidents Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia and Malawi’s Joyce Banda, and Russian cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkov, the first woman ever in space, and a host of other women revolutionaries.
These women fought doggedly to free themselves from the chain of oppression to take the world by storm. And for the women in Sierra Leone and women everywhere, there should be no holding back. It was with that spirit of determination that America’s lighting rods, slavery abolitionist and pioneer of the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks, known as the first lady of civil rights and the mother of the freedom movement, changed the course of mankind, a time when suppression of minorities let alone women, was law.
Sierra Leone has made great strides in accepting women in governance. Also, women now head some of the leading institutions in the country and making positive decisions in the President Ernest Koroma's Government. But women deserve more. We want to see women coming out from behind those closed doors and exercising their God-given prowess.
If women can take the lead in raising Presidents, judges, ministers, scientists, lawyers, teachers, journalists, among other career persons, then there is nothing they couldn’t do. Women have been proving their mettle since the advent of the human race.
More women should be allowed to take their places - shoulder to shoulder - alongside their men counterparts. Society can’t push them around anymore.

Chadia Talib is a writer, women’s right advocate and entrepreneur. She lives in Bo, southern Sierra Leone.