All Africa.com: Saturday, June 09, 2012.
Indeed, Sierra Leone will shortly go in a new direction of adopting transparency and accountability at both central and local government levels through efforts of its great people and probably other organizations.
I am certain that this achievement will be good, needed and timely for all patriotic Sierra Leoneans both at home and abroad. But guess what? This dream cannot be considered actualized without mention the effort of the Society for Democratic Initiative SDI-SL for its contribution through transparency and accountability outreach programmes.
One of SDI's efforts was the introduction of the first ever contract watch bulletin that was published in December 2011. Those who went through the document had the opportunity to learn a lot about the violation of the national procurement laws in the process of acquiring the biometric system machines, the challenges of the free health care initiative, the critique of the Public-Private Partnership Act of 2010, the alleviation of youth employment problems, what created the tension in the northern mini sites, challenges in budget transparency and financial accountability, how the Mines and Minerals Act of 2009 impact transparency, the appointment of the youth commissioner and more.
Transparency on Local Government:
Last May 27, SDI strengthened its activities by training 30 members of different civil society organizations CSOs on transparency and accountability in local councils across the country. The aim of the training was to capacitate CSOs to be able to monitor local councils, to develop and equip them with the necessary skills that would enable them undertake monitoring activities in their different districts, to empower them by building their capacities on the Freedom of Information FOI and Local Government Act of 2004, to enable them have a proper and better understanding of the importance of the concept of budget, public contract, notice-board information, report writing, strategic and development plan and leadership in councils transparency and accountability.
All these would ensure transparency and accountability in the country and even make the public have the power to know the operation of councils. To my understanding, Sierra Leone is one of the countries in Africa whose citizens do not get accurate information that due them. When you read the Local Government Act of 2004, you may realize that indeed there is a lot of malpractices in local councils. To know more of this, read subsection 2 of section 15 says notice of the time and place of the ordinary meetings of the local council shall be made public at least one week before each meeting.
Subsection 8 of section 15 says meeting of a local council shall be open to all public but where by resolution of the council the deliberations at a particular meeting are of a confidential nature, the local council may meet in camera.
Subsection 3 of section 18 says minutes of a local council meeting shall be made public within fourteen days of being approved. Subsection 7 of section 19 says all committee meetings shall be opened to the public with a lot of important issues that are embedded on the same document.
All these important information were not educated to the public for them to get proper understanding of their councils until recently when SDI through the support grant of ENCISS recruited CSOs as requesters on transparency and accountability in local councils across the country.
"Indeed the FOI is needed because I am not happy with the way my council is being run. Our taxes are collected but nobody knows where our monies go," says one of the participants, Augustine J. J. Sahr from Bonthe district. "SDI has given me the understanding and power to monitor the activities of my council and provide proper report for SDI. Why have we not been educated on the Local Council Act? How can one get the Local Government Act? I want to take it to my people so that they too can be educated about it," he said.
Manso Dumbuya from Kabala Koinadugu distinct said: "I want SDI to take its sensitization to organizations as it is important. I did not know that I have the right to ask the council administration about how they spend our monies and how projects are coming into the district. I wonder how many Sierra Leoneans know what I have learned from this training. With all of these, it is clear that the FOI bill is important. How many Sierra Leoneans understand the way taxes are collected and used?"
The rationale behind the creation of the different local government entity hinges on encouraging local participation in governance. As such, for these local governments to function well, transparency and accountability issues should be at the heart of their operations. The act of parliament which empowers the councils to function as a legal entity has provisions that allows for citizens' involvement and access to certain information that provides for checks and balances between the council authority and the local people.
For those who do not know, one of the key roles of SDI is to ensure accountability and transparency in governance, advocating for the promotion and protection of people's right with emphasis on women and children's right.
The concern of SDI-SL in the implementation of the outstanding provisions in the Local Government Act is to genuinely demonstrate a people-owned council. It is only but relevant to ask whether these transparency and accountability clauses in the Local Government Act of 2004 are complied to by the local council. "This brings us to the question of monitoring. "Are the local councils monitored to ensure they take great heed of their legal mandates as prescribed in the Act? It is in view of the foregoing, that this training is being held to train monitors who would ensure that local councils implement what is expected of them in accordance with the Act," said Mr. Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai, SDI's executive director in his statement during the training.
He said the aim of the training was to capacitate CSOs to be able to monitor and get proper understanding of the way local councils operate within their areas. He said the public has the right to know the way councils are collecting monies and the way they spend it.
"The public has the right to scrutinize the government at all levels and engage in full and open debates about the activities and actions of their governments. In order to do this, access to information must be allowed. The other important part of this training is that it takes transparency to the grassroots," Saffa said.
Giving the objective and the overall outcome of the training, SDI's deputy director Mrs. Rose-Marie Blake said it is to ensure accountability and transparency at all levels.
FOI bill:
The Freedom of Information programme is SDI's biggest legislative and policy advocacy programme started in 2005 when SDI took the leadership of the Freedom of Information Coalition. The campaign has leaped to be one of the most successful civil society-driven law making process in Sierra Leone.
Freedom of Information law is the legal instrument that empowers citizens to access public held information. It operates on the principle that government officials are custodians of information on behalf of the people and the people have the right to seek and receive that information anytime.
Providing Legal Aid for CSOs:
SDI also initiated gratis legal aid for human rights defenders and other CSOs in Sierra Leone who come in conflict with the law.
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