HRCSL Expresses Concerns on the Threats to Democracy
On behalf of the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone, the Vice Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone, Victor Idrissa Lansana Esq has called on both government and citizens to commit themselves to the development of the nation by ensuring that they play their constitutional roles pursuant to sections 5(2)(b) and 13 respectively of the Constitution of Sierra Leone, 1991.
The Vice Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission made this statement at the ongoing Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Sierra Leone Bar Association in Kenema on the theme, “Unconstitutional Change of Government and its Threats to Democracy”.
The Vice Chairperson recounted that Africa as a continent has a long history of suffering and human rights violations and abuses from slavery to colonialism and then to unconstitutional change of governments. He underscored the point that the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone is concerned in that such unlawful change of government leads to adverse effects on the enjoyment of the first and second generations of human rights i.e, the rights to life, privacy, freedom of assembly and association, freedom of expression and the press on one hand; and the rights to economic social and cultural rights on the other.
He further remarked that after gaining independence, there were high hopes from the peoples of the continent that they would now takeover their own affairs to achieve their common development aspirations. He noted that, some scholars have noted that, regrettably, our own brothers and sisters who took over the reigns of power following independence employed more repressive tools that brought more suffering to the continent than the colonial masters did which he said, in many instances, led to unconditional change of governments. He further noted that according to the African Peer Review Mechanism report of 2023, about 18 attempts at unconstitutional takeovers in Africa have been successful.
The Vice Chairperson emphasized that government has a higher obligation towards the development of the country which includes both international and national/constitutional obligations. The international obligations of government, he noted, are the duty to protect, respect and fulfill human rights aspirations while nationally, the Constitution stipulates that the welfare and security of the citizens of Sierra Leone rest on the shoulders of government. This he said, is a very high standard that every government must aspire to fulfill even under difficult circumstances. He however cautioned that failure of government in this regard should not be used as a conduit for unconstitutional change of governments as change of government should always be done through a lawful means no matter what.
On the part of citizens, he referred his audience to section 13 of the Constitution which provides for “duties of a citizen” including patriotism, nationalism, being law abiding, respecting national institutions and authorities and protecting government property among others. He made reference to the case of some members of the public who illegally abstract electricity thereby making legal consumers suffer and put government at a loss, yet would have call out government whenever there are power outages. He noted that no country can develop with such attitude.
The Vice Chairperson concluded by calling on the government to address the development aspirations of the people, creating a more thriving civic space, and opening more opportunities to its citizens. On the part of citizens, he called on them to participate in governance processes and constructively hold them to account at all times.
