By: Hafsatu Z Bangura
(Opinion)
One might say it is too early to determine whether the scheduled three days stay at a home strike that started today 08/08/2022 is a success or failure because it is just day one, and the bases that will be used to do the evaluation and analysis are still unfolding.
Meanwhile, the law enforcement agencies had been caught off guard, and are yet to know who is/are organizing the stay-at-home strike.
Maybe it could be the scenario of the invisible hand of Adam Smith- who knows?
Over the weekend there were videos of certain people who are believed to be heads of certain groups, asking their members to sell today 08/08/22, whilst the same was done by the SLP.
But in this whole brouhaha, and exchange between the police (government) and supporters of the said strike one thing that caught my attention is the nomenclature used “Stay at home strike”, whilst previously the discussion was about “Protest/Demonstration”
However, before proceeding let’s try to clear the grey area on these terminologies:
“Stay at home strike:”
According to Merriam Webster “is a slowdown or stoppage of work intended to bring pressure on an employer and concerted by workers who remain in their work”
“Demonstration/Protest”
A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. (Merriam-Webster)
If I understood well, the current action is asking concerned citizens including traders to stay at home from 08/08-10/08/2022 as a sign of protest against the current hardship among other things in the country.
The concerned citizens are private individuals, who are only obligated to pay taxes to the government, every other action (s) taken by them as long as it is within the ambit of the law is fine.
Therefore, in the event they decide to stay home like in the current situation, are they required to get police clearance?
Please help me with this one!
I believe there is a clear distinction between staying at home and going out there in a public space for assembly (Protest/demonstration).
So the question of seeking police clearance or authorization is out of consideration.
The distinction here is quite clear, hence will digress from debating the matter; to focus on the crux of this piece which is to highlight the financial implications and the power of the people relating to the stay-at-home strike.
Based on the 2021 financial report, from the macro-fiscal policy division of the Ministry of Finance, During peak years, the government generates from Goods and Service tax (GST) close to ten billion Leones (10,000,000,000) per day, the equivalent to seven hundred thousand dollars ($ 700,000 US) and on average at worst it makes one hundred twenty-seven billion Leones (Le 127, 000,000,000) per month ($ 1,000,000 US.
All things being equal the government stands to lose ten billion Leones ($ 700, 000, 00 US) per day just from the GST collection, let’s assume if the stay-at-home strike continues till Wednesday 08/10/22 as planned.
This said amount mentioned above is part of eighty per cent of the government revenue to GDP per year.
Considering the current economic outlook of the country’s economy, a serious government would choose the path of dialogue and negotiation to solve the problem, rather than being arrogant, and insensitive to the negative consequences.
As it stands, the Sierra Leone economy is on life support, thanks to our international partners who are injecting unsustainable grants that sooner rather than later will not stand the test of time, hence the economy might collapse.
If the sixteenth United States president, the late Abraham Lincoln was correct during his Gettysburg, Pennsylvania address on November 19, 1863, that democracy is a government of the people, by the people and for the people no serious government both in developed and developing countries should take for granted the power of the people.
From the eighteen century to date, the people’s power has brought down many authoritarian governments like in the cases below:
The Boston Tea party sparked off the American Revolution which began in Massachusetts on April 19, 1775, saw the downfall of the British rule, and not to mention the famous Arab Spring that started in Tunisia in 2010 spread across the Arab beltway and brought down the governments of Muammar Gaddafi and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt in 2011.
Finally, what this government needs to do now is to take off its egotistical hat and nonchalant behaviour to engage the people, indeed, the exogenous forces of both Covid-19 and the Ukraine/Russia War have affected every economy in the world, but what most responsible government had done and are stills doing is to come up with sound measures, and policies to address the situation, rather than treating the situation with levity.
Let me respectfully end with this quote from An Egyptian internet activist Wael Ghonim “The power of the people is much stronger than the people in power.”
