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Exploiting The MAC-P Protocol

Exploiting The MAC-P Protocol

The outbreak of war in Sierra Leone in 1990 started with the love for money instead of security and concern for the nation resulting in our security going into an unholy agreement with the NPFL rebels from across the border in Liberia.

The rebels were later not satisfied with the deals going on with our security forces, (the police and the military) and they retaliated by attacking and entering our country where numerous people lost their lives.

Sierra Leone’s security forces are known for their love for money as against their concern for security. During the rebel war, numerous soldiers were ambushed and killed because they were prone to be enticed to money. That is why the soldiers and their OSD counterparts were not able to withstand the assault of the rebels.

If our forces were not helped by foreign troops from Guinea and Nigeria, there would have been no way the soldiers and the police could have been able to confront and pacify the rebels. That is why it is dangerous for security forces to become corrupt prone.

Currently, barely a week from the initial declaration of the Military Aiding Civilian Policing (MAC-P), the practice of the security forces in putting money above security has again been manifested. This is a grim reminder to the fact that we are yet to really trust our own security when it comes to the maintenance of security in the country.

From the East to the West, from the South to the North of the country, check points have been erected along the highways and other feeder roads, all part of the MAC-P protocol.

However, instead of looking out for criminals and armed bandits, the security forces are busy collecting money from commercial vehicle drivers and other motor owners and travelers. Passengers are being harassed and those who want to avoid this calculated and deliberate delays caused by the security forces have no option put to pay the usual fee and be allowed to pass.

Clearly, the fact that President Ernest Bai Koroma has called for the MAC-P protocol shows that the police had failed to put the situation under control.

Bringing the same police therefore to man the check points will be a systematic replay of the usual game.

There is therefore a need for President Ernest Bai Koroma to help protect the people, especially the travelers and commercial drivers from the money hungry soldiers and police now manning the check points.

In fact it is absurd to see the manner in which the security forces are operating in blatantly collecting money from motorists along the newly set up check points.

Then we will want to know if the government is feeding these security officials or if they have to feed themselves at the detriment of the people.

MAC-P has been seen as an opportunity for the security to raise money at the detriment of the country’s security. These are people who never learn, and there is also the worrying factor in realizing that our security apparatus lacks patriotic responsibilities.

A need to reexamine the whole security apparatus will be in order. The recent MAC-P protocol has shown that there is something wrong with our security system.

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