April 4, 2023 brings back memories of 4th April, 2018 when Julius Maada Bio was sworn in President of Sierra Leone. It was the second time for Bio to preside over the affairs of a nation well placed on the path of prosperity. 22 years, Bio was out of the political scene after he handed over power to civilian authorities.
He ruled the country for three months in 1996 as a military ruler and made an arousing second coming for which many people believed that he was sent by God to come, see and conquer.
It was a moment of great hope for a bright future for Sierra Leoneans. The pro-Bio chant, ‘Maaaaaada Biooooooooo’ dramatised that hope. The hope for a better Sierra Leone enveloped in ‘PAOPA’ Sa Lone for better is not blind optimism, but the hope borne by slaves throughout the ages singing freedom songs while toiling on plantations thousands of miles away from home. It is also the hope that Sierra Leone would rise to glory under President Bio.
It is five years today, and an introspection into where we were is a bit imperative. This article will examine several thematic issues contained in the SLPP Manifesto to see how far has the President fared on with his ‘New Direction’ agenda.
In 2018 campaigns and rallies, President Bio promised tolerance, strong economy, agriculture, infrastructure, press freedom, women’s empowerment, rule of law, peace and national cohesion among others. As he slowly rides into the sunset, big discussions goes on in different quaters about the President’s successes and failures.
Peace, Tolerance and National Cohesion
Political tolerance is a sine qua non in a democracy especially a fledgling democracy like Sierra Leone. The country is still in her democratic consolidation after the war in 2002.
Sierra Leone has, for two times, seen the transfer of power from one government to another in 2007 and 2018. The political success can be ascribed partly to the will and determination of successive governments. He campaigned on the platform of strengthening peace, national cohesion and tolerance. He made it clear it was only peace that could propel the engine of growth and development.
In 2021, President Bio held a peace symposium known as the BINTUMANI-3 three conference where he hoped to come to terms with opposition political parties. He also pioneered effort towards the creation of the Independent Peace Commission to strengthen peace in Sierra Leone.
The President’s effort, for many Sierra Leoneans, demonstrated a real commitment to peace and national cohesion. Other Sierra Leoneans however do not agree with the notion that Bio is sincerely committed to tolerance and peace.
They pointed out instances in which Bio has derailed peace before calling for a peace conference and setting up a peace commission. Political analysts have always argued that Bio started endangering peace through intolerance to the opposition on the day he was announced President of Sierra Leone. His actions of rampantly sacking government officials including ambassadors of the then APC (All People’s Congress) government was one that weakened the pillars of peace. Despite his promise of tolerance, Bio failed to lend a leaf from the book of former President Ernest Bai Koroma who worked with past government officials for three months with full pay and allowances when he took over state governance in 2007.
Bio’s government also encouraged mobs for mob justice as they went after past government officials to retrieve what they called stolen vehicles and money, a function that should be exercised by the police and the Anti-Corruption Commission. Sprees of illegal arrest and detention of political opponents also went a long way in undermining peace and security in a country that is in dire need of peace. Former Defence Minister, Alfred Paolo Conteh is one among several government officials that fell victim to government intimidation and terror tactics.
Even female politicians are not spared. Femi Claudius Cole of Unity Party has been arrested on several occasions and released without charges. Former Minister of Social Welfare, Dr Sylvia Olayinka Blyden too has been behind bars on false claims. She enjoys respite at the moment as she throws her weight behind the ruling party.
SLPP government would use the police to their advantage either at covert and overt levels to achieve their political objectives. Government’s crackdown on key political opponents continue even when President Bio stands close on the exit door.
On Sunday 2nd April, 2023, police pelted bullets and fired teargas at APC’s flag-bearer, Dr Samura Kamara while en route to Freetown after a brief visit to the United States.
The shoot out took place at the country’s roadblock at Mile-38 following an order issued by the police that Kamara should not enter the city with a heavy convoy.
The Police justified their action in a press release they issued immediately after the incident.
“Leadership of the Sierra Leone wishes to inform the general public that on today’s date (o2/04/23), Dr Samura Kamara left Lungi with a convoy of ten vehicles while the police provided security coverage. The number of vehicles kept increasing along the way. By the time the convoy reached Mile-38 Checkpoint, the vehicles on the convoy were over 50, and the police had to halt their movements with a view to engage the team…” a portion of the press release reads. Whether the police’s intention is genuine or not is another debate for another day.
