By Alpha Abu
To help foster National Reconciliation across post-election Sierra Leone, the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion (ICPNC) has brought together representatives of various sectors in the country to discuss policies and initiatives that will help enhance peace.
Representatives of the Police, Military, Civil Society, Trade Unions , the Clergy and Traditional Rulers, met at the commission’s Freetown Office, Wednesday 26 July and brainstormed on the numerous challenges to the attainment of peace and stability in the country, and steps needed to surmount those challenges.
They acknowledged the polarised nature of the electioneering period and stressed the need for various key players including the security sector, state and non-state institutions to embark on initiatives that will help create a stable society. Apart from politics, the attendees also identified socio-economic problems confronting the country such as high cost of living and suggested ways in which they can be addressed.
Misuse of social media, intolerance, hate messaging, youth unemployment, proliferation of drugs, marginalisation of groups, and erosion of traditional values were some of the problems identified which the participants at the deliberations, emphasised should be given due consideration and solutions found, to have a stable and peaceful country.
They called for strengthening and enforcement of the various laws such as that on Cyber Security, the Independent Media Commission’s Code of Practice, and for problems confronting Persons with Disability, the youth population and other vulnerable groups, to be addressed by the relevant institutions.
The representatives agreed that Civic Education should be scaled up, Town Hall Meetings and nationwide dialogue introduced, to help address the challenges facing the country.
Chairman of the peace commission, Reverend Shodankeh Johnson addressing the gathering said collectively platforms should be created for voices to be heard. He expressed the hope that messages of peace would be cascaded down to community level.
The Executive Secretary of the peace commission, Hawa Samai spoke about Sierra Leone’s position as the most peaceful country in West Africa and the third in the African Continent, an achievement which she said must also be credited to the work of the Office of National Security, the Police, Military and Civil Society. She called on all Sierra Leoneans to protect the peace in the country.
Valnora Edwin from the Campaign for Good Governance stressed the need for reconciliatory approaches to be made by all, saying issues are bound to emerge but what is of utmost importance is how to manage them.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (28/07/23)
