Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09FREETOWN317
2009-08-11 16:00:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Freetown
Cable title:  

JULY POLITICAL ROUND-UP - FREETOWN

Tags:  PGOV PREL PHUM SL 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO9757
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHFN #0317/01 2231600
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 111600Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY FREETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2816
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 FREETOWN 000317 

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF/W (JHUNTER)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM SL
SUBJECT: JULY POLITICAL ROUND-UP - FREETOWN

REF: FREETOWN 304

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 FREETOWN 000317

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF/W (JHUNTER)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM SL
SUBJECT: JULY POLITICAL ROUND-UP - FREETOWN

REF: FREETOWN 304


1. Summary: President Koroma's need for a disciplined,
effective civil service was reinforced in July through the
launch of the Public Sector Reform Unit and a campaign
against lateness and absenteeism. The National Registration
Secretariat will soon be empowered to issue national ID cards
and ECOWAS passports, which could raise needed revenue for
the government. The Human Rights Commission published its
annual report, showing that violence against women, lack of
access to justice, and the need for increased government
responsiveness to human rights issues and structural change
continue to be critical problems. Activists reiterated the
need for gender equality by lobbying Parliament to fully
implement UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, while the
Inter-Religious Council reaffirmed a commitment across
religions to support tolerance. The Ministry of Trade and
Industry is giving a boost to indigenous business through a
competition that will provide seed money to innovative
entrepeneurs. The German, Chinese, and Japanese governments
provided bilateral support. End Summary.

--------------
PUBLIC SECTOR REFORM LAUNCH
--------------


2. On July 28, President Koroma launched a new public sector
reform initiative aimed at enhancing the public service. The
Public Sector Reform Unit, under the Office of the President,
was initially created due to the President's desire to
resuscitate the entire civil service in order to provide more
efficient and effective services to the population. Aided by
support from DFID, UNDP, the World Bank and others, the
Public Sector Reform Unit has developed a series of programs
and recommendations for ministries and departments throughout
the country in an effort to build synergy, redefine roles,
and provide training across the government sector. President
Koroma has put a tremendous amount of support behind Public
Sector Reform as a key element of his "agenda for change."

--------------
GETTING TOUGH WITH CIVIL SERVICE
--------------


3. As a precursor to the launch mentioned in para. 2, the
Attitudinal and Behavioral Change Secretariat (ABC) within
the Office of the President in partnership undertook a
lateness and absenteeism awareness campaign and survey on
Government Ministries and Departments on July 6. The Deputy

Coordinator of the ABC said that the Public Sector and the
Civil Service are not working in consonance with the
President's call for change. He said they were undertaking a
survey to ascertain the scope of the problem, as absenteeism
and lateness demonstrates a lack of initiative and undermines
the productivity of the civil service. Comment: This
initiative reflects the lack of discipline and rules
enforcement capabilities in individual ministries. End
Comment.

-------------- ---
NATIONAL ID CARDS/ECOWAS PASSPORTS COMMISSIONED
-------------- ---


4. Since his election in 2007, Koroma has pushed to empower
the National Registration Secretariat. The passing of the
National Registration Act in 2008 accomplished this by giving
the Secretariat a renewed mandate to register all citizens
and non-citizens residing in Sierra Leone. In a move to meet
these goals, the Secretariat will soon begin issuing national
ID cards and ECOWAS passports. At a launching ceremony on
July 30, Koroma claimed that the government's adoption of the
ECOWAS passport is a clear manifestation of his government's
commitment to Sierra Leonean citizens' right to travel within
member ECOWAS states. However, this initiative will also be
crucial to national security and revenue generation.

--------------
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION PRESENTS REPORT
--------------


5. The Human Right Commission of Sierra Leone (HRCSL) which
was established by an Act of Parliament in 2004, following
the Lome Peace accord in 1999 and the recommendations of the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) presented its
annual report 2008 to the President and the speaker of
Parliament. The report highlighted concerns about violence
against women and children, the lack of universal
comprehensive health care, limited access to justice, poor
conditions in detention facilities, and the high incidence of
teenage pregnancy. On an institutional level, the HRCSL
continues to point to the government's failure to take action

FREETOWN 00000317 002 OF 003


on the Constitutional Review Committee's report, which was
submitted in January 2008. The Commission also notes that
President Koroma promised to establish and Truth and
Reconciliation Follow-Up Committee, but has yet to do so.
Comment: The HRCSL report also highlights its own dire
financial straits: it has limited funding to monitor and
investigate human rights abuses, even as it struggles to grow
to cover all regions of the country. Without continued
support from the Peace Building Commission and other donors,
the HRCSL will be unable to effectively function. End Comment.

