THE BEGINNING OF THE LONG GOODBYE: KABBAH OPENS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 FREETOWN 000554

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL SL
SUBJECT: THE BEGINNING OF THE LONG GOODBYE: KABBAH OPENS
HIS LAST PARLIAMENT

REF: FREETOWN 499

--------------
SUMMARY
--------------

1.(SBU) An emotional President Kabbah opened Sierra Leone's
Parliament for the last time before stepping down next May.
In a two-hour address he emphasized democratic values and
took credit for leading Sierra Leone from the abyss of civil
war. Looking to the 2007 presidential and parliamentary
elections, he cited electoral reforms, called for political
civility, and encouraged women to be candidates, but did not
announce election dates. He listed "enormous challenges"
still facing Sierra Leone: sustaining peace for development;
improving the national security environment; stabilizing the
macroeconomic environment; upholding participatory democracy
and the rule of law; and building an educated, healthy
population. Of particular concern ahead of the elections, he
said, is the "current state of lawlessness in the country," a
reference to recent isolated but ominous violence. U.S.
references in the speech included a James Madison quote
urging citizens not to abuse liberty; an appreciation of
President Bush's few cabinet changes to justify Kabbah's
loyalty to his appointees; and citation of U.S. support for
Sierra Leone "as the most suitable candidate for a coastal
logistical depot for ECOWAS and hopefully for an African
Standby Force" to illustrate his success in consolidating
peace. Kabbah thanked international development partners,
and asked for more help "to reduce our dependence on them."
Critics subsequently reproved Kabbah for embellishing the
state of the nation and omitting or glossing over critical
issues. Between now and next May, when Kabbah will give
Parliament a more comprehensive account of his
accomplishments, we can expect more nostalgic farewells
intertwined with political rhetoric. End Summary.

--------------
Democratic Leadership
--------------

2.(U) President Alhaji Dr. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah opened Sierra
Leone's Parliament on June 23, 2006, for the last time since
his first election in 1996. Parliament was packed with
legislators, cabinet ministers, supreme court justices,
senior military and police officers, diplomats, and the media
as Kabbah spoke emotionally for two hours about his
accomplishments of the past decade. He reaffirmed that he
will step down in May, 2007, because he was "sworn to protect
and defend this Constitution, which provides for two five
year term limits." (Note: Kabbah will actually be in office
for 11 years because his reelection was not until 2002 due to
the civil war. End Note.)


3.(U) Throughout the speech Kabbah repeatedly emphasized
democratic values, saying in various ways that "The
Government of Sierra Leone must be a people's Government,
deriving legitimacy from the people, serving them in an
accountable manner and not afraid to be open to them." In
describing himself, Kabbah claimed to have "lead our country
diligently and justly, with commitment and with courage. I
have ensured the country remains peaceful and united, living
amicably with our neighbors .... I have worked hard and
innovatively ... to create the right domestic and
international environment for economic take-off, with
economic growth rates that can empower us to overcome
degrading poverty." Commenting on his own leadership style,
Kabbah observed, "Once elected to power you can either govern
or lead. I prefer to lead.... I believe earnestly that it is
the people's inalienable right to be convinced about the
government's policies and and agenda. And I believe that
such a right cannot be fully enjoyed if the government is not
fully accountable, to explain to the people what it is doing
with the people's taxes, and in the people's name."

--------------
Elections Ahead
--------------

4.(U) With presidential and parliamentary elections looming
in 2007, Kabbah emphasized improvements conducive to credible
elections. He took legitimate credit for the December 2004
census that "will support Sierra Leone's first post-conflict
constituency-based elections, thereby enhancing a free, fair

FREETOWN 00000554 002 OF 005


and peaceful electoral process that will further consolidate
our democracy." He highlighted some conditions that will
contribute to credible elections including the development of
an electoral code of conduct, preparation of a National
Permanent Voters Register, transparent ballot boxes with
ballot-counting at each polling station, and media expansion
such as the growth of newspapers from 14 in 1996 to 49 today
and the presence of 39 radio stations. He made a specific
appeal for "women to come out and contest for seats and other
positions at the forthcoming General Elections."

