Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. SL post-election playbook 101: A party wins Presidential and Parliamentary elections and a new President becomes the Supreme Executive Authority. Key supporters of the President get plum cabinet positions.
Opposition members and sympathizers are kicked out of key government positions and replaced with appointees mainly drawn from local and diaspora supporters. Robust inquiries launched find some kingpins in the previous government guilty of the most egregious crimes of financial malfeasance and are punished or go into exile for fear of recrimination.
Top opposition members are rendered jobless and wait on the sidelines in the hope (often forlorn) that their party will regain power soon. A case of to the victor goes the spoils; the vanquished be damned.
This winner-takes-all scenario may sound a bit far-fetched but keen observers of the political scene know that some aspects may be close to the truth. Some Presidents may often make valiant attempts to prevent such an eventuality much against the protests of unsympathetic supporters.
President Bio’s recent proposal for the adoption of the Proportional Representation system into the makeup of the executive branch was therefore totally unexpected and blindsided many who have been involved in the unending debate over the proposed new constitution which has been overshadowed by the Proportional Representation system vs the First Past the Post system argument.
The Justice Cowan Constitutional Reform Commission (CRC) report was well thought out and received rave reviews. Cowan was faced with over 100 submissions-some cranky and others very cogent.
Here’s a taste of some:
The Rastafarian Movement wanted marijuana to be legalized, claiming that it is part of the religious rituals of its followers and touted its benefits for medicinal purposes. Its spokesman claimed that even the Bible condones its smoking (I haven’t been able to find the reference however!). A group called CNU-SL recommended a semi-presidential system of government wherein a ceremonial president will appoint a prime minister from the party with the majority in parliament.
The Krio Descendants Union (KDU) called for citizens to be eligible to contest the presidency as independent candidates and for holders of dual citizenship to be ineligible to contest for the presidency or for appointment to cabinet. The paramount chiefs wanted a National House of Chiefs in which every paramount chief is a member. The APC proposed that the civil and public service should be reflective of the “ethnic and regional diversity of the nation”.
The majority of the submissions however called for proper separation of powers, empowering and granting independence to governance watchdog institutions, engendering national unity and most importantly curbing the excessive power of the President.
The heated debate over the type of electoral system to be adopted has now dominated recent discussions on the constitution with the government heavily favouring the Proportional Representation system. President Bio noted in his recent speech to Parliament- “Proportional Representation (PR) stands as a powerful force for inclusive governance.
It guarantees fair representation of all regions, ethnicities, and genders.
It broadens political participation and reduces electoral tensions and polarization”. His call to extend PR to the executive and public sectors reflects a much broader push for inclusive governance and representation than originally envisaged. His statement that the system should incorporate cabinet positions is one that has caught many people off guard.
The call for fair representation in government positions has recently been a refrain repeated by all parties. Recent surveys by IGR in fact indicate that the majority of Sierra Leoneans favour inclusivity. In practice however, this has been difficult for parties which come to power to practice.
Section 61 of the 1991 constitution gives the President power to constitute offices for Sierra Leone, make appointments to any such office and terminate any such appointment. Other powers of appointment vested in the President (section 70) give the President the power (under certain conditions) to make a host of appointments including the Chairmen and members of Boards of government corporations and the Governor and other members of the governing body of any State Bank, Banking or Financial Institutions.
A newly elected President would often find it difficult to satisfy the expectations of supporters in terms of appointments. It is made doubly difficult because there are only a limited number of jobs to be filled. The plum positions are cabinet positions which are subject to very fierce competition.
The winning party may have been on opposition for an inordinately long time and there may be need to compensate those who have “suffered” for the party and have a sense of entitlement. It is not an easy task for a President to make such appointments as there are many considerations apart from competence and qualifications to contend with. These may include regional balance, gender balance, party considerations, loyalty etc.
Over the years we have seen Presidential appointments in the public sector sometimes going to lower levels of management. Multiple layers of management have been inserted into organisations as a way of promoting people into senior positions.
These layers of management add no value to the organization. In many cases, these political appointees create a toxic operating environment. The urge to create new establishments, which often duplicate functions of existing ones merely to create more vacancies is one that is tempting.
It would seem that President Bio wants this situation to change radically, having been faced with such challenges. This will be no mean feat and as laudable as it may seem, bringing cabinet positions into the equation with the minority parties also being considered for cabinet positions could further complicate the situation.
If the PR system becomes the electoral system of choice and these changes are incorporated, we must ensure we take into consideration possible complications and help address these. I will not comment on the merits and demerits of both electoral systems-a matter which has been debated to death, but merely comment on the issue of extending the PR system to executive appointments in the public service and cabinet positions.
Sharing cabinet positions may in effect be tantamount to a coalition government, requiring careful negotiation, compromise and adherence to principles of collective responsibility. Parties will
negotiate to determine which portfolios they will control, often prioritizing the most powerful or influential ministries.
Appointments may be the President’s prerogative but properly scrutinizing appointees should be an imperative. It is common knowledge that Presidential nominees hardly get turned down by Parliament. This would need to be addressed. Meritocracy should not be allowed to be thrown out the window and the constant fights over positions should be avoided.
Some critics of this scheme have been constructive. SIERRA EYE, in a recent article state that what is currently on offer resembles power-sharing more than inclusivity and says Sierra Leone has been here before. It cites the botched power sharing agreement between APC and PMDC which resulted in co-opting PMDC members and diluting their opposition credentials.
It states that such outcomes breed cynicism, erode trust, and deepen division. It recommends structural safeguards which include a form of National Character Law mandating equitable distribution of public positions and resources across ethnic, regional, and religious lines, overseen by an independent commission and opines that this could be made to ensure fair representation in cabinet appointments, civil service posts, and resource allocation. It also suggests meaningful decentralization as another pathway to inclusivity.
There are also naysayers on both sides of the political divide. A vitriolic APC sceptic told me he was suspicious of the President’s motive- “Why is Bio proposing power sharing at this eleventh hour when the APC is about to take back State House? We will govern how we like and give the SLPP a taste of its own medicine. This is highly suspicious,” An unrepentant SLPP “Paopa” supporter who says Bio has gone “soft” opined- “We are going to keep the APC in opposition for the next twenty years. No parking, no waiting!”
As attractive as these proposals may seem, it behoves the government to take any criticisms in good faith and address concerns raised. There is little doubt the government will seriously consider these reforms and others based on tweaking the type of PR system that would be most beneficial to us as a country, if indeed it is the PR system that would be adopted. Quotas for women, youth, and marginalized groups in executive appointments would also help dismantle entrenched inequalities. Cross party collaboration and ending adversarial politics should be aimed at, although these are not easy to achieve.
We should not however forget that the priorities stated by any government are predominantly driven by the private sector, with government serving as an enabler and not putting bureaucratic hurdles in the path of private sector investors and operators. It behoves any government to encourage more job creation in the private sector. There will always be too few government jobs to satisfy political job seekers.
In the end we will end up with changes in the constitution that are bold and radical. Whatever system is adopted we should ensure we have inclusive governance. It guarantees fair representation of all regions, ethnicities, and genders.
President Bio should be commended for the bold and radical initiatives but these should be discussed and agreed upon by various interested stakeholders including political parties (probably excluding the Rastafarian movement-unless they can find that Bible reference!). It is our candid hope that he succeeds in unifying the country. With any new constitution the prescription must however match the diagnosis. The alternative medicines should be carefully scrutinized for their efficacy and side effects.
source:sierraloaded
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