What was so interesting to them is that when they came to the realization that it was not any political affair but rather to bring Sierra Leoneans together rich or poor in order to frankly talk about things that are not right, what we must do to address them and how that could help us depart from the past odd times in the interest of cohesion and genuine peace.
“I am extremely happy for this engagement as it has cleared how former perception that it was a political campaign but since it is for the good of our country I am going to be at the forefront to tell others to support it,” Mariatu Mansaray, an influential Sani Abacha trader enthusiastically uttered adding that hitherto they have been convinced to demonstrate against it.
In the northern city of Makeni, a University of Makeni (UNIMAK) student argued that from what he so far understands there can be no lasting peace, whether within a family, community or nation if dialogue is ignored.
“As human beings we do have our differences and misunderstands do take place from time to time but if there are no channels to sit together to trash them out such could lead to grievances which may end up into conflicts,” he averred. A vast majority of his colleagues bought his postulation affirming that Bintumani 3 should be a must.
In all the other places where the views were captured many said the National Dialogue is necessary for certain reform measures to materialize in order to strengthen our democratic governance arrangement.
Put in a nutshell, according to what was gathered, this will relate to transparency and accountability, rule of law, property rights, constitutional reform, electoral system, women’s right, youth empowerment, and our decade old chieftaincy norms to name a few that can suit the current demands and trends of our society.
It was noted that the vast majority of Sierra Leoneans are looking forward to the creation of a platform where we can come together regardless of background, ethnicity, political affiliation, educational qualification to talk about real national issues in a rather honest way so that we can create the rod-map that will take to where we are aspiring to reach. This was the common thread that ran through the feedbacks that came from respondents.
Affirmatively, they asserted that Bintumani 3 must be embraced.
