By Umaru Fofana
Last week I had to visit Port Loko three times in as many days. In one instance, as I approached the impressive MJ Hotel from the town centre end, I saw a large group of mostly young men and motorbikes scampering over something. As someone who has developed some sense of agoraphobia lately because of the Ebola outbreak, my instinct was to get my window screens wound up and drive through the mêlée. But the journalist in me meant that I was curious to know what was going on. A brief stop and an enquiry revealed that they were applying to become enumerators or motorbike riders for Census 2015 which is billed to happen in April. Nothing can be more jocular!
The other day a friend of mine who is on the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) called me asking why I had not shown up at CRC meetings for months and wondering whether it was because of Ebola. My reason is definitely not because of Ebola because my unofficial withdrawal predated the outbreak. But I will save that for another day.
When the current constitutional review process was being discussed or even set up, none had any inkling a colossus of the devil called Ebola would rare its head and consume the nation. Launched in July 2013, it was to have a lifespan of 24 months, meaning it should have been wrapping up now or at least approaching the last quarter of its existence.
When some of us called for the declaration of a state of public health emergency it was for more than just to trample on our freedoms – in the words of the Attorney General to “suspend” the country’s constitution. Rather, it was to channel all the country’s resources towards dealing with a disease that has posed the single biggest threat to the survival of our nation perhaps since independence.
It is therefore incomprehensible that resources keep being put into two processes which do not necessarily have to happen now however important – namely the Constitutional Review Committee and the National Census. Those resources are needed for more urgent matters.
Under the cloak of the fight against Ebola – and the restrictions placed in its name – attention has almost completely shifted from these processes very important as they may be. Understandably so! This is however bad for two intertwined reasons: it means citizens’ (critical) attention and participation is off the ball on these crucial processes; hence consequently, the government could finagle the process, if they wanted to, almost unnoticed. And by the time the devil was noticed in the detail the conceitedness of our leaders who think they are doing us a favour by leading us would mean that any belated observations, however crucial, would be shrugged off. That will be made worse by the fact that illiteracy, sycophancy and poverty – the major killer weapons used against us by our politicians – will be used to full throttle. There will be well orchestrated mass demonstrations in certain areas in support of a dubious enterprise without regard to common sense let alone national interest. Simply because money has changed hands even if it the crumps only.
During his visit to Kono last week President Ernest Bai Koroma said the emergency measures currently in place – including freedom restrictions among limited gatherings – would continue for some time to come. So I cannot understand how a constitutional review process which requires people coming together in town hall meetings and consultations to thrash out issues can go on in this circumstance. And as for the census it only means endangering the enumerators who would go to high risk Ebola areas thereby exposing themselves to the virus and spread it all over again.
A report launched just last week by the Institute for Governance Reforms is shocking albeit not surprising to anyone who has been following events in Sierra Leone in recent years. A census process that should be a genuine reflection of how many people live where to ensure fair distribution of resources, seems to be being skewed for some apparent political interests that could lead to gerrymandering. It is galling that all our politicians care about is winning elections – no matter at what cost and how. Absolutely shocking if the allegations are true as contained in that report titled “The Credibility of the 2015 Census in Sierra Leone”. And it is a must-read.
I will not talk about the partisan interests that may be beclouding these two processes. Rather I will focus on the impracticability of pressing on with them at a time when we need those resources to deal with Ebola, and the need to ease off the trauma the outbreak has brought upon us to give these processes serious thoughts. Constitutions don’t get written or amended every year. So once that is being done it must be being done with utmost attention and care for it may take another generation to revisit. So does counting the people of a country.
It does not require rocket science to know that these processes – if there is any modicum of intention to do it in the interest of the country – should be put off for now. It doesn’t necessarily have to be done by President Ernest Bai Koroma or in 2015. It can be put off until next year when the planks have all fallen in place and when Ebola is put behind us. Then, unlike now, we can all give the maximum attention these two processes deserve.
Those young men who understandably were scampering in Port Loko for a job on the census process should just wait. I understand the desperation in them after unfulfilled election promises. But Ebola is worse than those promises not being met. The virus spreads and kills fast. When eventually schools reopen soon, as I expect, resources are needed. We need resources to start look after our children orphaned by Ebola. We know our economy is on a dose-dive with a zero growth rate projected this year. Yet our leaders are looking for areas to suck in our depleted coffers. Do our leaders really think about us? In the words of the late pop icon, Michael Jackson, all I’ve got to say is they don’t really care about us!
© Politico 20/01/15
