Northernisation – Southernisation
The Sierra Leone
Telegraph Editorial Team
10 October 2009
The
President’s speech at the state opening of
Parliament last Friday, 8 October 2009, must
have struck a chord with every Sierra Leonean
and potential investor that has good intentions
for the country, when the President concluded - “let
me reiterate my pledge: I was elected president
of the whole of Sierra Leone; I will serve the
whole of Sierra Leone; I will unite this country
by fulfilling the promise of the Agenda for
Change to the common man and woman, regardless
of their sex, ethnic group, region or political
party”. But was this just rhetoric or a genuine
desire to unite the country and foster change
through equality of opportunity irrespective of
tribe?
In a
country with over one million of its people out
of work, the deafening shouts of tribal
discrimination and social exclusion, caused by a
concerted policy of northernisation under the
present Koroma administration, and allegations
of southernisation by the previous SLPP
government, are symptomatic of a culture of
distrust and retribution. This is slowly
consuming every ray of hope for the building of
a prosperous, stable and vibrant society, based
on strong societal values.
A
government that espouses and defends its policy
of regionalization, which excludes and denies
others from equally participating in the
creation of wealth and the sharing of that
wealth, must itself be guilty of promoting and
fomenting animosity and hatred. This could make
it difficult to unite the nation, promote
economic prosperity and social advancement for
all.
Today,
we watch as qualified and experienced citizens
lose their jobs or denied access to employment
opportunities, simply because they are from the
wrong region. We see farmers desperate for much
needed machinery and rice seeds, denied the
opportunity to grow food that will help feed a
hungry nation, simply because they are on the
other side of the political fence.
And so
the cycle of economic marginalisation and social
exclusion continues, until another government
comes into power - today’s beneficiaries
becoming tomorrow’s victims of tribal
discrimination and political patronage. What a
waste of human resources!
The
President in response to the accusation of
pursuing a policy of northernisation said – “Mr.
Speaker, our vision of national unity is not
about giving jobs to a few elites posturing as
the only authentic representatives of their
towns and villages. Our vision of national unity
is rooted in the ideals of service to the common
man and woman of every region”. But
transforming this vision into reality is the
greatest challenge facing the President, if he
is to avoid being tarred with the same brush as
his predecessors.
Sierra
Leone is a nation state that is made up of
diverse and competing regions and tribes, each
fighting hard to secure its own survival. But in
that seemingly innocent and selfish drive to
look after kith and kin, so much damage is being
done to so many lives, and to the entire
economic and social fabric of one of the poorest
nations in the world.
There
are those of course that will no doubt justify
this selfishness simply as a fact of life –
because they themselves are reaping the
benefits. But it does not have to be that way.
Western civilisations have built and developed
their nation states on very strong economic,
political and social structures that cannot be
brought down by narrow mindedness based on
tribal or sectarian interests. More importantly,
those structures are underpinned by strong
societal values such as respect for life,
equality of opportunity, civil liberty and the
guarantee of democratic freedoms.
For
Sierra Leone, sadly, after just forty eight
years of independence, that process of trying to
build and develop sustainable economic,
political and social structures has not only
been painful, but is now once again threatening
to destroy the nation’s very existence.
Something is obviously not right with the
process. This calls for a very serious rethink
as to how the country’s wealth is created and
distributed, to ensure that the many and not the
few can equally participate and benefit in that
process.
The
‘rebellious’ war and the continuing politically
motivated tribal undercurrents in the country is
causing strong shock waves that could once again
sink the ship. These undercurrents and the
consequences of the war have exposed the myth
that by simply singing the political chorus -
'one people one nation', we can keep the nation
state glued together, without working hard to
achieve that dream.
"Vote
for APC - the party that stands for change - the
party that will bring change" - we heard
President Ernest Koroma telling the people
during his 2007 election campaign. Where is that
change?
"Vote
for SLPP - the party that stands for one nation
one people" - we heard the leaders of SLPP
telling the people during that election
campaign. But it seems the people voted for
change rather than the promise of national
cohesion. Are there lessons to be learned from
this?
Sierra
Leoneans need jobs. They are in desperate need
of decent housing. They expect their children to
achieve a good standard of education. They need
reliable and affordable system of
transportation. They are desperately thirsty for
clean and safe drinking water. They do not
expect their loved ones to die simply because
they are taken to hospital for routine surgery
or child birth.
