Ponder My Thoughts by Andrew Kellie
Several comments have been made regarding the decision by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to discontinue the case against former President Ernest Bai Koroma, thereby clearing the way for his return home from Nigeria. This decision was subsequently endorsed through bipartisan concurrence in Parliament.
While a few dissenting voices have questioned the decision on grounds of legality and fairness, the overwhelming majority of commentators have welcomed it as a positive step towards peace, national reconciliation and political stability. Rather than entering a debate that is unlikely to produce any meaningful dividends, I would instead like to reflect on a broader issue: the often difficult fate that has befallen many of Sierra Leone’s leaders after leaving office. It is an issue that deserves serious national discussion.
The retirement years of many of our post-independence civilian Prime Ministers and Presidents have been far from tranquil. After Sir Milton Margai, our first Prime Minister, died in office on 28 April 1964 following an illness, the succession process generated tensions that contributed to a prolonged period of political instability. His brother and successor, Sir Albert Margai, lost power following the disputed 1967 elections and the military coups that ensued. He later died in exile in 1980.
President Siaka Stevens retired after hand-picking his successor. Although he died in 1988 without facing significant legal or political persecution, it has often been suggested that he felt disappointed by developments during his retirement and did not enjoy a particularly fulfilling post-presidential life.
His successor, President Joseph Saidu Momoh, was overthrown in the 1992 military coup and lived in exile in Guinea before returning to Sierra Leone after the civil war. He died in Freetown in 2003.
President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah enjoyed perhaps the most peaceful retirement among Sierra Leone’s former Presidents. He remained widely respected nationally and internationally and passed away in 2014 without major legal or political difficulties. Even so, his retirement was not entirely free of challenges. For a period, his relationship with his Vice President and successor as presidential candidate, Solomon Berewa, became strained, as the latter believed President Kabbah had not supported his electoral bid as strongly as expected. Fortunately, they later reconciled.
More recently, former President Ernest Bai Koroma faced a Commission of Inquiry into his administration’s finances and was subsequently charged with offences connected to an alleged coup attempt. The recent decision to discontinue those proceedings has reopened an important national conversation about how Sierra Leone treats its former Heads of State.
Successive governments deserve credit for introducing legislation that provides pensions, gratuities and other benefits for retired Presidents and Vice Presidents. Nevertheless, distrust between former Presidents and incumbent governments continues to persist. This mutual suspicion has several causes and is unlikely to disappear overnight.
One major contributing factor is Sierra Leone’s highly competitive, winner-takes-all political culture. Elections are fiercely contested, often producing deep divisions between the country’s two principal political parties. Incumbent governments naturally argue that former Presidents should refrain from active political involvement, while former leaders may feel a continuing responsibility to protect the political legacy they built and those who supported them.
In such a polarized environment, even legitimate investigations into the conduct of former office holders are often perceived by their supporters as politically motivated. Governments, on the other hand, maintain that they are simply fulfilling their constitutional obligation to ensure accountability. Both perspectives deserve consideration if genuine reconciliation is to be achieved.
There is also little doubt that former Presidents require adequate security, not merely because of their official status but because they often remain influential political figures. During periods of heightened political tension, they may become targets of suspicion or even violence. Likewise, commissions of inquiry, criminal proceedings and sustained public allegations—whether ultimately justified or not—can profoundly shape a former President’s legacy.
The experiences of Sierra Leone’s former leaders demonstrate that retirement from the presidency has frequently been accompanied by uncertainty, political rivalry and institutional fragility. Yet each case has also been unique, reminding us that broad generalisations should be avoided.
The recent bipartisan steps towards reconciliation provide a welcome opportunity to rethink how Sierra Leone manages presidential transitions after leaders leave office. All retired Presidents deserve to live in peace and dignity and to be accorded the respect due to elder statesmen, both at home and abroad. At the same time, there should be clear constitutional and political guardrails governing the extent of their continued participation in active partisan politics. Equally important is addressing the winner-takes-all political culture that fuels suspicion, resentment and recurring cycles of political tension.
The Government deserves commendation for extending an olive branch to former President Koroma, while Parliament likewise merits praise for demonstrating bipartisan statesmanship. One hopes this spirit will endure and become the foundation for stronger democratic institutions, greater political maturity and a national consensus that former Presidents should retire with dignity while remaining accountable under the law whenever credible evidence so requires.
Such a balance is essential if Sierra Leone is to strengthen both reconciliation and the rule of law.
IN SEARCH OF GIZMO THE CAT
I may not an avid animal lover, but I fully understand how deeply people can become attached to their pets. The British High Commission’s Andrew Osborne’s heartfelt appeal on social media for the return of his missing cat, Gizmo, for whom he has offered a reward of Le3,000, is touching to anyone who appreciates the bond between humans and their animal companions.
Mr. Osborne has had Gizmo for three and a half years, having first adopted him as a kitten while living in Zambia. More than a month has now passed since Gizmo disappeared, and he remains nowhere to be found.
The many comments on social media are perhaps reflective of our attitudes towards pets in Sierra Leone. While many have expressed sympathy for Mr. Osborne’s predicament, others have noted his own admission that Gizmo is an inquisitive cat with a love of exploring. To them, this raises the possibility that he may simply have wandered into unfamiliar—and perhaps less friendly—territory.
There has also been much discussion about the reward. Some commentators feel that Le3,000 is too modest and argue that a larger reward, perhaps Le10,000, might encourage more people to help in the search.
More troubling are comments referring to reports that cats are occasionally eaten in some communities. While Sierra Leoneans are certainly not generally known for eating cats, there is a perception that the practice exists in isolated instances. One can only hope that Gizmo has not met such a fate. Hope, after all, is what sustains every search for a missing pet.
I have occasionally heard stories about people reputed to eat cats and the social stigma that often followed them. Whether embellished or not, such tales reflect the strong disapproval with which many communities view the practice.
For Mr. Osborne’s sake, one hopes that Gizmo has merely wandered off on one of his adventures and will eventually find his way home—or be found by a kind-hearted person. Cats have an uncanny ability to survive and sometimes reappear after surprisingly long absences.
If there is any positive lesson to emerge from this unfortunate episode, it is the reminder that pets occupy a special place in the lives of many people. The affection they inspire is genuine, and the anxiety felt when they go missing is real. We should therefore respect that bond and do what we can to help reunite lost animals with their owners.
One sincerely hopes that Gizmo’s story will yet have a happy ending.
Ponder my thoughts.
