Why we should help Abdul Tejan-Cole

Abdul Tejan-Cole, Commissioner of the Anti Corruption Commission of Sierra Leone indeed has admirers not only within the fourth estate but in all walks of life in Sierra Leone; many of whom are not acting as ventriloquist’s puppets as few in the media might subjectively think but are merely basking in the glorious accomplishments of the ACC knowing that regardless of all the antics of detractors and enemies of progress over the past few weeks, hope is on the horizon for Sierra Leoneans.

From the beautiful shores of Freetown to the amazing land of Jamaica, from the all powerful United States to the oil rich Arab World, there is a new buzzword–Abdul Tejan-Cole. The name is synonymous to the eradication of corruption. The raison d’être for this euphoria is sublimely swathed around the owners tenacity to rip up corrupt mafias; mafias who were once gazed at with sealed lips and revered as the “untouchables” within the corridors of power are now bamboozled by the aura of confidence and sheer guts with which they are been picked up, investigated and convicted. Amidst the noise and haste by some corrupt figures and their supporters to protect their pride and integrity from the ACC’s tidal wave others are still blindly dogged in denials.

It was not a diplomatic gaffe when the United States Embassy hailed the good work of Abdul Tejan-Cole last week neither was it a political gimmick when The Contractor-General of Jamaica challenged the press and all in Jamaica to emulate the fine examples set forth by the anti-corruption commission of Sierra Leone. But still, despite these great compliments, I find it hard to fathom why some of us are still bent on destroying the credibility of the Commissioner.

In this piece, I intend to take an objective route tagged with common sense explanation through basic statistical evidences to demonstrate some of the accomplishments of the Tejan-Cole era to all reasonable and sober-minded Sierra Leoneans. You be the judge! Hopefully, detractors will understand why Abdul Tejan-Cole is very much loved in and out of Sierra Leone and why he needs our unreserved help.

I have always been skeptical about politicians and public officials in Sierra Leone. However, with the appointment of Tejan-Cole at the helm of the crusade on corruption in Sierra Leone, that phobia changed instantly for reasons that are remarkably punctuated with his glowing integrity, unwavering firmness and his natural belief in fairness for the people of Sierra Leone. His efforts will surely stand the test of time and enter into the pages of Sierra Leone’s history as one of the few and the proud to shake up corruption.

If Mr. Tejan-Cole is to continue marching down the thorny path towards success in executing his unenviable mandate that was given to him, distinct political support will be a centre piece in achieving it. It is no secret that quite often than not, anti corruption agencies in Africa are frequently confined to exposing the crimes of previous regimes. In the case of Abdul Tejan-Cole, he sets examples from within the ruling party itself.

Even though I have never affiliated myself with any political party in my life, yet I must hasten to say that there seems to be some degree of political will on the side of President Koroma at least to go after corrupt elements in his government. Coming to power on the platform of fighting corruption and having the right man to see him achieve that task is no small feat. To the “unbelieving Thomas’s”, there are fresh evidences!

Based on my modest training in organizational research methodologies and evaluation, I know for sure that it is a herculean task to measure performances of the ACC especially when it is done by journalists who are ill-equipped to undertake quantifiable measurements. Their attempts at analysis are filled with prejudice, inappropriate, selfishness, unrealistic and, very counter-productive as it weakens the ACC thereby condoning corruption. In my recent open letter to one of the publishers on this subject, I clearly stated that within the legal framework of handling corruption cases, opinions should not matter more than the facts and it is somehow important to tell both sides of the story, even if there is no other side. Words like “egoistic” and “self-conceited” that have been used to describe the ACC boss are mere opinions. What matters to Sierra Leoneans is result! Result! And result! Let’s get to the fact and see why we should help the ACC.

Much of Africa’s ACCs, unlike Abdul Tejan-Cole’s ACC have been consigned to a form of existence that not only constrains, but almost guarantees their inability to attain achievable levels of success. Thank goodness for Sierra Leone’s ACC that has risen above that disgraceful mold. Given some of the complex circumstances under which he has to deliver results, Sierra Leoneans and the international community should concentrate on Abdul Tejan-Cole’s performance on ‘achievable levels of successes rather than the unachievable and unrealistic demands.

One of such is to take an objective and honest look at the most recent report issued by Transparency International, the global civil society organization leading the fight against corruption, challenges the inevitability of corruption, and offers hope to its victims. Its Corruption Perception Index (CPI) states that Sierra Leone made a significant gain in its worldwide corruption rankings from 158^th in 2008 to 146^th out of a total of about 190 countries surveyed in 2009. This ranking is exclusive of the most recent success scored by the Anti Corruption. I will let you do the math and subsequent prognosis!

According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), in a different report measuring the quality of government and the fight against corruption in 212 countries from 1996 to date Sierra Leone is amongst three other African countries that were singled out for showing the greatest improvement after a decade of civil war.

Furthermore, Global Integrity, the  international, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to tracking governance and corruption trends around the world reported in its latest update for February 2010, that Sierra Leone’s Anti Corruption commission earns higher marks in Sierra Leone than all the other metrics that were examined. According to the report, in Sierra Leone, there have been gains in several sub-categories, such as election integrity, executive accountability, whistle-blowing, rule of law, and the anti-corruption agency. New legislation passed and enacted in 2008 has provided greater protection to whistle-blowers in both the public and private sectors as well as strengthened the power of the Anti-Corruption Commission to carry out its mandate more effectively.

These metrics are: Civil society, Public information and the media–64%, elections-64%, government accountability-58%, administration and the civil service-77% and oversight and regulations -73% and a cumulative score of 78% for ACC and the Rule of Law. It is interesting to note that when broken down separately, ACC scored the highest ratings than all the other sectors in Sierra Leone with a near “A” rating of 89% and the ACC laws also earned an impressive rating of 89%. It should also be noted that comparatively, the ACC in Sierra Leone was ranked the highest in that domain out of all the countries that were included in the survey sample.

Examining this humongous accomplishment is a cause for celebration in Sierra Leone.  Even though we are not yet were we ought to be, yet we can’t afford the perfect to get into the way of the good.  This is where the media becomes instrumental. Those media portion that has been highlighting the work of the ACC has only been fulfilling their patriotic duty to serve their nation with some semblance of dignity in the fight against corruption and nothing else. The public has to be warned on a regular basis about the harm of corruption. It has to be warned about how corruption undermines the moral standards of society, endangers democracy, deprives citizens of their rights and blocks development. The media’s role is not only to inform the public about facts and statements but it should serve as a vanguard movement in public education and supporting the fight against corruption.

To support Abdul Tejan-Cole in his fight against corruption is considered a sacred and patriotic duty that we owe Sierra Leone. For in the words of John F. Kennedy, he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country”. The least we can do for our beloved Sierra Leone during its rehabilitation process is to support the ACC in its fight against corruption in the country.

By Christian F. Sesay Jr. Texas, USA

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