In order to pursue accountability and discourage corruption, the declaration of assets has been a keystone of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). That exercise was done with some consciousness under the former Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) but, under the APC, it became a mechanical exercise.
When former Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, relinquished power she publickly declared her assets as a mark of Transparency. By so doing she proved that she was leading by example.
The sole purpose of assets declaration is to find out whether the assets of a public official are commensurate with his/her earnings. It longer comes as a surprise that citizens appointed or elected to public office become wealthy overnight as it were while their assets are not commensurate with their official earnings.
It is a pity that the APC succeeded in bastradizing the purpose of the assets declaration.
The Asset Declaration Forms were designed in such a way that even office messengers were required to declare their assets. They were factored in to prove that there were no exceptions to the rule even with ridiculous clauses.
In order to be seen to be effective they added prosecutorial powers to the Commission which, again, was ill-used with apparent favouritism to the gentry. The exercise has been moved from manual to electronic with the excuse that manually filled forms become unwieldy.
But the catch is that unlike the manual forms that were to be verified by justices of the Peace and Commissioners of Oath the electronic forms were not subject to verification, meaning that one can fill anything false. That is another 419 get away by the APC schemers.
Just before the last elections, one of the Presidential candidates, Mohamed Kamarainmba Mansaray, declared his assets but that shining example was not replicated by the other candidates. Dr. Ernest Koroma, former President, was said to have been declaring his assets secretly like all others.
The thrust of this editorial is for the Public declaration of assets and their proper verification. Like Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the peoples still need to know the assets of Ernest Koroma when he ascended to power and when he left.
President Julius Maada Bio is hereby implored to declare his assets as an exemplar and the rest of the cabinet and other public officials will follow suit.
It is necessary for each public official, including parliamentarians, to start their official duties on a clean slate and all will be well. Otherwise there is going to be doubtful acceptance of the SLPP claims to accountability.