5.(U) Kabbah called for greater political civility. "I would
urge opposition political parties to be more proactive and
innovative, rather than ... nitpicking on what the SLPP
Government says or does." Although the growth of political
parties to 28 should "signify a strengthening of democratic
discourse," Kabbah continued, "I am not sure this is really
happening. But, obviously, this increase in numbers
represents expanded political freedom, a positive thing in
its own right." Regarding Sierra Leone's frequently
inaccurate and notoriously opinionated press, Kabbah called
on journalists to "abide by professional ethics, and treat
all people and parties fairly" as the country heads for
elections.

6.(U) Kabbah observed that "the Multi-party political system
is now better understood, and is gaining strength" in Sierra
Leone. He took credit for elections "since 1996, all of
which were peaceful, free and fair, as attested by comments
of representatives of the reputable Carter Center. ... Day
after day, election after election, we have continued to use
our experience and that of others to improve our system. We
are moving forward."

7.(SBU) Comment: There have only been two elections since
1996: the 2002 presidential/parliamentary election and the
2004 local electionQth were conducted peacefully with
assistance from UN peacekeepers, now departed. Both
elections were considered free and fair, but were
subsequently found to be fraught with fraud by all political
parties that analysts jjudged did not significantly change
the outcomes. Current preparations, per reftel, give hope
that fraud can be prevented in 2007. Observers hoped that
Kabbah would announce a date for the 2007 elections, and were
disappointed when he only commited to leaving office in May.
End Comment.

--------------
From the Abyss
--------------

8.(U) Kabbah billed his speech as concentrating on "some of
the major achievements of my administration over the past 10
years," a period marked by a brutal, destructive civil war
that officially ended in January 2002. Citing his first-hand
experience of post-war Europe and the benefits of the
Marshall Plan, Kabbah said that his performance should not be
compared to what happended "in another distant country," but
by comparing the situation in Sierra in 1996 with "what
prevails today, looked at objectively and fairly." Sierra
Leone, he suggested, would be much more developed today if
the resources and energy used for post-war reconstruction
could have been used for "building on what existed rather
than remedying or rehabilitating what was destroyed." Kabbah
took particular pride in having passed through Parliament 95
laws, "to strengthen good governance, to facilitate economic,
political and social reforms.... We have made substantial
progress even as I concede that much more remains to be done."

9.(U) Kabbah asked observers to recognize realistically that
"our own war ended only four years ago." In that time, he
had restored state authority throughout the country;
reestablished elected city, town, and district councils;
restored local administrative structures, meaning the
"respect and honor" of traditional Paramount Chiefs;
resettled 2 million internally displaced people and
repatriated 200,000 refugees; reintegrated 72,500
ex-combatants; improved human rights; expanded public health
care; introuduced free primary education and increased the
numbers of girls in school; reconstructed the economy with
with World Bank, IMF, UK, and EU budgetary support that has
resulted in 7.3% GDP growth, "low inflation" of 13.5%, and
exchange rate stability. Kabbah took credit for keeping "the
public service afloat by paying salaries of public officers,
the forces, teachers and nurses on a regular basis,"

FREETOWN 00000554 003 OF 005


preventing "queuing for basic commodities such as fuel and
rice," and ensuring that the banks have cash "through serious
economic and fiscal management."

10.(SBU) Kabbah proclaimed that "the war on poverty is being
fought on all fronts and it is a success story on all those
fronts." Sierra Leone has been last or next to last
worldwide for the past decade in the UNDP's Human Development
Index. Kabbah tried to deflect criticism by noting that
first ranked as the least developed country by the UN already
in 1991, "an event which occurred much earlier than 1996,
when I took up office as President."

