By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
A Coalition of Women’s Organizations in Sierra Leone has in a press release condemned what they referred to as Dr. John Idriss Lahai’s gender insensitive remarks made over social media regarding the legislative representation of elected female Members of Parliament (MP).
They also condemned his “persistent cyber-bullying” on the First Lady Fatima Bio.
The Group issued the release on the 24th of August, 2023 after he made remarks on the 21st of August 2023 on his Facebook page.
The release notes that whilst the coalition respects the right to differing opinions, it stresses the need for a respectful and inclusive dialogue that prioritizes solutions and suggests reforms. It denounced all gender “insensitive personal attacks” and expressed the need to promote a constructive discourse that is rooted in mutual respect in a supportive environment.
Dr. Lahai was reminded of his posting of private pictures, comments about the First Lady's facial features, a suggestion that the First Lady is using a vanity age, and his inappropriate slurring of her past life as a successful movie actress, all unwelcoming for the society's strides to elevate the collective psyche of Women.
It further stated that his “very insensitive comments against some of the eminent Women” who, in a positive and unprecedented manner, have been elected in large numbers to Parliament are regrettable. It also denounced in the strongest possible terms his lampooning of recently enacted Laws that ensured more women were elected to become Members of Parliament.
“Such Laws have been adopted in numerous democratic nations worldwide, including our own, to ensure that Parliament is a diverse representation of our society. This approach embodies the principles of inclusivity and democracy by affording a platform to various segments of our population,” part of the release reads.
Acknowledging the varying levels of expertise and experience among MPs, the release went on to note that it is vital to recognize that academic qualifications are not the sole measure of effective leadership or representation. It was also stated that MPs come from various backgrounds, contributing diverse skills, knowledge, and experiences to the legislative process, enhancing the comprehensiveness of everyone’s decision-making.
Reference was made to research that shows that derogatory comments harass the self-confidence of women and stifle their voices, recalling that this is not the first time that Dr. Lahai has engaged in such behavior against esteemed women of Sierra Leone. The group in the release called on women who are his family members or are closely associated with him to help by privately counseling him to “seek higher standards”.
Also, all stakeholders were urged to foster dialogue that promotes empathy and mutual respect with the view that as women's organizations, they advocate for diverse opinions to be debated with “civility and integrity.”
In his reaction through an interview with Politico, Dr. Lahai noted that the women’s organizations that issued the release are there to protect “high-class women,” saying they never defended girls who are victims of rape. He said his social media post regarding a female MP has nothing to do with gender and that his focus was on the “MP’s incompetence” as he referred to her to be “an example of the challenges with the Proportional Representation system.”
He urged the group not to doubt his commitment to gender equality as he published a book on gender inequality in Sierra Leone on the 28th of July 2023.
On cyber-bullying allegations towards the President and First Lady, he noted that his wife has been targeted on several occasions on social media that a Pakistani impregnated her in Sierra Leone, saying no women’s group ever condemned that or said it was cyber-bullying. He said he also has his family to protect.
He therefore calls for legal actions to be brought against him if the group feels he has committed any crime.
Copyright (2023) Politico (25/08/23)
