By Ragan M. Conteh

In a significant show of how Sierra Leone civil society organisations have continued to defeat the purpose of development, the Member of Parliament from Kambia who doubles as the opposition Chief Whip, Hon Abdul Karim Kamara has exposed members of these right groups for becoming politicians.

“Most of the CSOs who were very critical of former President Ernest Bai Koroma are now Ministers, Board Members and accepting other political appointments,” Hon Abdul Karim Kamara stressed.

He said the civil society space has shattered as they are now campaigners for government projects, citing Andrew Lavalie who is the architect for proportional representation system and the midterm census that has in his words, ‘mixed up the whole governance system.’

He said if the country is to progress, we need to hold the government accountable for its actions and promises.

Hon AKK said one day he will write Andrew Lavalie to apologize to the people of Sierra Leone, adding that when the issue of the PR came, CSOs were all over the place trumpeting the advantage of the system without knowing the implications.

The worst of it all, Hon AKK said, when the ten APC MPs were forcefully removed from the House the CSOs were all over the place justifying the government’s actions.

He said he does not want to get a situation where the generation yet unborn will start to ask questions as to who led the process of the reintroduction of PR and the midterm census.

According to Hon AKK, when they brought the Proportional Representation System, as an opposition they wrote several letters and raised concerns to have an engagement with government regarding the implications of the system but the government rejected.

What is more disturbing, the Chief Whip further explained is that, the PR system does not reflect proper representation in most district especially in Port Loko, adding that Bo, Kenema, Moyamba, Bonthe and Kailahun where the APC votes  did not reflect their representation in Parliament.

He stressed that the civil society with their PR and midterm census just mixed up with the governance system.

The MP also spoke on wide range of issues including the Tormabom and other projects that he said are all failed projects.