11.(U) Kabaah dwelled on progress in education and health,
citing the free primary school education, increasing numbers
of girls in school, assistance with examination fees,
grants-in-aid to university students, expansion of community
health centers, and reconstruction of hospitals. He cited
the work of the National Commission for Social Action (NACSA)
and the National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT)
as examples of the social safety net that he is building for
the country. He also singled out his food security program
that has promised that no Sierra Leonean will go to bed
hungry by 2007. He said that an independent review of the
Food Security Project reported that 69% of the objective has
been achieved, and stated that only those "who want to do no
work" will be hungry next year.

--------------
Challenges Ahead
--------------

12.(U) Kabbah appealed for public patience with the often
slow pace of progress. "Some of the benefits resulting from
the changes we have introduced will fructify many years after
I leave office .... What I am asking ... is to allow time
for these changes to be embedded in our systems and culture
for them to reach the point where it is impossible to derail
them and bring us back to the situation we were in not too
long ago."

13.(U) Kabbah listed five "enormous challenges" remaining for
Sierra Leone's post-war reconstruction. The first was
continued work toward sustainable peace as a prerequisite for
economic development. The second was an "effective security
environment" with emphasis on training and upgrading the
police and army as a first step. Elsewhere in the speech he
declared that "cooperation among the security forces is
exemplary," but he recognized clearly that their capabilities
are limited. Kabbah also appealed to communities as "key
stakeholders" to work for peace and security in their
locales. A "stable macroeconomic environment" was Kabbah's
third remaining challenge with emphasis not only on GDP
growth, but with emphasis on growth that results "in job
creation, improved education and health delivery services,
adequate housing, sustainable energy supply and adequate
socio-economic infrastructure."

14.(U) The fourth challenge was "upholding and promoting
participatory democracy and the rule of law." Kabbah
observed that "the Sierra Leone Civil War could significantly
be attributable to the mauling of democratic institutions and
processes as well as the marginalization of the people for a
prolonged period." He cited overly centralized governance as
a "manifestation of bad governance," and emphasized that "the
benefits of participatory governance are enormous and must be
pursued at all cost." This was an oblique reference to his
own decentralization policies that must be sustained to
succeed.

15.(U) Kabbah's final challenge was "building "a solidly
educated and healthy population." Interestingly, he cited
education and health as both accomplishments and challenges.
"An uneducated nation, is at best a lost nation," he said,
"at worst a dead nation." Calling health "equally critical,"
he said that together education and health "will provide a
productive and vibrant labor force" that will drive the
economy.

16.(U) A separate challenge that Kabbah noted in the speech
was the need to manage public expectations that he implicitly
sees as unrealistic. Sierra Leoneans are cynical about
government promises and performance, a concern that was
reflected in Kabbah's comment that "Attitudes of Sierra
Leoneans must also shift towards the positive from the

FREETOWN 00000554 004 OF 005


overtly negative."

--------------
Dangers Ahead
--------------

17.(SBU) Kabbah's concern that recent isolated violent
incidents throughout the country could lead to wider and
perhaps orchestrated violence ahead of the 2007 elections now
that UN peacekeepers have left the country led to his
pronouncement that "Government is mobilizing the necessary
resources to curb the current spate of lawlessness in the
country. We are warning those who engage in lawless
activities that the era of impunity is over and that we are
determined to firmly restore law and order ... and maintain a
peaceful, orderly and progressive nation."

18.(U) Kabbah's view that the root cause of the violence is
indiscipline, as stated in a recent presidential press
release, was reflected in his speech when he said, "It is not
enough to be a free country; the citizens must also enjoy
freedom within the limits of the Constitution and our laws."
He used the United States, which he described as "a beacon of
freedom and human rights," to justify his point by quoting
President James Madison as having said, "Liberty may be
endangered by the abuses of liberty as well as by the abuses
of power." Kabbah concluded, "So let us not ignore the
potential dangers posed by those who are inclined to abuse
their liberty."

