Communication Gap Promotes Protests

By Edwina Sia Janga

 Many Civil Society activists say that there has been communication gap between citizens and the government, and this gap is being filled by people desirous of making mischief, capitalizing on the vulnerability of the situation that citizens are in. They believe that if proper attention has been paid to the concerns of citizens, these protests that have resulted in the loss of lives of our valued citizens would have been avoided.

Some political analysts are of the view that while the call for protest was going on, the government should have taken time to explain to citizens about the reason for some of the actions taken that has created more hardship on them and how they intend to cushion this effect. It should be noted that many of the protesters in almost all of the protests that have taken place, are merely concerned about their livelihoods, and not really about politics. They believe that since the leaders have been described as faceless by the government, it should have read the message behind the protest, most of which hinged on better living conditions and the cost of living, which are genuine concerns of any citizen, and then see how they can make citizens understand why the increase and how their plight will be cushioned.

For many activists, the absence of information on how to address the living conditions of citizens has been their concerns, and they are being told that the government does not care about their situation. It is therefore incumbent on the government to engage citizens and break down the whole situation to them. While Ministers may speak, but the people want to hear the President tell them what he is planning to do to address their situation. After all, he is the father of the nation. When a family is in turmoil, the father takes the lead and speak to his family. In doing so, he is able to alleviate the fears and tension that may have been lying down.

It is this gap in communication that has led to all these protests, which has been capitalized on by mischief makers. Government and the law recognize the right of citizens to protest within the ambit of the law, but these can be avoided if there is serious action to dialogue with citizens. When the President is about to speak to the nation, everyone is eager to listen to what he has to say, and in a situation where there are planned protests, if His Excellency’s voice can be heard on national Radio and TV on the alleged concerns of citizens for which the said protests are to be staged, it will go a long way to assuage the fears of people and defuse the existing tension.

Unfortunately, the Minister of Finance and other government officials have been on radio trying to defend the actions of government to increase tax or remove subsidies on various items, without letting them know what plans are on the way to address the impact these will have on their lives. In such a situation, the President as father of the nation, should speak to his people, tell them about the planned actions and how his government will ensure that it does not have the adverse effect on their lives, like warning business people and traders to adjust the prices of their goods in such a way that it will not adversely affect the ordinary man.

Political analysts say that it is this disconnect that has created the vacuum that is being filled by unscrupulous people. Should at all the protest is allowed to go on, police presence should not be so strong, which, while good, sends a wrong signal that people will be brutalized. There is the Public and Political Affairs Ministry in the country, who can step in for the President and address demonstrators. The police could allow a demonstration, but identify routes to be used and the gathering and ending points, preferably an open football field, where their leaders could address them, as well as escort provided for the demonstrators. Refusal to allow demonstration provides an excuse for people to embark on spontaneous demonstrations. When people know that they will be allowed to protest peacefully under police escort to a particular destination, if will foster trust and confidence in the police.

Now that the protests have ended, it time for the government to go back to the drawing board and review where things went wrong and seek solutions to same. The problem of economic crisis is not limited to Sierra Leone alone, but dialogue and engagements have prevented protests from taking place in most countries.