Sierra
Leone is fast becoming an adventure playground -
a 'jump on jump off' society, with plenty of
political carousels ready to take anyone for a
ride. And unfortunately, this is how we are
perceived by the outside world – a broken
society that has lost its values, standards of
ethics, and humanity, yet endowed with abundant
natural resources.
In a
society where one struggles to find something
that works – can anyone justify a policy of
northernisation or southernisation? This is
definitely not sustainable, irrespective of
which political party is in power.
The
political class desperately needs to break out
of the cycle of winner takes all mentality. A
new 'national thought process' is desperately
needed, especially from those would-be political
aspirants hoping to enter the fray in 2012 and
beyond. Politicians cannot afford to continue on
the path of ‘business as usual’. Real change is
needed.
The
retarded policy of ‘northernisation today -
southernisation tomorrow’ - as an unwritten
strategy for the redistribution of the nation’s
measly national cake, of which 60% is donor
driven, is shamefully idiotic and will certainly
destroy all efforts at re-building a viable
nation state.
Today,
we see so many of those who once held power and
had amassed great personal wealth through
corruption, now bankrupt by the self-serving
feudal economic and wealth creating system that
they themselves have put in place and
perpetuated for so long. This must serve as a
lesson to all politicians that tomorrow will
surely come, no matter how long it takes.
This
shallow and narrow minded policy of sharing the
national cake based on tribal affiliation will
continue to dangerously divide Sierra Leone,
polarise national thinking and efforts in moving
the country from abject poverty to a prosperous
21st century nation state.
As the
global economy comes out of the recession, the
wheels of industrialization should start turning
once again, but will Sierra Leone be ready to
capitalize and benefit from this upturn? Where
is the skilled workforce? Will the new
industries be there to provide the job
opportunities for the unemployed youths that are
now turning to crime for survival?
In all
seriousness, talks of northernisation,
southernisation, tribal discrimination - call it
what you will, the effect is still the same –
social alienation and mass economic exclusion.
This is plain wrong and a senseless waste of
human resources that the country can ill afford.
Putting square pegs in round holes has become
the hall mark of governance in Sierra Leone. How
in God’s name do we expect to achieve higher
productivity and increased Gross Domestic
Product?
Regions
that produce the most contribution to the
nation’s Gross Domestic Product are regarded as
nothing other than ‘work horses’ – ‘cash cows’
that do not need to be cared for. One day soon
those cash cows will stop producing cash. What
then?
President Koroma promised to diversify the
economy. Where is the plan for diversification? The
President promised to formulate a private sector
strategic development plan. Where is that plan?
After
two years in power, the government has finally
found out the true cost of delivering its
‘Agenda for Change’. The Development Assistance
Coordinating Office (DACO) has told MPs that
$1.9 Billion is needed to implement the Agenda
for Change (Awoko News; 9 October 2009).
Next
month – November 2009, the government goes to
London to attend a conference sponsored by
former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, to
raise donor funds and investment capital that
will hopefully stimulate economic growth. Will
President Koroma come back home with that much
needed $1.9 Billion?
Government’s continuing policy of centralisation
is having a negative impact on the rest of the
country. There is a serious need to change the
way Sierra Leone is governed. The current system
of governance is no longer fit for purpose, nor
is it consistent with the need to recognise the
inherent strengths of each of the geographical
regions. Serious thought needs to be focused on
the devolution of power to those regions.
Devolution has to be the way forward as a
sustainable strategy to develop the economy,
promote good governance, build mutual respect,
curb corruption, insitutionalise accountability
and mobilise the energies and potential of every
citizen.
The
current devolution efforts driven by the Vice
President’s office appears insincere,
patronising, misguided, lacking in vision, and
poorly resourced. Devolution must be driven by a
National Development Plan that clearly
identifies and defines what is expected of each
of the regions - economic development,
education, social services, housing,
infrastructure and environmental improvements.
The 2004
Local Government Act is a good starting point
but not robust enough. There is a need to build
on the 2004 Act so as to ensure that the process
of devolving power to the regions becomes a
national priority. The current global economic
crisis may be used as an excuse for not
affording to do everything, but cannot be used
as an excuse for doing nothing. Nor should the
fact that a narrow majority voted the government
into power be used as an excuse for a narrow
minded and parochial policy of tribalism, thus
putting national cohesion at risk.
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