Ibrahim I. Mansaray, Esq, FCIArb
Ahead of the 2023 elections, Sierraeye Magazine organized a debate on the Government’s sudden proposal to replace the first-past-the-post (FPP) system with a proportional representation (PR) system. Chaired by Umaru Fofana, the event attracted participants from all walks of life. It was engaging, constructive, and informative. In that engagement, I made my position very clear and succinct, and true to that foresight, my position was right yesterday and by the result of today’s challenges in governance continues to be true. In this article, I detail-down what transpired that day. I argue that the new PR proposal, like the one implemented in the 2023 parliamentary elections, will further endanger our democracy and undermine effective governance of the country.
The Arguments
At the debate, proponents of the PR system, like Julius Spencer, argued, among other things, that, if introduced, it would promote peace and foster national cohesion. They further claimed that the FPP system is mainly responsible for political tensions and divisions in the country. Another argument advanced was that the PR would produce a diverse parliament, paving the way for smaller political parties to secure a seat(s) in parliament.
The Counter arguments
Like many who opposed the PR system then, I argued that it would neither promote peace nor foster national cohesion, noting that the problem does not lie in our electoral system but in our attitude towards politics and governance. The tensions, divisions, and violence we experience before, during, and after elections are caused by the executive arm of government decisions that threaten people’s lives and livelihoods. Many citizens have been made to believe that their survival depends mainly on the party in governance. We have witnessed senior, middle-level, and junior government officials being fired or maligned because of their perceived political persuasion. The private sector has also not been spared. With this unfortunate reality, citizens are willing to risk it all to protect their jobs, lives, and livelihoods; hence, the tensions, divisions, and violence we experience even after elections. It has little or nothing to do with our electoral system. But everything has to do with our attitude towards governance. Let us put the blame where it rightly belongs.
I further argued that the PR system exalts political party supremacy at the expense of people’s supremacy. Under the PR system, representation in parliament is determined mainly by ranking in one’s party’s list, rather than one’s popularity among constituents. Constituents will hardly know who represents them in parliament. This essentially undermines the notion of democracy, which makes the people the ultimate deciders of who represents them. Again, I argued that the PR system, used in the 1996 and 2002 elections (mainly because the decade-long civil war made the FPP impracticable), did not create room for the participation of independent candidates. If replicated, it would deprive citizens who do not subscribe to political parties’ policies from contesting in parliamentary elections.
The Promises
The government and proponents of the PR system promised that, if introduced, we would have violence-free elections, mend our divisions, build national cohesion, enhance the credibility of our electoral system, and have a diverse parliament. The system was also suggested to allow independent candidates to contest in parliamentary elections. The 2023 elections have come and gone. The question remains: where have they left us?
Promises Undelivered
The answer is simple: the 2023 elections were violent, left us even more divided, and with an Electoral Commission and system bereft of credibility. The sudden introduction of the PR system threw the electoral process into uncertainty and chaos. While the post-2018 parliament has four political parties (SLPP, APC, C4C and NGC) with some independent candidates, the post-2023 parliament has only two political parties with no independent candidates. ECSL provided no information regarding the participation of independent candidates in those elections, as was suggested. Members of both APC and SLPP questioned their party lists, arguing that the process was opaque and unrepresentative of the will of their constituents.
In the post-1990 history of Sierra Leone, the 2023 elections hold a special place for all the wrong reasons. Though political parties like the UNPP, APC and SLPP cried foul in the 1996, 2002, 2007, 2012 and 2018 elections, local and international observers gave these elections a pass. FIRST IN HISTORY, in the 2023 elections, there is a consensus among reputable local, international observers (the Carter Centre EU Observer Mission, National Elections Watch to list a few) and political parties that the electoral process and its results were not credible and statistically inaccurate. They all maintain that it was statistically impossible for any single candidate to have won on the first ballot. A runoff presidential election was inevitable. But ECSL did the unthinkable. I would rather not discuss the Agreement for National Unity, the Tripartite Committee, and their scars on our democracy. *Suffice it to say that the PR failed to deliver what it promised. Following its introduction, divisions deepened, tensions mounted, and mistrust cemented in our body politic.* It therefore begs the question — why extend it to the executive arm when it has yielded little or no positive results for the legislative arm? One will be forgiven to conclude that the rationale behind this move is to set the stage to plunge the country into political uncertainty and chaos. It signals a red flag, keeping in mind the unprecedented electoral theft in 2023. But only time will tell if political parties and the people will be willing to accept anything short of free, fair, and credible elections in 2028.
The New PR Proposal
Aside from President Bio’s speech, I listened to Hon. Alpha Kanu, who strenuously tried to argue to extend the PR system to presidential elections. As I understand it, the system proposes a coalition government among political parties based on votes polled. Coalition governments survive where there is mutual trust, respect and cooperation among competing political actors, all of which are in short supply in Sierra Leone. This explains why coalition governments have hardly ever survived in Sierra Leone. The SLPP-PDP (1996), APC-PMDC (2007), and SLPP-NGC (2023) coalitions collapsed even before the expiration of the 5-year tenure. KKY has left the NGC for SLPP, leaving the NGC in disarray with many members feeling betrayed and aggrieved. In all these cases, loose coalition governments were constituted following mergers between political parties mostly during run-off elections out of political necessity. The argument that the new PR proposal will be legislated, unlike the examples cited above, thereby ensuring its survival, cannot hold. The reason is apparent — there are many examples where constitutional and statutory provisions have been sacrificed for political convenience and expediency. With the prevalence of mistrust, division and non-cooperation in our body politic, implementing the proposed PR system will create a fragmented and ineffective government. Political disagreements, stalemates, and poor service delivery will worsen. In effect, citizens will continue to suffer. The PR system, as vaguely proposed, is not the answer. What do we need then?
The Way Forward
We need open, honest and constructive conversations to detoxify our politics. Many lines have been crossed. Many more have been hurt. Our politics has become more toxic than ever before. A case in point is the coco-roast discussion and its ensuing saga, which have overshadowed the all-important debate of the substance of the President’s Speech. It reveals not just how low we have sunk, but the toxicity of our politics. This must stop. It needs to stop. It is never too late to get it done. Consistent and constructive dialogue will help rebuild trust, re-engineer cooperation and re-construct our political culture. As stated earlier, the problem lies in our attitude to governance and politics, not our electoral system. Attempts to introduce the PR system in presidential elections bring back memories of the 2023 elections, which represent the darkest chapter in the post-1990 democratic history of Sierra Leone.
