By: Haja Hawa Koroma
Some concerned members of the National Elections Watch has issued out a press statement calling on the leadership of NEW for greater inclusivity in the decision making process within the coalition.
They stated that, they are particularly concerned with regards the rising political tension and division in the country, NEW should play a non-partisan role and should work towards gaining the trust of all sides of the political divide. Therefore, these concerned members are calling on the leadership of NEW to be more inclusive in taking positions on sensitive national issues on behalf of the coalition and to be accountable to its membership on donor funds received for their activities.
The concerned members issued out this release as a result of the leadership’s continuous reluctance in addressing and not paying attention to the numerous concerns they have been raising, including the need for improved administration, governance and accountability in the last two years.
NEW has been observing elections in this country since 2002, after some CSOs established the NEW coalition mainly to observe both local and international elections in order to ensure fairness and credibility and over the years they’ve earned the trust and confidence of political parties, members of the public and international partners and it is their intention to maintain the good reputation they’ve built. However, with the recent emotive pronouncement made on the 2nd June 2022 by the leadership of NEW, the coalition stands the risk of undermining its legitimacy to some key election stakeholders.
This set of concerned members advises that, in order to regain the trust and confidence of all election stakeholders and NEW coalition members, the NEW leadership must develop a culture of transparency and consultation with its members especially the executive members representing the various regions and districts, before public statements are made on sensitive national issues on behalf of the coalition.
They also advises that a committee comprising of representatives from all the regions, should be established to discuss and agree on the coalition’s position on crucial national issues especially those relating to electoral reforms and activities.
The concerned members demands that the secretariat devices an arrangement on how funds received for and on behalf of NEW coalition be allocated to constituent coalition members through the regional or district executives for activities and the sharing of audited financial statement with coalition partners, including asset management within NEW.
The members stated that there is need to convene an emergency meeting in order to discuss these issues so as to maintain the credibility and stature of the coalition among election stakeholders and the general public.
They added that, there is also need to take a well-thought out and solution-focused position and approach to the controversies relating to both the 2015 and 2021 mid-term census reports. They hope that the leadership of the National Elections Watch will respond to their concerns with the urgency and importance it deserves. The concerned members also mentioned that the fact that they have been compelled to go public with these issues shows the lack of adequate internal consultation in their coalition and the need to slow down and rebuild a vibrant and functional working relationship with the entire membership
