The newly eastablised Commission for Peace and National Cohesion, is another commission created to put money in the pocket of those in the good books of the president. The approach to the attainment of peace and national cohesion in Sierra Leone should be wholistic.
No particular institution, not even the newly created Commission for Peace and National Cohesion, will foster peace and national cohesion in Sierra Leone.
To promote peace and national cohesion, all government institutions, particularly the police, the judiciary and other key institutions headed by politicians have to be upright and true to do the job/task for which they were created.
Just as there’s in existence Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone, headed by a political appointee, and there is still a prevalence of gross human right violations, both at government and other levels, actions contrary to the promotion of peace and national cohesion will still be seen in government and other quarters following the establishment of the Commission for Peace and National Cohesion.
Also, just as there’s in existence National Commission for Democracy, and there’s still a prevalence of happenings contrary to democratic ideals and values, both in and outside government, actions contrary to the promotion of peace and national cohesion will still be evident in government and other quarters in the wake of the creation of the newly establised Commission for peace and National Cohesion.
This goes to show that, Sierra Leone, as at now does not need the creation of new institutions headed by politicians, their allies or friends for us to achieve development, peace and national cohesion. What Sierra Leone needs to foster development, peace and national cohesion is depoliticizing, strengthening and capacitating the state institutions we have had in existence for decades. Creating new institutions and putting politicians or their friends at the helm of those institutions in the name of bringing about development, peace and national cohesion is the least of the many things that Sierra Leone needs to achieve development, peace and national cohesion.
Literally, all that we should do to achieve economic development, peace and national cohesion can be done using the institutions that we have had in existence for decades. Which renders the creation of new institutions, headed by politicians or their friends, useless.
In the most developed and peaceful countries in the world, institutions like Commission for peace and National Cohesion does not exist. The basis for attaining development, peace and national cohesion in these countries cannot be unconnected to the fact that their judiciary, police and other state institutions are upright and true to the job/tasks for which they were created.
1Med James