Economy
Socio-economic prosperity is SLPP’s key manifesto commitment before 2018 elections. They accused the Koroma-led administration of economic mismanagement through leakages. Tax holidays offered to mining companies, wastages, massive looting of state resources and racketeering were key allegations slammed on APC by SLPP.
Under their leadership, they promised, the budget would be pro-poor, bread-and-butter problem solved and the economy diversified to meet the demands of the time. Former Finance Minister, Jacob Jusu Saffa who now sits as Chief Minister gained fame for the bread-and-butter mantra.
In its early days of administration, SLPP blocked some holes to stop leakages. They waived off all tax holidays and exemptions, and enforced a robust and electronic revenue-collection system to forestall tax evasion, raised taxes to record high and the list continues. Erstwhile Bank Governor, Professor Kelfalla came up with new restrictions as fiscal and monetary controls.
Mr Kallon banned the foreign exchange trade on the streets, lowered the sale of treasury bonds and printed new notes with no one knowing what he sought to achieve.
But, others quite well believe that the policies were rational as they sought to strengthen the economy. Expectations however went contrary to the economic realities on the ground.
The erstwhile Finance Minister could not put food on the table owing to low budgetary alloocation to and investment in the agricultural sector. The economy is still undiversified as the transport sector (kekeh/okada) has taken away able-bodied youth from the farms and swamps as well as other important sectors of the economy.
With a bag of rice hovering around Le650, 000 (six hundred and fifty thousand Leones) and Le 700, 000 (seven hundred thousand Leones), it goes without saying that Saffa had failed the people.
Bike Riders Union President, Mohamed Tallie Bah confirmed that 2, 500, 000 (two million, five hundred thousand) riders ply the ‘kekeh’ and ‘okada’ trade. Where is the economic diversification?
Owing to naked failure, Saffa was removed and replaced with Denis Vandy who also has been replaced by Ahmed Fantamahdi Bangura, but the problem still lingers. Bio’s promise of stopping leakages for strong economy has left more questions than answers. His sincerity towards saving state resources is very much in doubt. No government can preserve public money by creating more ministries and agencies.
President Bio separated Ministry of Education into two distinct and autonomous institutions. Instead of one ministry, Sierra Leone now has a Ministry of Basic and Senior School Education and a Ministry of Higher and Technical Education. Ministry of Social Welfare is now two different entities: Ministry of Social Welfare and the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs.
The Lands Ministry is also two entities: Ministry of Lands and Country Planning and Ministry of Environment. A new land commission led by an SLPP hardliner is also in place.
The separation and creation of new public institution has weighed heavily on the wage bill which has has tripled that of the past regime. Public debts have also hit a record high. Recent statistics show that the public debts is over US$70. 34m in 2021. The figure has sky-rocketed to higher level at this time.
Prof Kallon’s decision to ban the dollar trade on the streets also brought its own special problems to the economy. It resulted into capital flight and hoarding of foreign currencies. A Lebanese national caught at Lungi International Airport with hundreds of thousands of US dollars on transit to Lebanon lent credence to claims of capital flight.
A dollar dealer, Osman Kamara told this press that Prof Kallon’s order to remove dollar trade from the streets strengthened the informal exchange market than the formal one. He confirmed massive hoarding in an interview few months ago.”You get enough dollar when you come to us, but you will get little or nothing when you go the Central Bank. That is the effect of the Bank Governor’s ban,” Kamara explained.
The printing of the new Leones to curb or stabilise an exchange rate that has spiralled out of control is largely far-fetched. Almost Le2.2m chases a US$100, the worst since independence.
It is no gainsaying that the unprecedented weakness of the Leones to the US dollar has led to rampant price hikes in a country standing on the fringes of economic collapse.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure featured prominently in SLPP’s manifesto. Referring to APC’s roads as cosmetics or mere window-dressing in pre-2018, President Bio promised to fix roads and bridges all over the country. The construction of the bridge between Tagrin and Freetown terminals were priority areas in Bio’s roads agenda. This promise however did not come to pass as it stands at the moment. SLPP government, throughout the years, has done little in the roads sector even in Bo city, the headquarters of the south.
