Sierra Leone Bar Association (SLBA): Guardian of the rule of law
Mohammed Kroma Esq: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 03 June 2026: The June 6 Sierra Leone Bar Association (SLBA) election is existential. Beyond administrative stakes, the legal profession faces a crisis of legitimacy. The “Kenema Debacle” was the alarm; the real threat is the silent surrender to executive gravity. The Judiciary is [Read More]
Black News 
Mohammed Kroma Esq: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 03 June 2026:
The June 6 Sierra Leone Bar Association (SLBA) election is existential. Beyond administrative stakes, the legal profession faces a crisis of legitimacy. The “Kenema Debacle” was the alarm; the real threat is the silent surrender to executive gravity.
The Judiciary is the “Distant Third,” insulated from political patronage. The Bar must guard this distance. A “rubber stamp” Bar suffocates the Republic.
To save the sentinel, three menaces must be defeated:
- The Appointment Trap: A leader seeking an executive appointment is a supplicant, not a defender. The Bar requires an uncompromising President-elect seeking independence, not a promotion.
- Executive Encroachment: State security interference in Bar elections destroys the moral authority to challenge overreach.
- Institutional Silence: The General Legal Council must be a forge of character, not a sanctuary for the connected.
The “Gains” vs. The “Guardian’s Test”
Administrative modernizations are tangible gains. However, the “Guardian’s Test” is whether these were purchased with silence.
Progress without independence is a gilded cage. A Bar that ignores parliamentary rubber-stamping or miscarriages of justice has failed its mandate.
The Lesson of De Gaulle
In May 1968, Charles de Gaulle’s invincible rule was broken by an “intellectual revolt” of the Law Schools. When the learned class stands firm, the moral mandate of the Executive evaporates.
The Call
Leadership must not be “too cozy” with power. It must be the first alarm when courts are weaponized. To my colleagues: Do not vote for a promotion; vote for a fight for the Rule of Law. Let June 6 be the “May 1968” where the legal intelligentsia reclaims the soul of the Republic. The sentinel must wake up.
