Angels and Demons
Hardly a day passes without newspapers and online websites carrying stories relating to corruption in Sierra Leone.
Some of them are high level corruption cases whilst others are simple petty corruption.
Corruption usually starts on a small scale level and gradually increases into a grand one.
Those of us on the other side of the world who rely on the Internet to keep in touch get very worried with such stories.
Even though the ACC is fighting this sickness, it is still evident that it will not stop because of the economic trends and politics in the country.
The government has brought in lots of Diaspora workers to fill in crucial public offices. 80% of the appointees are corrupt to the point that society is becoming scary of their carrying out of public assignments.
They now make us to understand why they write all kinds of sweet articles, supporting political parties and abandoning 24 hours of electricity and the better life out there to go to Sierra Leone for quick capital.
There is no denying that politicians pretend to be angels when they aspire for political positions; they will promise heaven on earth, but after they get hold of the power they become demons… corruption.
We have again been promised Lungi Bridge a year to elections; we will wait and see if Emmerson will be proved wrong again.
Equally there is no denying that corruption is devils that have contributed to the woes of our Sierra Leone.
We have over the years failed as a nation to confront this cankerworm, which has eaten deeply into the fabric of our society with all the seriousness that it deserves.
Reading stories online made me to laugh when Anti Corruption’s report pointed at the Police and NRA as two of the most corrupt institutions in Sierra Leone.
It is not a surprise to many at all. And it will continue to be so ‘til thy kingdom dome.
If you want to know about police corruption visit the CID and Special Branch then you will understand why the report says so.
These two departments in the police have workers that have houses and drive wonderful cars. The question is, ‘where is the money coming from?’
It’s easy. The 419ers, the drug dealers and the disappearances of considerable numbers of exhibits kept in police custodies.
As for the NRA, every day has its own sense of duty for goods at the Quay and also at the Income Tax Department.
These are people who are very intelligent and brainy; they always devise a system to beat the government.
Back to the politicians, they enact laws for the development of the country, but the laws they pass always favor them.
They came to clean up corruption, and set a new program that will improve our lives, but it seems instead of getting better we are driving in the wrong direction.
The most ironic of all is the knowledge that those, who over the years have been accusing others of being corrupt, are more often than not the most corrupt.
In some cases we tend to forget that when we point a finger at someone or a group of individuals, the remaining ones point at us.
In our political history and development, we have witnessed changes in the political direction of Sierra Leone, through both legitimate – and criminal (Coup d’état) ways, but the issue of corruption appears not to be addressed.
Our leaders appear not to relent in their selfish desire of becoming rich through corrupt practices at the expense of the development of the country.
Most of these politicians began their political careers as down-and-outs but end up being in the money.
These politicians see politics as moneys for old rope. For my money, these corrupt officials are losers, and for us to reduce this societal evil in our country to its barest minimum, those who are found to have taken undue advantage of our economy in order to be in money should be severely dealt with.
The reasons for coup d’états over the years has been for corruption.
If we are still poor, if we are still unable to develop our human resources, if we are still unable to add value to our natural resources in this day and age, then we should hold accountable those groups of people who usurped political power under the guise of eliminating corruption in the system with the hidden motive of enriching themselves through corrupt practices.
We are still living in poverty because a bunch of selfish and greedy individuals aided by United Nations and DfID are ruling according to their whims and caprices.
Today they have cultivated a new system of ruling the world by using social networking to topple leaders they don’t want; very soon the tide will turn to sub Sahara Africa after they have improved our Internet so they can incite us to make change as and when it is good for them.
They failed in China because the Chinese were smarter than them as they knew what was coming; they made sure all those social network websites were banned long ago.
In March, the Chinese Premier in his speech to the CPC delegates said they intercept lots of inciting messages that were meant to cause chaos but thank God for their determination to succeed and their ability to intercept them.
Journalists have undergone training for blogging so they can have the opportunity to express themselves all over the world not only in the newspapers and radio, very soon the government will have a taste of what is happening in the North if they fail to improve the lives of its citizens, courtesy of the West.
The root of corruption comes from the pressure exerted on public officials by people, the personal greed of the office holder to get rich fast and sometimes, the party’s demand to make financial contribution to the party’s coffers (Hafsatu Kabbah’s case) all leads to corruption in the country. This phenomenon which is raising its ugly head now started several years ago but it was merely seen as the characteristics associated with holding a high public office. Mr Joseph Kamara (ACC), you are trying, but the bigger fishes are still out their enjoying their corruptive practices day in day out.
By Austin Thomas, China
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