The following is a synopsis of President Kabba's security speech and the
comments I promised to make.  Before going any further, I think
President Kabba should be commended for his foresight and for facing the
problems head-on.  There are, however, some areas of the policy that
need clarification.  Having said that, three cardinal points stand out
in the speech:

First, that the new military will consist of 5000 men and women and that
they will be subject to rigorous screening before they are absorbed into
the new armed forces. Friends from Sierra Leone will agree with me that
the breakdown of discipline and professionalism in the armed forces,
especially the officer corps of the military, began when Siaka Stevens
removed the regorous screening processes that were in place in first
decade of independence.  These included a medical exam. intelligence
test, math (calculus, trig etc), general paper, which included written
and oral English, map reading and finally, an interview before a panel
of civilian and military committee.  At each level a candidate was
disqualified if he/she failed any of the exams.  When Stevens came, this
was abandoned and replaced with nominations from politicians and
interest groups.  The result, of course, was that the army became an
instrument for the pursuit of basic survival imperatives from marginal
or underclass elements  who could not defend the state from a rag-tag
group of bandits like the RUF.  Restoring rigorous screening process
would, in my opinion, restore the respectability and professionalism the
Sierra Leone army was known for.

The second policy talks about the role of the Civil Defense Forces
(CDF).  The statement says that there will be CDF units in all districts
in the country, and each unit will report to the local paramount chief
and a CDF administrator who will liaise with the military if the CDF is
needed for service outside its locality.  The statement, however, is
silent on several pertinent points, such as the management and security
of armaments in a decentralized military, and the combat-readiness of a
CDF under the supervision of paramount chiefs, many of whom are
illiterate egomaniacs. It is a fact that even centralized armies
experience arms leakage, especially when they are not properly
supervised.  There is even a greater danger of leakage under a
decentralized system thrust on the lap of a paramount chief.  Methods of
arms control and protection should, therefore, be properly studied to
minimize leakage.  Should arms be stored at the district, town, chiefdom
or village level?  How do we ensure that these are not abused by those
who have access to them, or that they do not fall into the hands of
thugs and rebels?  In my opinion, I think there is need for an
organization or group comprising the paramount chief, district
commissioner, the magistrate, and one or two prominent member of the
chiefdom that will oversee the functions of the CDF.  This a more
democratic order that would inhibit arbitrary use of the CDFand obviate
the deployment of a military structure for ethnic and other personal
reasons.  It will also ensure accountability of the decentralized force
to the local populations.

Furthermore, I seriously doubt whether a CDF under the control of a
paramount chief will be combat- ready when called upon to defend the
state.  If we are to avoid the dangers of having  pot-bellied palm wine
drinkers, who would be woefully ill prepared to face another rag-tag
thugs, we must  ensure that, at least one week-end a month, these men
and women(?) go for training (ranging from training and retraining in
the use of new weapons and physical readiness) as is done in the
National Guard or the Reserve.  This presupposes, of course, that these
individuals are gainfully employed.  The main problem with the last
Royal Sierra Leone Military Forces (RSLM) was that the bulk of the rank
and file were under paid and they lived from "hand-to-mouth".  Thus,
many became mercenaries and even joined the RUF because it was
economically prudent to do so.

Finally, the formation of a National Service program, which will
encourage every able-bodied young Sierra Leonean to render military
service after high school is a splendid idea.  I will go further to
state that service should combine both military training and community
service, and that the youth should undertake part of their service in
areas of the country that they do not normally reside.  This should help
to foster national unity and national understanding of our various
problems.  The rebel war escalated because (when it started in the
remote interior, albeit the most productive areas of the country),
people in the city did not think it was in the national interest to
defend their brothers and sisters in the provinces.  A national service
that brings under one roof youth from east, west and south, will
accentuate how much we have in common, and of course, make us realize
that in the future, an attack on one is an attack on all.  The system
also has the advantage of ensuring potential aggressors of the
combat-readiness of the population. The fact that every able-bodied
person will be part of the military system, which itself will be
decentralized, should act as a serious constraint against coup makers
and rebels.

The President's proposal or policy(?) are good intentioned. With some
fine tuning, it will make a big difference.  Have a wonderful Labor Day.

Ben