By Amin Kef Sesay
Sierra Leone is at a crossroads. Our leaders since independence continue to operate in an environment constrained by colonial legacies and instability, ‘clientelism’, the use of State resources for selfish ends and the centralization of power.
Needed to move forward rapidly is a new generation of political and institutional leaders who are capable of facing up to a number of challenges such as fragmentation of the society, relaying the foundations of the State, promotion of democracy and human rights and the implementation of new conditions for peace and freedom, the gauge of sustainable development.
The ways in which these various challenges are tackled are crucial, as political leaders are the primary holders, controllers and distributors of power and resources in a particular institution and/or territory.
The question of leadership includes three categories of players: politicians, business leaders and the intellectual elite. The role of each of these players has been a deciding factor in the management of the State and society.
Weak opposition parties, a focus on loyalty rather than issues, constrained civil society and media, violence remain issues of concern.
Elites have largely entrenched their own interests with control of the State and its resources becoming the primary purpose of political contestation:
If we are to make further progress towards more stable, accountable and open political systems, leaders must embrace the challenge of change.
It is imperative that political and social conflicts are resolved and that post-conflict reconstruction takes place. In this regard, leadership is of critical importance.
A key task of all our institutional leaders is to develop their societies and State institutions.
Civil Society Organizations are caught between an entrenched elite and non-state/informal political actors. This sphere of political agendas and activities needs to be opened.
The underlying causes of underdevelopment caused by lack of proper leadership should be addressed.
The political responsibility of new generations of leaders should be based on the relationship between power and freedom, in particular the freedom of citizens. This new generation is confronted with the following questions:
What will the configuration and nature of the different political, religious, economic and intellectual powers be in the bid to unite and develop the country?
What possibility will there be for citizens to control these powers and ensure their balance so as to defend the fundamental rights of people to life, education and health, indeed to spiritual and material happiness in dignity?
Relaying the foundations of the State must enable the new challenges to be met: globalization, the fight against poverty and the crises that result from democratic Government. These developmental objectives are costly and require new resources that can only come from the creation of new wealth.
The wealth referred to in this case is not simply monetary. What this entails is working to make the country prosperous by acting on the main factors that determine this wealth, such as the reinforcement of productive, technological and innovative abilities. These abilities are indispensable to reverse the current trends of creation of wealth which favors the few with access to the factors of production. This notion can be summarized in a few points:
- Promotion of natural wealth, made up of rich natural resources;
- Production assets, made up of machines and infrastructure, as well as the land and urban areas developed to house the population;
- Intangible capital, non-physical in nature. Made up of human capital and the quality of institutions, this is the most important element in the wealth of nations. Even though this intangible capital is not capitalized anywhere, it is made up in part by the fruits of the training, education and know-how of the nation’s population;
- The confidence that reigns between the various components of the nation must also be considered, along with the ability to work together in a coordinated manner in order to create wealth;
- Governance that stimulates the overall productivity of the economy.
Without these different elements, it will be difficult to put an effective, efficient and operational participation-based system of governance into place.
Also, without the avant-garde elites, well-trained and ready to commit themselves to decisive reforms that will have a positive impact on State institutions, nothing will be possible.
