A perfect timing

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan could not have chosen a better time to visit Freetown given the sudden rise in political temperature as Election Day nears.

Reports of last week end`s clashes involving supporters of the main political rivals in the November 17 polls, the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) party and the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), served as stark reminder of the ever existing threat to the peaceful conduct of the polls.

The ongoing accusation and counteraccusation being traded from the two sides further points to the intricacies of the situation.

I was left astounded reading through one of the local papers on Tuesday when I came across paid press statements, side by side, [probably deliberately placed so by the editor] from both the APC and SLPP blaming one another for perpetrating the violence in the eastern diamond district of Kono.

It is as if all those messages of political tolerance, non-violent campaigns, lock, stock and barrel, have been suddenly thrown out of the window.

Sometimes I get inclined to be less impressed by the responsiveness, or lack of it, of the relevant institutions that should address the causes of these problems.

Did they not see it coming?

Why should they wait until the belligerent parties issue such statements only to further confuse the greater populace?

The visiting Nigerian leader spent only a few hours in the country on Monday, but he undoubtedly must have had a good idea of the complexity of the Sierra Leone situation – the Sierra Leone where hundreds of his countrymen sacrificed their lives to bring peace after years of mayhem.

Talking about the sacrifices of Nigerians, those who think other than them no one outside Sierra Leone should have a view on its democratization process should have a rethink.

Hopefully, the frenzy around that medal conferment at State House, which climaxed Mr Jonathan`s one-day visit to the country, would not eclipse the urgency of the concerns raised by political parties` leaders at the meeting with the visiting president.

The field should not only be level, it must be seen to be so.

Complaints of lack of resources in the case of some of the political parties need to be addressed. That will be crucial not just to prevent acrimonies over limited national resources, but also to prevent mediocre political parties from been used as proxies which could be detrimental to the democratization process.

Fears of insecurity are of great concern given the mistrust between the opposition and the police.

One very important thing to consider is the need for swiftness in responding to these and the many other issues so that what is left of the electoral process`s credibility is salvaged. Not that there is any major question on the National Electoral Commission`s performance.