--------------
GENDER ACTIVISTS LOBBY PARLIAMENT
--------------


6. On July 1, the Executive of the "Mano River Women for
Peace Network," in collaboration with the "West African
Network for Peace" held consultations with Parliamentarians
on issues related to gender equality and violence. In
particular, they shared information and advocated for the
implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution
(UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security, which was adopted
by the United Nations in 2000 but has not been fully
incorporated into the laws of Sierra Leone. The resolution
gives equal opportunity and rights to women, condemns
violence against women and children, and encourages economic
empowerment. The Deputy Minister of Social Welfare Gender and
Children Affairs added her voice to the plea, and urged MPs
to lobby their colleagues to pass the resolution into law
because they have a responsibility to take the lead in
protecting women and children in the society. Comment: Per
reftel A, issues of gender-based violence and inequality are
rampant here. Recent laws are an excellent starting-point for
addressing the issues, but limited capacity to implement
these and subsequent laws will continue to be a major
obstacle. End Comment.

-------------- -
INTER-RELIGIOUS COUNCIL COMMITTED TO TOLERANCE
-------------- -


7. The Inter-Religious Council met on July 21 to reaffirm its
commitment to religious tolerance. The council members
discussed the need to remind their congregates about the
importance of peace and political stability in the
development process. They agreed that religious leaders
should play a mediation role in political disputes. They also
agreed that they must be a united front, regardless of
religious affiliation, and that they should therefore desist
from attempting to win converts from one another by using
financial or material rewards.

--------------
GOVERNMENT PRESSURED ON ICC
--------------


8. Civil Society groups urged the government to demonstrate
its respect for rule of law. On July 17, the Campaign for
Good Governance (CGG) became the latest civil society group
to pressure the government to demonstrate its commitment to
international treaties by advocating for the prosecution of
Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir. Sierra Leone is a
signatory to the Rome Statute that established the ICC, and
CGG believes the government should show its commitment to
protecting the dignity and rights of all people, including
those victimized by war. At the recent AU Summit, Sierra
Leone supported the AU consensus that refuses to hand over
Al-Bashir to the ICC. Comment: It is interesting that CGG,
which was founded by Foreign Minister Zainab Bangura, took a
decidedly different view from the Government regarding
Al-Bashir. End Comment.

--------------
INDIGENOUS BUSINESS GIVEN A BOOST
--------------


9. On July 7 the Ministry of Trade and Industry, in
partnership with Soros Economic Development Fund and DFID,
launched a "Business Bomba" Competition. "Bomba" in Sierra
Leone's local parlance means "success" or "prosperity." The
Bomba competition is aimed at improving support for
entrepreneurs as a core part of the government's private
sector development strategy. The theme of the competition is
"Innovation, Ambition and Aspiration." Small-scale
entrepreneurs will submit business proposals, in the hopes of
obtaining USD 2,500 of start-up funds. Two hundred
applications will be processed, sixty shortlisted and the top
twenty selected for funding.

--------------
BILATERAL RELATIONS

FREETOWN 00000317 003 OF 003


--------------


10. On July 2, the former Ambassador of the Federal Republic
of Germany, Rolf Saligmann, handed over a consignment of
office equipment and other materials to the Immigration
Department (Note: Ambassador Saligmann departed his post in
July. His replacement, Ambassador Thomas Freudenhammer, is
in-country and met with Ambassador Perry August 5. End Note).
Ambassador Saligmann said that this donation marks an
important development in the bilateral relationship between
the two countries, with the cooperation extending beyond
humanitarian assistance and into capacity building. Comment:
Germany is increasingly starting to engage on
security-related issues in Sierra Leone. While this is a
welcome development, they will need to liaise with other
donors in the sector to ensure the appropriateness of their
activities: a recent narcotics-related training funded by the
German government, for example, was held for an agency that
has minimal involvement in interdiction efforts, and
organized without the knowledge of the lead agencies and
donors. End Comment.


11. The Chinese Embassy donated anti-malaria drugs to the
Minister of Health and Sanitation at the end of July. The
drugs have been distributed to all primary health units,
country wide.


12. A visit from the new Japanese Ambassador to Sierra Leone,
Keiichi Katakami, promoted Japan's assistance in the area of
food security and other bilateral aid. Ambassador Katakami
presented the government with nearly 6,220 metric tons (MT)
of rice, and also signed a Non-Grant Aid agreement for USD
6.3 million. The money will be used to import petroleum
products into Sierra Leone. Comment: The government's
donation of 6,220 MT of rice was stymied by the reported
theft of 122 MT. It is currently unclear if the rice was
stolen in-transit or at the port; an investigation is
ongoing. Theft at the port is commonplace here, targeting
even humanitarian aid. End Comment.
PERRY