By getting APC (All People’s Congress)’s elected officials to parliament and councils, President Julius Maada Bio has released a shot at close range but failed to hit his target as the international community still withholds funds from his government.
The USD450m which Sierra Leone has almost qualified for under the Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact is still in the coffers of the United States who still maintains their stance that Bio’s presidency is illegitimate until June election fraud is investigated.
America has also stopped support for other development projects except the health sector which former US Ambassador, David Reimer, said was about life-saving. European Union, another key development partner, also continues to hold back its funds until genuine results are published.
UNDP has stopped sponsoring the judiciary owing to the role it played in election rigging and vote stealing.
The Inter-governmental financial institutions, World Bank and International Monetary Fund have also held back support from the Bio regime although opposition politicians have taken their seats in parliament and councils.
The tough and stiff stance by the international community put into effect the time-honoured notion that ‘the bird says since men have learned to shoot without missing, he has learned to fly without perching on a twig.’
Taking APC’s elected officials to parliament and councils without funds in government coffers is just an expanded financial burden that Bio would not cope with in the near future. Parliament recently shut down prematurely a month ago apparently owing to lack of money to pay bloated salaries, wages, allowances and development funds.
It is also most likely that parliament may not go as usual in the absence of funds. If government struggles to pay teachers, health workers and other junior employees, what about parliamentarians who take home fabulous salaries.
Although their salaries and allowances are considered high by Sierra Leone’s standards although they see it low when compared to other countries. After fraudulently declared winner of the June polls, Bio was a bit skeptical as opposition politicians snubbed his government.
APC (All People’s Congress)’s parliamentarians, mayors, chairmen and councillors staged a boycott of governance at national and local levels pressing for genuine results. Members of the diplomatic community too rejected Bio as they neither attended what many referred to as his illegal swearing-in ceremony nor did they congratulate him.
No gainsaying that the international community cut off cooperation with Bio and held back their funds to compel him restore the strangled democracy. The actions are back breaking for a country like Sierra Leone known for over-reliance on the international community for budgetary support as well as loans and grants for major development projects.
Bio, for four months now, has been finding it difficult to pay salaries and wages let alone embark on meaningful development projects. Pockets of local resistance by way of protests especially from the business community worsened by an already economically polarised situation.
The people of Sierra Leone wanted President Bio to comply with international demands of the publication of credible election results. Bio was a big hurdle on the way to the results since he has been pre-occupied with pursuing measures to get APC’s elected officials to parliament and councils hoping to get the much-needed funds to hit the ground running.
His “stolen mandate” for which he has received strong criticisms does not stop him. The law makers and councillors have ended their non-participation in governance after a communique was signed between officials of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC).
The communique is a product of a three-day Commonwealth-brokered dialogue, and its signing laid to rest a post-election stalemate which has been Bio’s severe headache. Once the elected officers are seated, Bio’s big doubt about getting funds ends, but his hope has evaporated since no money from come from outside Sierra Leone.
Poised to resurrect a strangled democracy, the United States, United Kingdom, European Union and other inter-governmental institutions have insistently called upon Bio to respect democracy and called for the publication of the results.
A week ago, United States Embassy in Freetown urged Bio’s government to respect Resolution-3 of the Communique which hinges on the setting up of a cross-party committee to investigate the June-24 election fraud and make recommendations.
“The parties’ agreement to form a commission to review the conduct and results of the June, 2023 multi-tier elections offers an important opportunity to address long-standing institutional challenges to free, fair and credible elections,” a portion of the press statement reads.
The US Embassy also applauds the decision to form a joint, inclusive leadership for this commission and to ensure that its work includes a focus on the results tabulation process and conduct of the election commission of Sierra Leone.
The embassy further expresses strong belief in the communique which it sees as one that represents a first step in rebuilding trust, promoting national cohesion and strengthening democracy in Sierra Leone.
The press statement is the latest in a stream of actions the United States has taken since Bio’s the declaration winner of June elections by Mohamed Kenewui Konneh, Chief Electoral Commissioner.
Konneh heads ECSL (Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone), a body mandated by law to conduct and supervise public elections in Sierra Leone.
ECSL boss has been under intense pressure to publish disaggregated data and publish the election results, and his refusal has cost Bio’s government several opportunities from the international community.
His action has always been referred as a daylight robbery of votes especially when international and local observers condemned the electoral process as one that “lacked transparency.”
EU Election Observer Mission has been highly critical of the election owing to the opacity in all stages especially tally and tabulation process. APC’s officials and other representatives in the tally office were denied access to the process of tallying and tabulating.
Use of force by state security forces to intimidate and harass opposition politicians and supporters was also captured by the EU report which was released almost a month ago.
The report confirmed that the Police and army fired live rounds at opposition party office in Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown killing two people including a nurse.
The shooting spree occurred before and during the election. The party’s main office has been under constant attacks since the pronouncement of Bio President of Sierra Leone in 2018. Sporadic shoot out at the party office after the removal of 10 APC parliamentarians by the high court was the genesis of armed attacks the office has seen quite lately.
However, police and military high command has been quite evasive of questions directed at them on the shooting without just cause.
But, EU Chief Election observer Invin Incir maintained that shots were fired at the office making the police and high command’s denial untenable. Incir made the statement in a press briefing held two days after the election.
Like EU Election Observation mission, Commonwealth, ECOWAS (Economic Community Of West African States), African Union, Carter Centre Foundation, G7+ and other bodies presented findings that were highly critical of the electoral processes.
These findings, without doubt, are damaging to Bio’s government, and the international community will not give up its struggle to ensure that democracy and rule of law is revived.