As the news for an impending cabinet reshuffle filters through the public, a great many Sierra Leoneans are calling on President Bio to retain competent and hardworking executives who are ready to subscribe to the ‘New Direction’ ideology.
Towards this direction, Dr Ibrahim Sorie of National Revenue Authority and Professor Sankoh of Statistics Sierra Leone are the few directors that have been identified as hardworking and competent.
Some members of the public who spoke to this medium confirmed that although they were appointed by the erstwhile government of President Koroma, they have shown loyalty and commitment to the ideology of the ‘New Direction.’
The directors of the three agencies have been working hard to ensure that President Julius Maada Bio succeeds, and his legacies linger for years in the sands of political history.
They have demonstrated the greatest will to the success of the ‘New Direction’ and are willing to do more.
But, the willingness of this crop of hard working executives is being whittled down by threats of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) hardliners. SLPP stalwarts want to see the backs of these top executives out of their positions regardless of hard work, discipline and commitment.
Their argument is simple, straight forward but politically prejudicial and selfish.
“As long as the executive directors are appointed by the All People’s Congress, they must go,” one of them said.
These SLPPers are on a regular basis undermining, distracting and intimidating, positive, result-oriented top executives serving the administration of the ‘New Direction.’
Some of these SLPP stalwarts, some members of the public say, were not appointed by the ‘New Direction’ Government.
Most of those calling for the APC-appointed executives to go are civil servants themselves who are well entrenched in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA’s).
They are piling pressure on government to ensure that the top executive directors are sacked.
These so-called party stalwarts are selfish-minded civil servants who are not attentive to the success of the ‘New Direction,’ but mere enrichment of themselves.
They fail to realise that the retention of executive directors by President Julius Maada Bio is a sign of complete fairness and a move towards the promised national cohesion and unity.
The President, most Sierra Leoneans say, must rely on reports from parliament, Ministry of Finance, National Commission for Privatisation as well as the Chief Minister.
These reports, they say, would help the President make informed decision as to who should be hired and fired.
It is only with proper guidance from such reports that the country move towards the development aspirations of the people.
It is almost three years now when the ‘New Direction’ takes over state governance from the APC now in opposition.
The dramatic events which unfolded during the 2017 general elections, it is safe to conclude that that President Bio’s leadership was approved by God.
However, most importantly, citizens fell for the strong promises and resolutions professed during campaign periods. These resolutions must be carried out.
However, it is prudent to say president Bio got it right by starting a fearless battle against corruption thereby focusing on good governance and lawless.
Many Believe that it is this fight that has earned him a noble from the international community namely World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the Development Bank.
Lack of good governance and corruption has been extremely responsible for the country’s economic backwardness.
President Bio is definitely bound to succeed if only, ha can separate politics from the civil or public service.
President Bio’s success, many have argued would depend on the extent to which he can successfully navigate the political terrain and strike the balance between politics and the civil service.
One fundamental difference between government and the civil service, political scientists argue, is that while governments come and go, the civil service remains permanent.
It is as a result of the permanence of the civil service that placed career officials on the advantage side of knowledge and experience acquisition.
The knowledge and experience gained and shared by civil servants is crucial to national development. They offer useful advice to Ministers and deputies that help in the administration of the nation state.
Since the three aforementioned officials fall within the category of civil servants, and are ready to commit their energies to the cause of nation building, they should be given the platform to do so as they remain committed to the overall government strategy.
President Bio should not be allowed to be swayed from the right objective.
Those who are willing to serve loyally and diligently must be given the chance to do so that the North-South would be cemented.