By- Aruna Rashed Toma Bangura

The Chairman for the Council of Paramount Chiefs in Sierra Leone, Paramount Chief Fasuluku the 3rd of Sonsiama Chiefdom, Kono, East district, yesterday 13th April, 2023 at the Freetown City Council Auditorium officially launched the Institute for Governance Reform 2023 Citizens’ Manifesto. But members of the strong main opposition, the All People’s Congress (APC) boycotted the launching ceremony as only members of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the National Grand Coalition (NGC) party were present at the launch. The conspicuous absence of the APC and political parties raised the eyebrows of participants and media practitioners present about what could have been the caused for the sharp boycott by opposition parties members.

In her official statement, the representative for the Irish Ambassador, who is the Second Secretary of the Embassy of Ireland, Emma Mc Loughlin stated that she is delighted to make few remarks on behalf of the Government of Ireland at the launch of the 2023 Citizens Manifesto. She commended the Institute for Governance Reform (IGR) together with all members of the steering committee on putting the citizens at the centre of discussions.

Emma Mc Loughlin said that elections and their outcomes should focus on the will and she stated that with this manifesto they gained some insights following independent engagements by their partners across the country, adding that as developing partners, it is important for them to grant autonomy to their partners and give space to Sierra Leone civil society to engage with the population while she said that the Citizens Manifesto is an illustration of such an exercise.

The Second Secretary of the Irish Embassy, Emma Mc. Loughlin continued that the manifesto gives voices to citizens, to their lived experiences and said it should be closely reviewed by those who wish to represent these citizens. “Certainly, we see the outcome of this process reflects the desire and importance placed by citizens on transparency in the institution which they interact with and demonstrate the need to build public trust with stakeholders including government, political parties, the security sector and judiciary,” she said. She added that it is important to note that this time, the Citizens’ Manifesto will not just be an agreement of policy priorities that citizens ask of political parties and government, but said comprises citizens’ commitment and commitments that promotes positive behavior, meaningful citizenry, compliance with the rule and solicits support for government to effectively deliver on its mandate. “We can see an important focus outlined in the document on the responsibility of citizens in respecting our environment and to promoting peaceful messages across public platforms which is critical,” she said.

She admonished stakeholders to use the content of the Manifesto in continuing engagement with political parties, government and other relevant stakeholders to influence agendas and cite as a baseline to evaluate their response to the demand of citizens. “Most importantly, use the Manifesto for coherent public education. Use it to re-direct public energy from conspiracy theories, rumours, fake news and misinformation to a more policy-focused conversation as we head into the elections,” she advised.

Lastly, Emma Mc. Loughlin said the 2023 Citizens’ Manifesto is part of their overall partnership with IGR, CARL and MOPADA to make the June elections policy-focused, violent free and with improved mechanisms for the administration of electoral justice which she said is very much aligned with Ireland’s commitment to supporting the conduct of peaceful, credible and inclusive elections in Sierra Leone.

Giving the closing remarks, the Executive Director of WANEP, Dr. Isata Mahoi thanked the steering committee of IGR. She said the Citizens’ Manifesto is for the betterment of Sierra Leone, adding that the manifesto is the citizens’ voice. She advised that election is not do or die and that voting does not mean one should receive a bullet.

The event was climaxed with entertainment from the Milton Margai School for the Blind band and Justin Marva.