CURSE UPON CONSTITUTIONAL MANIPULATORS: THEY WILL DIE LIKE GADAFI The current Constitutional Review is by all intent seemingly not in the interest of the ordinary Sierra Leoneans, but merely to satisfy a ‘Political Agenda’ that will benefit a ‘Political Interest’. The 1991 Constitution is good for us and we have not complained to anyone to warrant its tinkering. In his Essays on the Sierra Leone Constitution, 1991 (2001)1, Justice Abdulai O. Conteh, the then Attorney-General and Minister of Justice who “was responsible for piloting the draft bill of the Constitution through both the cabinet and Parliament,” has argued that “One of its striking features is its provisions relating to the separation of powers between the three principal branches of government, namely, the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. Indeed, for the first time in the constitutional history and evolution of Sierra Leone, the 1991 Constitution posits a constitutional, political and legal separation and distinction between these branches of government to an extent never tried or done before.” Justice Conteh went on to say that “It is without doubt, the first Constitution of the country that is so clearly etched with the principle of the separation of powers: it tries to build a fire-wall between the three principal branches of government, the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary.” The principle of separation of powers and checks and balances, the learned Justice argued further, was consistent with the nature of a republican form of government as distinct from the British parliamentary system of government wherein the prime minister and cabinet ministers are all members of Parliament. The 1991 Constitution’s provision (Section 56(1)) that prohibits the president from appointing members of Parliament to the cabinet, he further submitted, tends to promote good governance, enhance parliamentary oversight of ministerial functions, and promote greater accountability than had hitherto been the case in Sierra Leone. Even if there is need for some minor amendments, it is currently not our priority as a nation. Our priority is the reducing the massive poverty and unemployment all over the country. Our priority is stopping the daily deaths of our people from minor illnesses due to lack of proper Medicare. Our priority is providing good education for our children and give them a better future. Our priority is building good roads and mend the countless potholes/filth that have married our City Streets. When ever it rains, it floods all over the City and nobody seems to care or do anything about the situation. . If the hidden agenda of the Constitutional Review is the extension of a Presidential Term, or the Removal of the Vice Presidential Office or devising a subtle attack on opponents/critics, I bet you, it will fail woefully, because God is always on the side to the righteous and honest leaders who care about the suffering masses of this country.
Posted on: Thu, 08 Aug 2013 22:13:41 +0000
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