By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
A Report which evaluates the progress made in President Julius Maada Bio’s 536 Campaign Promises, titled “BioMeter 2018-2023” says Political Parties should avoid vague promises for which output, outcome, or actions cannot be objectively defined in their campaign manifestoes.
The 28th April 2023 report by the Institute for Governance Reform (IGR) notes that it is difficult for institutional leaders to act on vague promises and for citizens to measure progress.
It states that over-promising and under-delivering by Political Parties often deepens mistrust and makes it difficult to manage citizens’ post-election expectations.
It emphasizes that it is safer for political parties to communicate that they cannot really fix all the country’s problems in one term, let alone do so all by themselves.
The report says national cohesion is critical for bringing the full weight of the country behind the agenda of the next administration and cites progress in establishing a National Peace Commission in the last five years following what it claims is the great divide between the two main parties, the SLPP and the APC, as well as the country, along ethno-regional lines.
“All political parties are strongly encouraged to make National Cohesion and Equity the cornerstone of their administration, upon election into office,” part of the report reads.
To strengthen the link between party manifestos and government delivery as well as accelerate citizen trust in political institutions, the report advises the next administration to develop an open system for tracking performance linked to manifesto promises for government appointees and Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
Despite the ostensible progress in electoral democracy and poverty level which remain high since multi-party democracy in 1996, many Sierra Leonean voters are anxious to see tangible results, the report continues. It says there is considerable mistrust in institutions which largely stems from the belief that politicians lie, do not fulfill campaign promises, and are not committed to the good of the country.
According to the report, Public trust in institutions, a critical requirement for development effectiveness and democratic consolidation remains low.
It also points out the absence of legal measures to tie political parties to grandiose promises, meaning, politicians are free to make the vaguest and obtuse promises to entice voters and that campaigns based on populism and vague promises are a poor articulation of a party’s vision to transform society.
The report notes that the SLPP while in opposition, made 40 vague claims that cannot be objectively verified or measured where Sectors such as governance (10), Transport (5), and Mines and Minerals (5) had the highest number of vague promises and made the least progress in attaining results.
Making the report public is to serve as an accountability framework to support the achievements of results in the public sector, it says.
The objective of measuring the President’s performance in office is to support political parties (especially the ruling party), other relevant stakeholders, and the public to keep track of promises and commitments made to citizens at election time, and to understand the need to make realistic promises, the report notes.
In conclusion, it solicits attention to the need for manifesto integrity which it says can be a mechanism to increase public trust in institutions over time.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (05/05/23)
