July 9, 2021
By Aruna Kamara (Bo)
The Chairman and Co- Founder of People’s Alliance for Reproductive Health Advocacy (PARHA), Fodie Paul Oniel Kamara has disclosed that the Civil Society landscape across the country is fragmented and politicised.
Mr. Kamara made this statement at the opening ceremony of the People’s Assembly organized by the Bo District Civil Society Youth Forum on the theme Transformative Change for Bo District Civil Society, which took place at the Saint Francis Parish Hall in Bo on Thursday, 8 July 2021.
He said that some civil society activists across the country lack the requisite qualification and knowledge on subject matters and the CSOs has become politicized and fragmented, adding that there is a need to bring the informal sector including traders and bike riders to help address the issues relating to the development of the country.
Mr. Kamara, however said that they need to work with the government to address human right violations in the country.
The Chairman of the Program, Abu A. Brima, who doubles as the Executive Director of Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD) dilated on the theme of the People’s Assembly, stressing that transformative change is necessary as they advocate for change to happen by influencing it to be initiated by state actors.
He said that state actors where invited to the program because there is a need to interact with change makers in order to build the trust in them to see them as partners in development.
Mr. Abu said that in order to influence the change to occur in the society, there is a need for civil society to organized and be more focused, adding that for any change process to happen, it must be predicated on opportunity, enabling environment and autonomous principle.
He said that the civil society needs to be accountable for their actions, pointing out that there is a need to have an accountable framework, and code of ethics among others as they have to contribute to the development of the nation.
Mr. Abu said that as they are trying to strengthen the civil society forum, there is a need to do inspection, taking into consideration their challenges which could be critically analyzed and chart the way forward.
Representatives from Action Aid Sierra Leone, Aminata K. Lamin said that they are working with partners such as civil society to create social change, as they try to address issues relating to accountability within the context of good governance.
We don’t need to work in silence as Action Aid Sierra Leone needs coalition networks to make a bigger demand from government on governance issues but it appears as if in my opinion, civil society is gradually dying, She said, adding that Civil Society needs to take their enviable role and they should remain apolitical in their work.
She assured Civil Society Forum that through the Action Aid Regional Office they will support public interest of civil society activities.
The representative of the Regional Police Commander in the Southern Region, Superintendent Edward Abu Samura thanked the civil society for playing a critical role in checking their excesses, noting that the new police commander in the south is implementing the twenty first century policing strategy with continuous engagement with the public including civil society in order to provide adequate security in the southern region.
He said that they are more proactive than being reactive as they are implementing the twenty first century policing strategy in the southern, and assured them that the new AIG is always ready to support them in their work.
The Development and Planning Officer of the Bo City Council, Haja Halimah Lukay said that the council recognized the role of the civil society in enhancing development as CSOs are bridges between the state actors and the people.
She however called on the Civil Society to help build up the confidence of the people to pay their taxes for the development of the Bo Municipality, and assured them of council’s support at all times.
The Regional Chairman of the Civil Society in the Southern Region, Jeremy Ben Simbo said that the people’s Assembly is timely and called on members of CSOs, to be frank and honest in the deliberation as they don’t need to fail the people they are advocating for.
He said that in the two days engagement they need to take action that can produce the desired result for the people of Bo District and by extension the country.
Mr. Simbo said that gone are the days when the civil society is referred to as hooligans, noting that they are now highly educated and responsible people within the Civil Society Forum who can adequately articulate the issues disturbing the people’s development in their respective communities.
He however said that while doing the activism, they should have the fair of God, noting that every CSO has to be accountable to God for their actions.
“if you think you are coming into the activism to make money, you are at the wrong place because it is about serving humanity as whatever you do you will have the reward”, Mr. Simbo said .
He further cautioned them to be in civil society with sincerity and of good purpose.
The Spokesman of the National Elections Watch (NEW), Salieu Kamara said that it is always good for the civil society to set the agenda, pointing out that this was done during the past general elections.
He encouraged members of the society to be fair in their work and ensured that public interest is key in their activism.
The Provincial Security Coordinator in the Southern Region, Foday Musa Sesay said that they do not only recognize civil society but they also work with them, adding that the inputs of CSOs is key in providing adequate security in the country.
The Bo District Civil Society says sustainable development goals recognize multi stakeholder partnerships as important vehicles for mobilizing and sharing knowledge and expertise to support the achievement of the goals and further seeks to encourage and promote partnerships, building on experiences and resourcing strategies.
The letter of invitation to the Program indicated that the Bo District Civil Society was established on fair playing grounds for civil society engagements on issues of public importance at the local level.
It is clear that a lot of progress have been made over the years in that direction.
However, there is a need to do more to strengthen the already existing structures and live up to the expectations of the voiceless in Society, it is against this backdrop that the Civil Society Platform in Bo district deemed it necessary to organize the People’s Assembly to take stock, reflect and look forward.
There will be reports/presentation from Committees on various statutory instruments during the two days engagements.