As people fret over inflation and corruption, does the President need a second term?

Ostensibly, it is a fact that Sierra Leone had been plagued with political, economical and social adversities since those years of yore, after independence, in 1961. Since independence the country had been driven apart by bad governance, corruption, illiteracy and poor infrastructure. Worst of all, the economics of the country would leave everyone grim. Therefore, critics with a ‘visceral hatred’ for the current regime to think the unthinkable, that there will be a quick fix to these myriad of problems within ten years or let alone five years is a boisterous comedy. A farce! The government under the astute leadership of H.E Ernest Bai Koroma is trying very hard to find the necessary panacea to this social and economic malaise that had been inhibiting Sierra Leone from developments since independence. (Photo: Idrissa Koroma, author)

Yes, it is true that past APC regimes should have done better to lift Sierra Leone out of the conundrum of poor infrastructures, bad governance, illiteracy and economic woes. Though, that wasn’t the case, the ‘New APC’ with its sacred document (manifesto) the Agenda for Change, has mapped out development projects for energy, agriculture, infrastructure, health and education which they believed will change the life of every Sierra Leoneans and curb poverty in the foreseeable future. Hence, by all accounts and in evidence, people have started enjoying 24 hours light especially in the sprawling city of Freetown and some other provincial headquarter towns of Bo, Makeni recently, Kenema etc; roads have been constructed in every region; pregnant women, lactating mothers and children under five from every nook and cranny across the country are benefiting from a Free Health Care Initiative. Also, the implementation of the Smallholder Commercialization Programme is an added feather to the cap of the President. This initiative will not only help farmers to wither the storm from that of subsistence farming to one that will provide a wider market for their produce, but will help push the country toward food sufficiency. Though education and corruption still remain a chronic malady to the developmental strides of the government, but for his vision to increase the human resource skills of the country, the President had hounded the adept services of Professor Gbamanja, to overhaul the educational system as contained in the blue print of the Professor’s Commission of Inquiry.

However, corruption still remains rife in the country, and has created a smoke screen on the good works of the President and his government. In recent months there have been reports by local tabloids and internationally acclaimed website Wikileaks, about corruption in government’s departments as well as high profile government officials. This does not make for pleasant reading.

At the same time, the Anti Corruption czar Joseph F Kamara said not long ago, that the Anti Corruption Commission is loaded with a motley amount of corruption cases. Hence, it is no secret that the decision to make an out of court settlement on the NASSIT ferry case had made a mincemeat of the commission with regards to the  handling of some high profile cases. Also the sacking of the head of the nation’s 50^th Independence Celebration Committee, recently by the President for corruption, and the WikiLeaks allegation against the minister of defence has raised the question if the government’s zero tolerance on corruption is going to succeed. While it will be readily admitted that the President will not only be squirming on this latest corruption allegations against his top government officials, he will also face tough strictures from the opposition and sceptics. By all indications, it is a seeming fact that politics in Sierra Leone has become a happy hunting ground for political rodents, thieves if you prefer, to line their pockets with overseas aid and tax payer’s monies. The Wikileaks report laid bare the seeming greed and the lukewarm attitudes by some government ministers and heads of parastatals in helping the President on his ambitious plans to fighting corruption. It is clear that the president would be livid in perusing this report by WikiLeaks, and critics of the President and his government will receive the information with glee. They will also take the fight of corruption by the government as a publicity stunt, a gimmick.

In my view, the fight against corruption by the Ernest Bai Koroma led administration is far more effective than the era of his predecessor – Ahmed Tejan Kabba’s administration. Under the previous regime, the Anti Corruption Commission was a white elephant. Government officials swindled monies meant for development projects with impunity. Corruption however small should not be taken lightly but seriously, which the previous regime failed to do. With all this corruption anathema, Sierra Leone under Ernest Bai Koroma, enjoys the unfettered restrictions to freedom of expressions as it is now a safe haven for journalists.

While the people continue to fret over these peat bogs of corruption, unemployment, rise in the cost of living due to inflation and a systematic increase in poverty level. Does he or probably, doesn’t he needs a second term? The President! But as nemesis was followed by hubris, Sierra Leone a country which was once tagged with the darkest city in the world is now enjoying continuous power supply under the dynamic leadership of H.E Ernest Bai Koroma. Apparently, the amount of developmental projects that have been completed or at the brink of completion under this APC regime through the clout of the President Ernest Bai Koroma, far outweigh the regime leading up to it. So, in my view he needs a second stint in power. Lonta!

by Idrissa Koroma (Babito), UK

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