Subject: The Premise....
Abdul:
I get the feeling that you understand the basic premise for the PC Alt Proposal I outlined in my previous story. I appreciate the concerns you have raised. You know, public policy development requires many steps and quite earnestly, like most of the PC team members, I view your concerns as objective. As I started to say, policy development relies on the wisdom of those it seeks to serve on one hand, and those of the power brokers - law makers on the other.
Your concerns are the very elements of the public policy development that the analyst, in this case, the proposal developers, feel that the policy makers need to provide clear direction by either resorting to specific sections of the law or creating or making relevant amendments to over come potential hurdles. I see the PC Alt Team as policy analysts or developers mandated to sketch the frame work for national reconciliation with the most potential to contain the war, and to clear the way for stability and democracy in SL. As we walk through your request, you need to keep in mind that policy analysts do not make law. They provide rationale and the frame work for the law. For instance:
Abdul Iscandari wrote:
The description giving here appears to be the most appropriate one giving the political divisions of SL. A formal law court judge in Freetown who worked on provincial political arrangements in the country, calls it "Western area administrator". What is important to note is that this area lies outside the jurisdiction of Freetown City Council. Although it has a political identity, labeling this official as provincial secretary is misleading. Provincial secretaries are not elected. I believe that if the western area has a political representation of the kind we are contemplating on, then that leadership is elected.
Abdul Iscandari wrote:
Again, a city council is usually headed by an elected mayor. The practice of Freetown and SL in general pose a lot of problem for policy development today.
The spirit of the proposal encourages elected mayor of Freetown with the understanding that the city regulation calls for an elected mayor. If the city council has been manipulated to its current state, we must maintain the integrity of the proposal and a call for election is a prudent judgment.
Abdul Iscandari wrote:
Maybe but with understanding. A lot of these if not all occurred during Siaka Stevens reign. We are aware of the implications. What we are recommending is the standard that is inherent in the making of Paramount Chiefs(PCs) and the conduct of the institution of PCs. As policy developers, we believe that this particular issue must be addressed at later time or on the conference table should the powerbrokers become interested but to answer your question, we do have ramification(s) for this but I prefer not to go into it.
Abdul Iscandari wrote:
True but I won't worry about it. I will however worry about the conduct and the realignment factor of such a mayor. Our proposal implementation strategy however, does have safe-guards for this kind of practice. For instance, we are recommending a 2-year period for this body. How often is the mayor of Freetown elected? Remember, this is a temporal arrangement to ease the war and diffuse the tension thereby making room for free and fair elections.
Abdul Iscandari wrote:
>e)I hope I'm not being overtly critical when you say==
No Abdul, it is OK to be critical as long as you are objective .. I am happy. Being constructively critical is essential because I think we must all be clear and comfortable with the next SL.
I had the feeling that the above (double) quotations Abdul posted from me would present confusion in peoples' mind. But maybe that is what I wanted to do for in confusion, we seek clarity and the ultimate resolution of problem. Abdul, you have defined 'expediency' in one light but one could also describe it as doing what is wrong to satisfy the exigency of the time.
Abdul Iscandari wrote:
I am not sure who is placing the yardstick.. you or me? However, I tend to think that you have affirmed in your second to last sentence what I was trying to say and you quite correctly attached the "bargaining chip" phrase. This again, is exactly what I want the people of SL to understand. Because you do not have oil does mean that your life is worth less and therefore must be subjected to a special kind of democracy - one that pushes you over the cliff..!
Although we do not have oil, there are other forms of bargaining chips equally acceptable in international diplomacy - respect, integrity. SL public officials have effectively robbed the country of this over the years. There are actually material bargaining chips in SL if you come to think about it.
Why is it that even in this war time outside companies are scrambling to get into places our soldiers dare venture into...? Within the last 3 years, NPRC has conceded land to over 25 different European and western companies. Don't you think that what these companies are scrambling for are our own bargaining chips..? I think we are not thinking right in SL. We need to learn how to think.
We do have the chips to bargain with but we must make them appear as such.
Your piece was a gift to me and I like to reciprocate by sending you the complete paper version of the proposal if you can send me a private e-mail with your snail address. This is an open offer by the way for anyone who needs one.
Oh.. ooo.. it is 10:55PM and tomorrow is the first day of Fasting for most people. I like to be in the line on the first day to HEAVEN .. ina ma'a ima ibn niyath..
Saffa Kemokai @ Browns Mills, NJ