On 11 August 2007, Sierra Leone will have its second democratic election after the ending of a decade long war. Consequently on 7 August 2007 the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) and Democracy Sierra Leone (DSL) hosted the first ever debate between Presidential candidates entitled ‘Building Our Growing Democracy’.  The debate was hosted at Lagoonda in Freetown and broadcast live on radio throughout the country. The Sierra Leone Court Monitoring Programme (SLCMP) was privileged to be in the audience at this momentous occasion.

The debate was chaired by Mr Coleridge Taylor of the National Commission for Human Rights and Democracy and moderated by Hassan Harooni, a renowned Sierra Leonean journalist who has worked for the BBC. Presidential candidates from 6 of the 7 contesting parties attended:

·          Ernest Koroma, All People’s Congress (APC)

·          Andrew Turay, Convention People’s Party (CPP)

·          Alhaji Amadu Jalloh, National Democratic Alliance (NDA)

·          Kandeh Conteh, Peace and Liberation Party (PLP)

·          Charles Margai, People’s Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC)

·          Abdul Karim, United National People’s Party (UNPP)

Solomon Berewa of the ruling SLPP party did not attend which was disappointing considering the importance of the occasion, being a rare chance for the candidates to be forced to address policies.

Mr Coleridge Taylor opened the debate by reminding the audience of the Sierra Leone pledge “To put Sierra Leone’s interests above all else …” and reinforced that the election was a chance to determine what kind of Sierra Leone Sierra Leoneans wanted and this debate was a chance to determine who was the most credible candidate to do this.

Robert Collett, a representative of the British High Commission, stressed his hope and that of the international community for free and fair elections and pointed out that recently he had watched a similar debate take place in the United States and that it was encouraging to see the same in Sierra Leone.

Several questions were put to the candidates such as what steps they would take to the address the problem of unemployment, particularly considering that the UNDP Development Index 2006 indicated that 30% of Sierra Leone’s youth are unemployed. Alhaji Amadu (NDA) stated that his party would award contracts to young people. Ernest Koroma (APC) committed to engaging youth. Andrew Turay (CPP) stated that education and employment were related and that he would commit to improving the education system in order to tackle the problem of unemployment, and emphasized not just manual labour schemes but improved career options for youth. Kandeh Conteh (PLP) stated that his party would start by reforming the energy and agricultural sector. Charles Margai (PMDC) referred to several sectors his party would develop such as road construction, small scale business and the processing of minerals. Abdul Karim (UNPP) commented that he would encourage investors to Sierra Leone.

Other questions focused on how the different parties would improve education and the health sector as well as how they would manage State security.

The last question stressed that women make up 50% of the population in Sierra Leone and asked how the parties would ensure this was reflected in local and national government. Ernest Koroma (APC) affirmed that the APC were committed to the advancement of women and women holding positions in politics and society. Andrew Turay (CPP) stressed the importance of educating girls and that he would guarantee reform to the Constitution with a provision that 35% of all political candidates in elections should be women. Alhaji Amadu (NDA) commented that NDA had a female candidate standing as Vice President and that they would have a special ministry dedicated to women. Kandeh Conteh (PLP) stressed that his party would focus on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women as well as areas such as fighting against sexual violence and forced marriage. Charles Margai (PMDC) stated that his party were putting forward 10 female candidates and that he would ensure half his cabinet was staffed by women as well as giving women half the available ambassadorial positions. Abdul Karim (UNPP) similarly endorsed the importance of women in society.

The debate was an important step forward in achieving accountability and laying the foundation for good governance in Sierra Leone. The SLCMP congratulates SLAJ and DSL in organising such an event. SLCMP hopes that this will not be a one off event but rather a permanent fixture in Sierra Leone’s political trajectory and that all political parties will be committed to attending. SLCMP recommends that future debates are held in Krio in order for the wider populace to be able to understand and appreciate the content.