An introduction to NEC
on M&S Diary (Sierra Leone), 18/Aug/2006 14:12, 34 days ago
ThursdayToday I am at NEC, waiting in the corridor for my colleague, Isaac, to return from a meeting so I can introduce myself and find out a little about work.Beside me, some staff are having an argument about how people outside the window behind me are registering to vote. At least, that’s what I think it’s about; there are these tables set up on the veranda of NEC, with people queuing to fill in forms. I’m not sure, because everyone in Freetown speaks Krio, which is by no means as easy to “pick up” as I’d heard. It’s a language complete in itself, and although you pick up odd words of English in the flow of conversation, they can just as easily confuse as reveal. But this is only day 3. This morning, Maro and I were in the VSO office practicing our Krio with Bernard, VSO’s driver, and Juliet, their housekeeper, who cooked a couple of meals for us when we first arrived. So far we can say “kushe” (hello), “A go si bak” (See you again), “Aw de body?” (how are you?), “tenki” (thank you) and “Usay yu de go?” (Where are you going). We haven’t got as far yet as where people are going.Isaac arrives and we go into his room. I met him very briefly yesterday, and he seemed unsure of what I was doing there, quite vague. Today he is a man on a mission, very busy it seems, and although not overly-friendly yet, he talks directly to me. He tells me people outside are not queuing to vote (point made); they are paying to do a training course in“election management”. The plan is that NEC will train about 8000 people educated to secondary level to understand and monitor elections. They will then select about 4000 for employment across the country, presumably in the run up to July 28th, the date the president has now set for the elections.Isaac goes on to tell me that the president setting the date is one of several points of conflict between the president, the NEC and the people. Under the constitution, it is NEC’s job to manage elections. Last year, the commission was disbanded after it was declared to be too closely alligned to the government. I guess the World Bank or DfiD called the shots on this; they provide most of the money. By most accounts, the commission has been staffed by civil servants (puppets) seconded from government. People say the elections in 2002 were rigged. Now 80 staff run the commission, 30 based in Freetown, the rest across the country, under the directorship of Madame Christina Thorpe. She sounds like quite a strong woman. Last week, in another attempt by the government totake over the electoral process, they came to NEC to demand all the materials/info to run a bi-election somewhere up country, where they wanted a particular candidate elected. Madame Thorpe refused; called a press conference to reveal what was happening; and declared that if the government wanted to take over the process, the world should know this was what was happening and NEC would have nothing to do with it. Isaac told me the election had now happened, I think without NEC’s involvement. The government’s candidate got it.So there’ll be a fight on our hands, he says. The most important thing for the country, he says, is that NEC presents not only a fair election, but one transparently fair. He fears that people will take to fighting agaiin if the elections are not seen to be fair; I sense (although it’s ealry days) thatmost people in fact support the government (SLPP), but that people want their disatisfactions acknowledged. Obviously others feel strongly that the government must go. So not so dissimilar from the UK then!All this before we even reach the logistics of running a normal election. Isaac, like evryone else, tells me we have an enormous job on our hands. The public relations/education unit numbers 2, nationally. I am the third. Isaac builds up the pressure I’ve already been feeling from VSO (“they’ve wanted you there since April… they’re desperate”). And for now, that must remain an unknown, daunting shadow hanging over me, because we suspend further discussion until tomorrow morning.Tonight, oon the way home from a farewell dinner for a VSO staff member, I tell Maro that I feel the weight of peace in Sierra Leone shifting onto my shoulders. Sensibly, she reminds me that I can only take a very small part in the process, that ultimately it is the country’s responsibility. She is right of course. But we both of us find it hard not to feel a great burden of responsibility.Now it is her turn to tell you what’s happening from her perspective, and about her own work. Hopefully she’ll get her news up this weekend.Love, as always, Simon