A call to conscience : Protect democracy, not compromise it

**A CALL TO CONSCIENCE: PROTECT DEMOCRACY, NOT COMPROMISE IT*

By Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara (JFK)

Honourable Members of Parliament,

History remembers leaders who chose principle over expediency and the national good over political interest. The vote on the Constitutional Amendment Bill is one such moment. I appeal to you, not as partisans, but as custodians of the Constitution, to let your conscience guide your decision.

Our Constitution is the supreme law, and every amendment must strengthen, not diminish, the democratic values of our Republic. In its current form, however, this Bill does not meet that standard. It presents two critical hazards that demand our collective scrutiny.

First, the proposed Proportional Representation (PR) system. While PR has merits elsewhere, in our Sierra Leonean context, it severs the sacred bond between a voter and their representative. Our constituency system ensures that citizens know exactly who to hold accountable for a broken road, a failing clinic, or a neglected school. A closed list PR system transfers that power from the people to party headquarters. It rewards loyalty to the executive over service to the community and risks entrenching a political class entirely unaccountable to local constituencies.

Second, the 20% threshold across 9 districts for presidential election is not a safeguard, it is a mathematical barrier to legitimate representation. In our fragmented political landscape, this requirement risks nullifying the candidacy of leaders who command clear majorities in their regional strongholds but fall short in others. Electoral Commission data suggests this could trigger expensive, destabilizing runoffs and effectively disenfranchise significant regional blocs. It is a recipe for litigation and civic unrest, not democratic consolidation.

Honourable Members, I do not speak from political hearsay. The Sierra Leone Law Society, and Civil Society Consortium have all submitted formal memoranda against these clauses in their current forms. This is not partisan rivalry; it is an unprecedented consensus among the nation’s legal and moral guardians that this legislation, as drafted, is premature and perilous.

Therefore, I respectfully urge Parliament to exercise its constitutional duty of thorough scrutiny. I propose a concrete path forward: refer this Bill to a Joint Committee of the House and the Law Reform Commission for a 30 day public inquiry. Let us use that window to refine the contentious percentages, or, if we must explore PR, pilot it first at the local council level to test its viability before imposing it upon our national sovereignty.

This is not political confrontation; it is constitutional responsibility.

Honourable Members, your oath is to uphold the Constitution and serve Sierra Leone. This duty transcends party affiliation. Future generations will not remember how you voted for your leader; they will remember how you voted for your country. If legitimate, expert-backed concerns exist that this Bill could weaken our democracy, wisdom demands we pause, reflect, and improve.

May wisdom, courage, and patriotism guide your deliberations.