--------------
American References and Appreciation
--------------

19.(U) The U.S. was the only country to which Kabbah referred
in his speech, and he did so several times. In addition to
quoting President Madison, he used President George W. Bush
to address criticism that he is too tolerant of
underperforming appointees. Saying that officials need time
on the job to create solutions to challenges, he observed,
"This may well explain why apart from resignations, the
current United States President, for example, has carried out
no major reshuffle since becoming President." In another
self-serving comment concerning security reform, Kabbah said,
"In a special study conducted by the United States and
ECOWAS, Sierra Leone emerged as the most suitable candidate
for a coastal logistical depot for ECOWAS and hopefully for
an African Standby Force."

20.(U) Kabbah appreciated Sierra Leone's international
donors, although he did not specifically cite the U.S. "In a
special way," he said, "I want to thank our development
partners ... for their understanding, coooperation, and
commitment to the cause of development in Sierra Leone. ... I
ask for their understanding when I do not mention them by
name. What I ask for is that each one ... accepts the words
of sincere gratitude, and my request that they continue
supporting the next government, especially in helping us
gradually build the capacity to reduce our dependence on
them."

--------------
Critics Assess The Speech
--------------

21.(SBU) Political opponents and some newspaper commentators
criticized Kabbah's speech for distorting, glossing over, or
omitting vital issues. Many found his comments on democracy
disingenuous, feeling that Kabbah and his SLPP have ridden
roughshod over the opposition and were responsible for
electoral manipulation and fraud in the 2002 and 2004
elections. Likewise, they see SLPP intolerance of opposition
parties in SLPP strongholds as the primary source of current
political incivility and potential violence. While several
shared Kabbah's concern about lawlessness, they saw the
problem not as abuse of liberty, but as failure to address
adequately the root causes of the civil war.

22.(SBU) The critics found Kabbah to be out of touch with the
71% of Sierra Leoneans who live in poverty. Claims of
economic progress have not been matched by improvements in
their quality of life. Critics noted that since the end of
the war four years ago, Freetown dwellers have have suffered
high unemployment, no electricity, erratic water supply,
rising fuel and transport prices, unrepaired roads,

FREETOWN 00000554 005 OF 005


significant price rises in imported rice (that still costs
less than local rice),widespread crime, poor sanitation,
inadequate health care, and substandard schools. Kabbah
referenced the country's failed infrastructure only once as
part of a future challenge. He took credit for the
Anti-Corruption Commission, but, critics noted, gave no
explanation for failure to prosecute senior miscreants. Some
saw his comments on giving appointees time to perform as a
veiled reference to the underperforming ACC Chairman.
Although Kabbah cited agriculture and food security,
observers were surprised that he made no mention of Sierra
Leone's other key economic sector: minerals.

23.(SBU) Critics noted that President Kabbah omitted any
reference to the Truth and Reconcilation Commission whose
recommendations have not become law as required by the law
that established the TRC. They also wondered at his failure
to cite the Special Court for Sierra Leone as an
accomplishment and that he made no mention of war crimes
defendant Charles Taylor's recent transfer to The Hague for
SCSL trial. On national security, they criticized him for
only a brief mention of Guinea's occupation of the village of
Yenga and no discussion of recent Guinea Armed Forces
incursions elsewhere along the border.

--------------
Comment
--------------

24.(SBU) President Kabbah is concerned about his historical
reputation and the legacy that he will leave for Sierra
Leone. He wants his tenure as Sierra Leone's second longest
serving President to be remembered for more than the
destructive civil war, and he wants to be perceived as a
champion of democracy. His speech is the beginning of a long
goodbye that will culminate in the transfer of power to his
successor. More speeches justifying his actions and
describing his accomplishments can be expected, especially
when he campaigns for his own party's candidates.

25.(SBU) Kabbah will undoubtedly be remembered as benign, but
his record might be seen as "Failures Outweigh Successes," as
one headline commented. Although there have been some
significant accomplishments, his administration has been
marked by lost opportunities especially during the UN
peacekeeping years. Kabbah's rhetoric has not been matched
by performance, and his new laws have not been well
implemented. Although his speech to Parliament was
personally emotional and drew cheers from the SLPP, it was
telling that the APC opposition leader looked bemused
throughout. Most Sierra Leoneans probably found it similarly
unsatisfying.
HULL