The recent approval of US$6M by World Bank for a widely perceived illegal census bill has become a hot topic for discussion among the public. The discussions hold that it is unlawful for the bank to pour such huge sum of money into an illegal exercise.
The question of: Why the Rush? is now the most frequently asked by Sierra Leoneans especially opposition politicians. Another side of the argument also indicates that the country needs that money to fund several sectors of development instead of spending the money into a controversial activity.
It is a fervent belief among Sierra Leoneans that the census bill will never come into law. An experienced opposition politician has told this press that several sectors of the economy needed to be addressed.
He Sierra Leone needed funds for her health, economic, education, agricultural and other sectors. Why not spending the World Bank funds on productive activities, the opposition maintained, on activities that would bring tangible benefits to the people of Sierra Leone.
The census he said is not in the country’s interest. The opposition politician firmly argued that World Bank is hiding behind the cloak of politics. In certain sectors of Sierra Leonean society, World Bank has been accused of aiding the Bio administration for a second term.
He also accused the World Bank of meddling with the country’s internal politics by funding an illegal exercise. While the people are wailing for the dire economic hardship in the country, he went on, the World Bank was busy facilitating the conduct of a proposed illegal census that would not hold.
The opposition politician wasted no time in establishing a sharp link between illegal census and election rigging. Election rigging in most African states starts from the conduct of a census.
“It is during census that original boundaries are changed, and population inflated to favour ruling parties especially if they dance to whims of the international community as stooges,” he said.
The politician issued strong warning to World Bank to hold back its funds until the ruling party builds consensus among political parties.
In his argument, he made it clear that the Bio administration has failed the people of Sierra Leone adding that no amount of international support would save the party from being kicked out of power in 2023. He catalogued most of the areas where he thought the New Direction has failed.
Failings in fixing the economy, the politician went on, was clear for all Sierra Leoneans to see. He says inflation is still high despite the Bank Governor’s much trumpeted reduction of inflation from 10.4 to 8.4 %
In what appears a big support to the claims of the opposition politician, a civil servant of good years standing told this press he had no confidence in the figures shown by the Bank Governor.
He said to show a figure of inflationary reduction is one, but seeing the reality in the market is another. The New Direction Government, he continued, had also failed to provide food which is the most basic need for the average Sierra Leonean.
While in opposition, he stated, the PAOPA administration was highly critical of the Koroma regime for failing to provide food and improve the economy. The New Direction made lofty promises that thrilled the people of Sierra Leone whom they canvassed for votes.
They were voted in thereby entrusting the mantle of state governance into their hands. After three years of governance, the New Direction has nothing to point at.
Apart from its failure to make concrete achievements, the Bio administration has even found it difficult to deliver the first and most basic function of government which is peace and security.
Security of the state has been under constant threat since the New Direction came to power in 2018.
Threats to security have been attributed largely to the style and leadership of the New Direction Government. Still birth effort for peace and national cohesion by government seems farcical.
One cannot have their cake again after eating it.
The Bio administration, the politician said, had succeeded in building strong pillars of conflict and weakening the pillars of peace. The brutality and incivility unleashed by the PAOPA Government to officials of the former regime and the subsequent resistance portrayed Sierra Leone as a place where an all-out conflict was imminent.
Lawlessness and disorder have always characterised Sierra Leone since then. Most Sierra Leoneans say there is lawlessness almost throughout the country towards independence especially in the nation’s capital.
Sierra Leone quickly relegated into a fragile state compelling the commission on states’ fragility led by the former British Prime Minister, David Cameron to visit Sierra Leone and advise government accordingly.
2022 and 2023 elections are fastly approaching without much preparation on the PAOPA’s Side. The last resort for PAOPA is to embark on gerry-mandering for a second coming backed up by World Bank. The Banks’s aid to PAOPA is likened to the British aid of the Bio camp in 2018.
It was clear that the Brits significantly aided the Bio Camp to come to power in 2018. It is clear that the 2018 elections was one of the most contentious in history. A greater majority of Sierra Leoneans were very much impressed with the work of former President Ernest Bai Koroma and would not want him to go.
Even if he goes, a successor who would continue his legacy was hotly needed. The elections even created international rivalry among world powers.
It was reported that Russia, China and other great nations were in support of the Koroma regime while only Britain backed the PAOPA camp.
In the midst of the diplomatic controversy, Britain carried more weight. The UK is a former colonial master for Sierra Leone and the former British High Commissioner to Sierra Leone, Gyde Warrington allegedly did the bidding for the victory.
He was withdrawn few months after the elections. The political game has been played. Gyde Warrington’s meddling with the elections was highly reasonably suspected by the erstwhile Speaker of Parliament, Cornelius Deveaux.
At the height of the 2018 elections, Deveaux suggested to the Koroma Government to declare a persona non grata for the British High Commissioner.
The former President was not inclined to listen to the Publicity Secretary because he knew that a transition was imminent.
Backing a Political party to come to power, the politician said, was not bad since APC had administered twice. What he is opposed to, he went on, was the apparent failings and weaknesses of the Bio administration after years in power.
It does more harm than good if World Bank supports the New Direction’s census by funding it.
The opposition has maintained that the exercise is illegal, and would confront it head on. World Bank formerly known as International Bank for Reconstruction and Development came into existence in 1948 just three years after the 1945 second World War in 1945.
Its main objective was to help rebuild economies bartered by the war. It is a mandate the bank has successfully dispensed since its creation.
Almost 75 years after its creation, the bank has achieved much success in that direction.
But, there are clear indications that the bank is heading for an image crisis if it funds an exercise that would lead to security crisis in the country.