Rice and other supplies have been withheld by government for communities deemed to be in support of the main opposition, All People’s Congress.
However, some sums of money, food and other supplies were made available only to Supporters of the Sierra Leone People’s Party in a naked show of discrimination against opposition communities.
The act of ‘New Direction’ Government dishing out money and rice, in a lavish style, to their supporters through a government agency, National Commission for Social Action as well as the Office of First Lady is morally reprehensible and wasteful.
The ‘New Direction’ Government has been accused by many of emulating the main opposition, All People’s Congress in wasting tax payer’s money to few Sierra Leoneans based on political leaning.
This is a government that promised Sierra Leoneans of a ‘New Direction’ leadership in terms of managing state resources.
The ‘New Direction’ Government also assured the people of Sierra Leone during the March 2018 elections campaign that they would adopt an efficient and effective management of the resources of the state.
It was a key mantra of Bio’s ‘New Direction’ campaign.
The discriminatory and wasteful tendencies has been viewed as a betrayal of trust for a government to embark on sharing rice, cooking condiments and money in disguise of a national food basket and support to vulnerable Sierra Leoneans.
The project of the first lady to share rice in the ‘Hands-Off-Our’ Girls’ campaign has been accused of using state resources to benefit only SLPP supporters and sympathizers.
Pieces of evidence have also indicated that traditional structures in opposition communities were neglected in the distribution of rice and other supplies.
Paramount Chiefs were less considered in the sharing of the so-called National Food Basket in opposition strongholds.
SLPP operatives from the various regions and districts were seen working in collaboration with other party functionaries in Freetown in the sharing of the rice to their supporters.
In some instances, those who lost parliamentary symbols in the SLPP primaries were used by the first lady to share the rice in their districts and regions of origin.
Residents of Hill Station in Freetown woke up in scrambles for food supplies during Eid-ul-Fitri at the entrance of the Presidential lodge in Freetown.
Is the government becoming unbecoming? It is ironically sad for a government that criticised the APC for wasting state resources to their cronies.
Mr. President and Madam First Lady, please provide the enabling economic environment so that Sierra Leoneans would harness the resources of the state rather than using the meagre resources to share to a very few people.
Africanist Press, an investigative ‘Think-Tank’ media institution based in the United States has published news features and articles to show that the Ministry of Finance disbursed unaccountable state funds to the Office of First lady in executing her ‘’Hand-Off-Our Girls’ project.
The worrying factor about the disbursement of funds to the First Lady, according to the Africanist Press, is the non-accountability of such funds by the authorities handling the campaign.
An audio that went viral last weekend also exposed the SLPP Chairman in Kenema district who accused the NACSA Chairman, Kokofele of lavishing donor funds to APC market women in Kenema rather than those in the SLPP who voted for the party.
The accusation is appalling to the ears of most Sierra Leoneans. Are these APC Market women not Sierra Leoneans?
SLPP Chairman in Kenema bitterly complained NACSA boss, Kokofele to the Chief Minister, Professor David Francis, via audio recording, of using state resources to vulnerable Sierra Leoneans to give APC market women leaving those in the SLPP.
It is ethically abhorrent for a government that receives support from International Financial Organisations to pay attention to a particular class of people out of political consideration at the expense of the people of Sierra Leone.
The role of government is to provide an equal platform for survival for all classes of people regardless of political affiliation, region, and tribe among other factors.
This was exactly what the ‘New Direction’ government promised the people of Sierra Leone.
The despicable APC style of sharing the national cake only to those supporting the government is not only wasteful but also discriminatory.