Some ministers of government are at risk of losing their jobs owing to an imminent cabinet reshuffle by President Bio in the not-too-distant Future.
Although no specific time has been announced by the throne, most cabinet ministers are now very close to the exit door.
The Integrity Score Card (ISC), a method used to assess performance of ministers will be adopted as the main model that will trigger the mass reshuffle.
According to the assessment undertaken by government under the ISC model, it was discovered that some ministers under-performed and therefore found wanton.
In the first assessments, the Score Card rated government ministers according to their levels of achievements.
After the ISC result came out, it was clear that President Bio was not pleased with the performance of various ministers especially those with integrity problems.
Those found to have underperformed, disappointed the ‘New Direction’ leadership implying that they have to go since President Bio prefers excellence mediocrity.
The Score Card exposed various forms of maladministration on the part of some government ministers who will no longer enjoy the pleasure of His Excellency.
By all indications, signs are clear that a good number of them would receive marching orders from the President owing to unsatisfactory performance.
The ISC could be credited for being the first to sound the whistle on the rice saga of the Ministry of Basic and Senior School Education.
The rice saga, currently, is one of the strongest cases for the Anti-Corruption Commission, a body that fights corruption in Sierra Leone.
It is also one of the hottest topics for discussions among members of the public.
The ISC was also the first to mention the recent document from the Ministry of Finance.
It succeeded in predicting the positive impact on the Sierra Leone economy if a smart lockdown was observed.
During the research work on the Score Cards, researchers found that most ministries were working in line with President Bio’s manifesto during the elections period.
Most were found to be keeping up to the expectations of HE President Bio.
Cabinet reshuffle is one of the major tools employed by contemporary governance system to put minsters of government under constant check.
It is also a way of reminding them that a government is in a social contract with the electorate who enjoys the power to vote a weak and incompetent government out of power if it fails to meet their expectations.
The power of the electorate to kick a weak government out of power is a political philosophy that is in line with a fundamental provision in the country’s constitution.
The provision says: “Sovereignty belongs to the people of Sierra Leone from whom government through, this constitution, derives its power, legitimacy and authority.”
President Bio’s ISC model is, in much respect, akin to that of his predecessor’s performance contract (PC).
The PC was also a model used by the then President to hold non-performing ministers accountable by sacking them from their jobs.
When remaining ministers saw the backs of their colleagues owing to failure to perform, it is a great experiential learning cycle for them that will make them perform so that they do not succumb to the same fate.
Thus, the only way President Bio could captain the ship of state safely is to have the right men in the right place.
In achieving the objective of getting the right men, President Bio must accept the time-honoured corollary in public administration that: “You don’t find a job for the man, but you find a man for the job.”
Finding a job for the man connotes mediocrity and incompetence while finding a man for the job depicts competence and performance.
The people of Sierra Leone are now poised to see tangible results and President Bio must act now.
Cabinet Reshuffle Is Imminent
