By Alpha Abu
The Chairman and Leader of National Unity and Reconciliation Party (NURP), Dr.Jonathan PJ Sandy says there should be a national reflection, twenty years after the country’s civil war officially ended on the 18th January, 2002. Speaking to Politico ahead of a series of events planned by NURP for the next one week in memory of the strife that lasted for eleven years, Sandy said it should be a national reconciliation week.
“The thrust is for us a nation and a people to reflect on how far we have come in terms of progress we have made in implementation of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)”, he stated.
He said the recommendations of the TRC were documented for the government to address the root causes of the conflict that were attributed to mostly bad governance and corruption.
“ The approaches to the development of the TRC were essentially investigation, research, truth telling stories, data collection information management . The commission was able to come out with solid recommendations that would address the root causes or the trigger points of the conflict we went through”, he reflected.
Sandy revealed that for them as a party, the occasion is particularly significant that lessons would be identified during series of engagements NURP will be conducting in parts of the country, and a thorough assessment made of those governance areas that were considered good and the ones viewed not good enough, and to address them, especially as the country approaches the next general elections.
He acknowledged the significant efforts made in the reforming and domesticating of new laws and legal instruments, institutional reforms and moving the country from what he called public administration to public governance. But he however pointed out that as a party they are worried over what he termed as electoral competition in the country.
In commemoration of the end of the war two decades ago, NURP will initiate activities in Bo, Kenema, Makeni and Freetown over the next seven days. According to the NURP leader, youths will take the lead in all of the events slated that will include symposium, radio and television talk shows and town hall meetings.
“Our youths and students can have the onus to teach and educate people on the causes of the war and identify solution mechanisms”, Sandy said. NURP youths and students would also meet with war amputees and sexually abused victims of the war on a platform of civic and public education. He said he is looking forward to that kind of engagement from the National Council for Civic Education and Development (NaCCED). He frowned at what he said is still the complacency demonstrated by public officials in addressing those anomalies that triggered the war in Sierra Leone.
“We must say as a people and country never again to civil war that could to the death of even one Sierra Leonean. This year 2022 must be a year of campaign for national reconciliation”, he pointed out.
He raised concern over what he said is the toxic nature of the politics in the country, citing hate and harmful speeches and identity politics based on tribe and region.
He explained how Sierra Leone is part of the global struggle to address COVID 19 and that it is only when there is unity in the country that such a global health crisis can be effectively addressed.
On what he mentioned as a polarised atmosphere, the NURP chairman noted: “The tribes are not working in homogeneity anymore; there is gross tension between the political parties in parliament and even parties outside parliament to the extent that you have seen the emergence of COPP (a coalition of some political parties)”.
He however on a final note made this appeal: “Please let us consider 2022 as a foundation for national reconciliation. We need this together and it is only by uniting our strength and reconciling together, we can be able to have a common agenda, and secure our common view and future as a people, especially economic prosperity for every citizen”.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (10/01/22)
