Subject: The Premise....
On the Question of Understanding the Premise For PC Alt Proposal.. I salute you LeoneNet.
John Simbo
From the grave of thought to memory lane comes John Simbo and I welcome you. By joining in the discussions even at the minimum, shows signs of concern beyond thought which most peepers continue to indulge in. Please stay with us and participate. Its a healthy business for SL - and I will make it clear and direct.
The purpose is to make impact on your "I think" because as I see it, the mystery surrounding an alternative approach to solving our current situation compared to the belief that elections now will lead to democracy and the ultimate abandonment of war, needs a clear picture of what is involved in both suppositions.
Well, take a look of what has been said and continues to be said and pursued by the RUF. Let's for a moment forget about our innate ideas and learned knowledge of SL and democracy in general but concentrate on the oblivious.
(1) The RUF claims they waged war on the people (villagers) because the APC and Momoh's government failed the country so to speak.
(2) That they will not honor elections conducted under the NPRC leadership. To demonstrate this further, RUF is now cutting arms off people in south and eastern provinces and telling these people that they do that to prevent them from holding ballot paper to vote.
(3) They have indicated that they will cease their war if the NPRC can hand over power to an "elected government."
(4) and this is mine: NPRC is the government of the day. If elections have to be held, it will be held under NPRC leadership but by implication, this will not be acceptable to RUF. So their war will continue as demonstrated in 2.
(5) and this is from the Sierra Leone society as had existed to date: There is an elected body that NPRC has nothing to do with its existence. Will this perhaps defy the contradictions built in the RUF's demand and the ultimate acceptance by the nation..? I think so.
The Premise for PC Alternative Proposal:
More than 50% of the people reading this now were on the net when the discussion started. The proponents of this proposal had listened and participated in that discussion. They have listened and reviewed the RUF's demands. They have looked at the SL society in and out. They have watched and participated in democratic process in other parts of the world. What is there in SL that satisfies all these concerns?
Quite frankly, quite logically, quite reasonably, quite honestly; a body that has all or little of each concern. Hence the recommendation that an interim government consisting of 12 Paramount Chiefs (PCs), the elected mayor of Freetown, and the administrator of the western area (formally, the crown colony).
This body will be tasked to work toward stabilizing the country for a limited period of time, and then an all out election.
The RUF's condition is satisfied because each member of this body is democratically elected and not through the auspices of the NPRC. This alone satisfies all the other concerns. I can sympathize with outsiders on this issue of PCs because I tend to think that they do not understand the process but when you view the process and compare it to any democratically elected leader in the whole world including the world's best democracy (USA), taking culture into account, the making of PCs stand out more democratic and I would assume that the mayor of Freetown and the administrator of western area are democratically elected..(forgive me if they are not.)
Assuming that this arrangement would fail by not containing the rebel movement; the security feature built into it is formidable enough to crush the rebel movement and maintain the peace. If SL has any will left for surviving, it must seriously look into this security arrangement. If pursued properly, it will not only crush a rebel movement but serve as a major deterrent to military take-over in the future. If elections must be held now, I would pose the followings:
(b) WHAT IS THERE IN THIS ELECTION PROCESS THAT WILL LEAD SL TO A STABLE DEMOCRACY?
My dear People, there is a choice we are making. Let's listen to ourinner-selves. Let's reason with rational calculation instead of faith. Let's not act because of expediency. It does not make sense. Look around the world and be objective in your looking. Is there a democratically elected governments in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and for all 30-some more years the Shar ruled Iran? When last did anybody ask them to hold a free and fair elections? Yesterday, I read from Reuters and other reports the US state department's call for FREE and FAIR democratic elections now and I hope most people read it with understanding because if you know anything about the US electoral process, what you're hearing is no elections in SL now.
I fervently hope that we put our emotions and all the ambiguities that may be the underlining factors in our thinking aside and be just to our conscience. SL deserves better from us than all our glamorous selfishness.
Saffa Kemokai @ Browns Mills, NJ