By SALLIEU T. KAMARA
It was US Vice President Joe Biden, who once said: “No fundamental social change occurs merely because government acts. It’s because civil society, the conscience of a country, begins to rise up and demand – demand - demand change”.
This statement underscores the important role of civil society in eradicating poverty, strengthening good governance and democracy and in holding leaders to account for their actions or inaction. In this respect, civil society should be the product of desires and demands that people have and which they want their leaders to address. It is a no-brainer that no country enjoys effective democracy without a strong civil society.
The question then is: has the Sierra Leone civil society been effective in pursuing public interest programmes in recent times? For the purposes of this article civil society represents the entire array of organised groups and institutions that are independent of the state and which are voluntarily-established. These include nongovernmental and community-based organisations, trade groups, independent mass media, think tanks, research institutes, universities, women and youth groups, descendants associations and social and religious groups.
It was the pursuit of answers to this very important question that led civil society actors representing all the districts in Sierra Leone to converge in Kenema recently for three days of serious reflection and honest discussions. The Network Movement for Justice and Development facilitated the meeting with funds provided by the United Nations Democracy Fund.
The meeting came against the backdrop of the dying state of public activism in Sierra Leone. Several people and institutions have criticised civil society for their inaction, which they believe has seriously affected the public space for citizens’ interactions. Rather than strengthening citizens’ skills and knowledge and mobilising them to work with one another to address their concerns and engaging in public debate to express their views on national issues and make demands on their leaders, civil society in this country has to a large extent focused on implementing projects. And it is disheartening to note that these projects are designed to carry out the objectives of the donor – a good number of which projects mean little to this country.
It did not take long after the start of the meeting for this new crop of civil society leaders to realise that something has to be done, and very quickly, to rescue the public space, which has come under serious threat from several fronts including the government. The work of civil society in service delivery is good. But it will amount to nothing or very little if they neglect their role of serving as an arena where people express diverse views and interests regardless of political party orientation, region or ethnicity - women, students, farmers, drivers, workers, journalists, doctors, lawyers, youths, bike riders, market women, rate payers and many more are in the frame.
There is no denying the fact that civil society actors are human beings who also have their individual interests and preferences. But equally so, there is always the common agenda that should cut across every sphere of society. And for civil society to be able to embark on collective actions effectively, they need to combine their individual or private interests in pursuit of the public interest or common good.
It is regrettable that the Sierra Leone civil society of today is not as effective as that of yesteryears. The late I.T.A Wallace Johnson did not only organise the first trade union in West Africa, but also the first mass movement of Sierra Leoneans to engage the colonial government for better living conditions of the people. Likewise, Emmanuel Cole, an ordinary soldier, successfully organised his colleagues to demand same treatment with British soldiers of the same rank. Haidara Kontofilli migrated from Guinea and settled in Sierra Leone. He used Islam to champion the cause of rural people and to register his abhorrence for colonial rule. The discord between Bai Bureh and the colonial government started when he refused to comply with a treaty which he did not participate in negotiating. He later used the Hut Tax to manifest his anger. There are many more of these great people the Sierra Leone civil society of today should draw inspiration from.
If anything, the exploits of these people should take away the fear from civil society as they confront oppression and human rights abuses. This is a lesson they can also learn from the Arab Spring.
The Forum, however, acknowledged the existence of “sweetheart” civil society organisations. These are the government-backed civil society organisations that do the bidding of government in the guise of civil society and always work towards frustrating every effort at coming together for the common good. I believe there should not be any problem with this because nobody has the authority to stop anyone from joining a legitimate group of their choice. Where the problem lies, however, is the failure of these Sweetheart organisations to allow the common good to take precedence over their individual interests. It is also the unfortunate trend these days that whilst these government-backed civil society organisations are enjoying unfettered space, and sometimes with limitless resources, others are continually being subjected to targeted attacks by the government and their apparatchik.
Another serious challenge confronting our civil society is the virtual lack of legitimacy and a purposeful focus. But, it is good to note that there are still some vibrant civil society groups across the country doing different things and engaging different issues. They have constituencies from which they draw their legitimacy. The existence of these groups helps to amplify diverse voices in the public discourse. Conversely, there are many others who neither have constituencies nor a strategic focus. Like a pendulum, they swing from one issue or sector to another depending on where donors decide to pour their money into at any point in time. These are the groups that are easily co-opted by government and made to infiltrate civil society ranks as their agents.
I am not in any way suggesting that civil society should not work with government or politicians. Yes, civil society has a very important political role to play in any democratic country, which includes creating space for the cultivation of civic values and processes through which citizens can engage in public life or communicate their interests and aspirations. In fact, civil society should provide a training ground for future political leaders. Civil society should serve as a check and a monitor, as well as being a vital partner in maintaining positive relationship between the democratic state and its citizens.
It is in recognition of the value of this partnership that led to the establishment of institutions such as the Open Government Partnership, which seeks to bring government and civil society organisations together as true partners. And in carrying out this mandate, there is no way civil society can avoid working with politicians and government. All I am saying is that in working with government and politicians, civil society must not betray or weaken the public interest for their own personal good.
I must say I am delighted that the three days I spent in Kenema hobnobbing with the echelons of civil society in Sierra Leone gives me renewed hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. The fact that the participants accepted that there were problems in the areas of mobilising citizens for social action and were able to identify where they went wrong and what should be done to remedy the situation signals a new beginning for public interest activism in the country.
Another fundamental initiative taken by the civil society participants was the development of a Code of Conduct – values and principles that are internationally and nationally acceptable and which can once again enhance the work, credibility, relevance and effectiveness of civil society – and the establishment of a Gatekeeper to ensure full compliance. The Code will serve as a self-regulatory mechanism for civil society in Sierra Leone.
The meeting was climaxed with the election of nine organisations – two from each of the four regions, plus a convener – to serve as a national coordinating team and whistleblowers on issues of great public interest and to take forward residual work of the meeting. The Sierra Leone Labour Congress and the National Elections Watch were elected to represent the Western Area, whilst the Network Movement for Justice and Development serves as the National Convener. And what further heightened my optimism was the heavy presence of trade and professional groups of a national character such as petty traders, bike riders, drivers and the media and the sustained commitment they demonstrated throughout the three-day forum. Their role and relevance in this new civil society construct cannot be overemphasised.
I, therefore urge civil society, particularly the coordinating team, not to allow the beautiful ideas and good plans they developed in Kenema to die
(C) Politico 01/09/15
