At the end of the workshop for reflection and exchanges on political and institutional reforms in Togo, held from July 11 to 15, 2016, a few participants shared their views on the discussions and the prospects for the reform dynamic. The High Commission for Reconciliation and Strengthening National Unity (HCRRUN) presents their contributions here. Mrs Nadou LAWSON, Coordinator of the Synergy of Workers of Togo (STT), therefore opens this weekly feature.
- In your opinion, what should be taken away from the HCRRUN workshop in which you participated from July 11 to 15, 2016?
Overall, the workshop informed us that the Head of State has expressed his willingness to rally other political wills around him in order to bring the country out of the political deadlock in which it has been mired for decades, and to move together towards a new way of seeing and conceiving our society, centred on the interests of all and no longer on partisan or ethnic interests: to live and act through a national consensus.
- After the workshop, in your view, what approach should the various stakeholders adopt to make reforms effective in Togo?
After the workshop, all stakeholders present and absent from the workshop must:
- a) advocate respect for oneself and for others in public speaking;
- b) raise awareness and educate people around them or within their political organisation in the spirit of consensus;
- c) make the effort to find, in all circumstances, the best solution for everyone;
- d) and above all, always take a step towards the other in the event of any misunderstandings;
- e) follow, or have others follow, the progress of the technical work on the reforms;
- f) regularly inform the population of developments.
- Should reforms be prioritised? If so, which ones should be carried out first?
At the current stage, and in order to rebuild national trust, things must be accelerated by setting up all the drafting committees for the various reforms simultaneously, while in-depth awareness-raising is undertaken among citizens for a change in mindset and ownership of the reforms, in order to facilitate their adoption and implementation. All the work carried out across all sectors at the same time will confirm to everyone the executive’s willingness to move forward and will discourage any reluctance that will inevitably arise at one time or another.
- Your message to the various stakeholders who believe in the HCRRUN initiative of bringing together different actors called upon to reflect and exchange on political and institutional reforms…
My message to all: a new opportunity is being given to Togolese people to make a real turn towards a calm and fruitful living together for all and for the future generation. We must seize it by forming a single bloc “committee of observers of the national consensus” against our own tendency to act wrongly towards one another, and move resolutely towards our destiny: Togo, the gold of humanity.
