Campaign for Good Governance (CGG) has on Friday, October 9, 2020, implored Sierra Leone’s former President Ernest Bai Koroma to publicly denounce violence and call for calm among his supporters while he is being investigated.
It could be recalled that on Thursday October 8, 2020, a cross-section of supporters of the former President took to the streets of Makeni city, in Bombali District in the North where the former President draws much of his support, after a team of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) went to interview the former president on corruption allegations. There was a deadlock in Makeni between the Anti-Corruption Commission (Acc) and former President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma. In Campaign for Good Governance (CGG), an organization which operates in Sierra Leone to ensure good governance, clearly condemned what they have described as the “unfortunate incident that took place in Makeni city on Thursday October 8, 2020 and calls for calm”.
They showed that they are disappointed in “all those whose inactions and utterances allowed the standoff to happen,” and condemned Sierra Leoneans who had been part of the activities o0n the streets of Makeni which they say prevented a constitutionally mandated institution from carrying out its duties.
“As advocates for accountability and the rule of law, CGG strongly believes that every citizen should be held to account for their actions and stewardship when in public office. We note and are wary of the growing political tensions in certain parts of the country and we expect citizens to be more responsible in helping to maintaining the peace and stability that others sacrificed their lives for us to enjoy. We also expect citizens to act in conformity with the law at all times and to support constituted authorities and public institutions to implement their mandates peacefully and without fear of harm,” CGG said in a statement issued on Friday.
The CGG, in their statement also expressed awareness of a serious collapse of public trust in governance processes generally across the country, and stated that they had monitored and documented numerous instances of disregard for due process and the rule of law by those who ought to be affecting them and implementing same. “However, we do not believe that should serve as an excuse for citizens to disrupt an ongoing accountability process. We therefore call for calm and respect for the investigation process to continue,” CGG emphasized.
CGG said the ACC should continue dialoguing with the former President and his lawyers, find a peaceful and less publicized interaction to ensure that the investigations proceed without hindrance. “We salute the steps taken by the ACC to de-escalate the situation and to explore alternatives. We also encourage the ACC to continue with a pragmatic approach. We enjoin others to strongly urge that all respects and protocols due to the former President, are accorded him unreservedly,” they cautioned.
CGG also admonished former President, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma’s, expressed commitment to abide by and cooperate with the investigation process, and addressed the former President thus: “it is an opportunity to show beyond rhetoric’s, that there is indeed a genuine desire to account for your stewardship. We implore you to publicly denounce violence and call for calm among your supporters while the investigation is ongoing. We would like to emphasize that it is not only what we do, but also what we fail to do, for which we are accountable.”
CGG commended the display of professionalism and restraint shown by personnel and officers of the Sierra Leone Police (SLP), adding that if there are any lessons to learn from yesterday’s unfortunate incident, one of them could be how law enforcement is applied.
According to CGG, the professional performance by the police is a testament to the fact that law enforcement agencies in Sierra Leone have no excuse to exceed the bounds of their mandates, noting that the imperative to follow due processes and international best practices is not an option, it should be a must, under all circumstances. We therefore applaud the SLP for demonstrating that it is indeed possible to police public gatherings and demonstrations without resorting to use of excessive force that results in injuries and fatalities.
Finally, CGG assured the public that they would continue to play our role in ensuring an amicable resolution to the impasse.
By Stephen V. Lansana
12/10/2020. ISSUE NO: 7928