Democracy By Thieves

It is rather unfortunate that this was not the democracy we voted for in the 2007 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

In that year, we the citizens of this country made our political views and aspirations known to the outside world through the ballot box, we elected people whom we believed would represent and change the political face into a democratic paradise. At that time we were desperately yearning for continued change and all the ideal merits of democracy.

On the contrary it is sad to confirm here that we have now endured democracy by thieves. I think one of Sierra Leones renowned politician and lawyers, Dr. Abass Bundu in his book; ‘Democracy by Force’ tried to portray the tyranny of the past SLPP government during the era of the rebel war.

Now we need to do a re-brand of that caption to fit in this insecurity which this country is now undergoing these days. In the process of re-branding this abysmal situation, we now have democracy by thieves. This is because it seems as if armed robbery has now become the order of the day. In the work of Dr. Abass Bundu, he tried to portray a coerced version of democracy which is in total contradictions to what we hold onto as modern democracy.

History has indeed revealed itself in the words of Dr. Abass Bundu and it is no more a secret that democracy by crooks and thieves is in full flow nowadays. From what I learnt from civilized and democratic nations in the world, the police force has always been a force to be reckoned with in terms of the state’s security and the smooth running of democracy.

The police force, anywhere in the civilized world, represents the ideals of a democratic state and are supposed to see to the effective dispensation of the Rule of Law. Moreover, we need not be reminded or go into retrospect of what happened during the civil war in Sierra Leone. We all felt the hard blows of what it takes to be in war.

Untold pain and suffering were inflicted on ordinary citizens of this land and we absorbed the grown images of war in no smaller terms. The horrific pictures of brutal killings, maiming, raping and looting are yet to be healed in our minds.

Up till now some of us reminisce the nightmares in our sleep. Thus we do not condone democracy by thieves.

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