Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 12:54:23 +0100

Reply-To: A Discussion of Sierra Leonean Issues <LEONENET@MITVMA.MIT.EDU>

From: Yusuf Bangura <Bangura@UNRISD.ORG>

Subject: Re[2]: Sembu Forna is not discouraged?

<<<<Shaki was quite blunt about his cabinet and advisers. He lamented finding himself in a situation where the western world was pushing "this system" yet he had to appoint "some fool fool people dem" because of representational concerns, who did not understand the meaning and responsibility involved in practicing the system. It is one thing to adopt the system, he said, but a completely different issue when it comes to practicing it given his domestic reality of ensuring some degree of balance in ethnic representation>>>>.

Cecil

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Cecil,

This statement shows that Sheki himself did not understand the system he was being paid to run. The Westminster model does not preclude the formation of governments that are based on ethnic balance. A Westminster parliamentary system can be based on a variety of electoral formulae -- from the first-past-the-post majoritarian formula to proportional representation systems. The British parliament practices the first; the Irish parliament the second -- i.e. a "single transferable vote" PR system. The first works against small parties since the winner in each constituency takes all the votes; the second ensures that seats in parliaments closely reflect the voting strengths of the parties. Coalition governments are more likely to emerge under the PR system than the FPTP system.

And I don't think that the Westminster system failed in Salone because it was too complicated to run. It is actually a very straight forward system of governance -- one of the simplest one can imagine under modern conditions. It has four main elements:

• supremacy of parliament; i.e. parliament can do virtually anything, except, in the favourite expression of a basic-year student of constitutional government, "turn a woman into a man or a man into a woman".

• the prime minister is the person who commands the confidence of the majority of MPs at any given time; this confidence can be challenged through a vote at any time MPs wish to do so. A prime minister can be voted out of office by his colleagues even if he/she is popular in the country.

• the leader of the second biggest party is accorded the post of Leader of the Opposition. This post carries certain rights and responsibilities. It is a paid post from the coffers of the state, as it is assumed that the holder is likely to be the next prime minister. The Leader of the Opposition forms a shadow cabinet, members of whom should be well briefed, and should perform their duties as if they are likely to be called upon at any time to run the ministries that they are shadowing.

• all MPs agree to respect the rules of the game.

• I think that only the brain of a rocket scientist, not that of an average politician, should find such a system complicated. If the Westminster system of parliamentary governance is complicated, then the average Salone politician would find any formal rule-based system of government complicated. The thing is that the average SL politician doesn't like to play by the rules: his or her first instinct when confronted with a problem is either to ignore the rules or to subvert them. If this instinct is not tamed no system will work in our dear country. Look at what Sheki even did to our traditional chieftaincy governance system, which he ought to have fully understood. The SLPP was already copying some of his dirty tricks on how to relate to "traditional authority" during its one year in office.

• Even though I do not think that the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy is complicated, I would not recommend it for Sierra Leone and other countries with primitive political instincts and visions. Our politicians lack the sophistication and discipline to recognise societal and constitutional constraints to parliamentary supremacy. They are likely to interpret their supremacy literally, and change or pass laws as they wish.

• When people like Sembu Forna call for a return to parliamentary supremacy, they are actually calling for an increase in their powers of dictatorship. They do not want to be constrained by the written constitution of the land. They would like to pass laws to limit the freedoms of those they do not like. Which editor was it who was thrown into jail on the orders of the last parliament for criticising parliamentary behaviour? And look at how the MPs ganged up in parliament to suspend Karefa Smart from that body for criticising other parties that were meddling in the internal crisis of the UNPP.

"For forms of government let fools contend". (Alexander Pope)

With best wishes,

Yusuf

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