By Mabinty M. Kamara
In an effort to foster national cohesion and development after Sierra Leone’s General Elections, the Executive Director of the Society for Democratic Initiative (SDI) has emphasized the need for media institutions and the Civil Society Organisations to have a nationalistic mindset in the discharge of their duties.
Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai was speaking at a day’s dialogue session between the media and civil society activists on post-elections held at the Radisson Blu Mammy Yoko Hotel in Freetown on the 5th October this year.
He said the media and civil society organisations have over the years lost their rightful places in society, breeding a culture of lack of confidence and trust in the work that they do. Therefore, he called on the two groups to have a frank conversation on why they are aligned with political parties instead of being neutral players between the people and the politicians.
The lawyer also called on Sierra Leoneans to be nationalistic by working more in the interest of the country than being concerned about what the country has to offer them.
Highlighting the critical role the Inter-Religious Council has played in ensuring the peace and security of the country since the dark days of the civil war, the Secretary- General of the Council Reverend Usman Jesse Fornah expressed frustration that the council has been sidelined in the ongoing dialogue to resolve the current political impasse in the country between the main opposition All Peoples Congress Party and the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) exacerbated after the announcement of the results of the elections.
He added that people have expressed more trust and confidence in international organisations and mediators over local institutions that have been there before and continue to live with the people, giving them more experience over the country’s political issues.
In his contribution, the Head of FORWARD Sierra Leone Charles Keif Kobai justified the lack of confidence in state institutions and groups, citing the conduct of the judiciary in addressing political concerns and petition cases of the opposition party in the aftermath of the 2018 elections.
He therefore emphasized the need for state institutions to build the desired trust and confidence for the people to run to when needed. He also emphasized the need for more nationalistic state institutions.
The Activist also called on his colleagues to be truthful to their cause by demanding good governance for the society. To achieve this, he said the Civil Society groups need to Rediscover, Recalibrate, and Reposition themselves for their role.
In her presentation, the National Secretary- General of the 50/50 Group, Marian Pleasant Kargbo emphasized that her organization has a limited mandate in advocating for women in politics, justifying the reason why they have over the years not been speaking on every issue that borders on women’s rights and other emerging concerns.
She called for a concerted effort to ensure that women in politics are supported and protected, noting that if things remain as it is currently, instead of increasing, there will be a decrease in women's participation in both elective and appointive positions. She also called on other women’s rights groups to be bold enough to speak truth to the Powers in the interest of the country.
In his presentation, a Commissioner of the Independent Media Commission Mustapha Sesay said that the media is considered a double edge sword that can be used to make and unmake society.
Highlighting the critical role of the media in terms of peace-building and strategic engagement in the country, Sesay noted that there are currently 545 registered media institutions across the country out of which there are 245 Newspapers, 234 radio stations, 25 magazines, and 27 Television stations and 11 DSTV.
Thomas Dixon, a journalist and Media trainer, talked about the role of the media in the 2023 elections and peace-building efforts in the post-election era. He highlighted the challenges faced by the media in effectively discharging their duties such as Media poverty, and lack of professionalism.
Other speakers in the meeting highlighted the need for Sierra Leoneans to be more patriotic to the nation than being loyal to political parties and regions which remain a major challenge to the national cohesion effort.
The meeting ended with a Communiqué signed by participants in which they agreed to ensure engagement between government and the opposition, called on elected officials to assume office, recognize the inclusivity of national actors, and civil society and the media to serve as watch dog and agents of change, among others.
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