Such streets as Ngallu Road, New Gerihun Road, Torwama Road and Mattru Road are ones that that have seen a slight facelift. It is not yet known whether the roads will last. The road between Bo and Mattru remains in bad state despite the aura and euphoria raised in early 2018 about the road.
In his maiden address to parliamentarians and subsequent public speeches, President Bio promised to fix the Bo-Mattru Road within months. The road however still remains in a bad state to date. The splitting apart of a bridge in Bumpeh-Ngao chiefdom headquarters along the Mattru Highway exposed SLPP’s weakness in the infrastructural sector. The collapse of the bridge created new hardship in that part of the country as locals pay extra to travel to Bo where they buy their food stuff and other life-supporting commodities. Road accidents are not uncommon on such rough roads.
President Bio’s motorcade was trapped in a road accident last year in which his armed guards sustained injuries although no fatality was reported. Private as well as commercial vehicles and motor cycles also share similar fate. The 29-kilometre road between Bandajuma and Pujehun also remains dusty although a semblance of work is going on there.
Several feeder roads in South-Eastern villages are yet to be fixed while the big Lungi bridge project is on the pipeline. The situation leafs to big question about President Bio’s commitment to his promises on infrastructure. The President however appears as good at commissioning road and bridge projects than initiating. He commissioned most of the roads projects sponsored by EU during Koroma’s presidency. Lumely, Magbele and Mabang bridges in the Northern and Southern regions were few the President lately officially put into use.
Suffice it to say it is a continuation of APC’s projects. Such failings have attracted scathing and humiliating comments from the opposition side. Former President Koroma minced no word in telling Bio that he saw nothing new in his ‘PAOPA’ administration in spite of the fabulous promises.
Education
In all sectors of governance, there is no sector that attracts 22% of GDP except the Free Quality Education (FQE) touted as government’s flagship. The sector also attracted huge financial support from donor agencies, corporate entities and humanitarian organisations. The boost the education wing got could not be divorced from the President’s pronouncement of the free education scheme.
In pre-2018, Bio promised to educate the children of Sierra Leone on a free-of-cost basis.
The promise materialised in September, 2018 as no pupil paid fee when schools re-opened that year. However, FQE has not gone without criticisms. Many say Bio’s free education is not free although government is telling the world that parents in Sierra Leone can make US$500 per annum out of fee savings. That notwithstanding, the free education project is partly and not wholly sponsored by government.
Enlightened and well-informed Sierra Leoneans strongly argue that in a perfectly free education system, government must provide learning and tracing materials which cover text and exercise books, uniform supplies (shorts, shirts, skirts, shoes, sockets etc.) transport, food and other accessories. This is not the case with Bio’s free education in which only a fee is paid. Critics also say the FQE scheme comes with a cost.
The project brought untold hardship to Sierra Leoneans as government cut off all subsidies hitherto for key sectors during the past regime. It has been reported that government has stopped all subsidies to key sectors of the economy, a factor also partly contributed to the rise in prices of goods and services throughout the country. Even weekend and other promotions offered by telecoms company were stopped by government just to support the education sector.
They justified their action stating that Sierra Leone is not a welfare state. In this situation, the people of Sierra Leone unconsciously pay the fees for their kids. In fact, they pay higher than what they used to pay in the past. Many Sierra Leoneans also state that the real infrastructure for quality education is virtually absent. Limited schools, poorly paid teachers and other debilitating factors militate against the effectiveness and efficiency of free education system.
Upon all the hype of free schooling, no teacher in Sierra Leone gets Le3m the equivalent of US$150. The burning issue of quality education through quality teachers came up at the SLTU (Sierra Leone Teachers’ Union) quadrennial conference in Freetown in November, last year. The inscription on the banners means no government can achieve sound education if the teachers are not properly taken care of in terms of good conditions of service.
At the conference, Justice of the Appeals Court, Monfred Sesay who taught for 20 years spoke on the deplorable condition of teachers. Justice Sesay championed the cause of teachers’ welfare in the country in such a manner that he lost his job in the early 1980’s. Today, teachers’ situation is still essentially the same.
No significant improvement has occurred in the lives of teachers despite good promises over the years. In Justice Sesay’s apt comparison, one can see an apt difference in social status between teachers and other government workers.”There are poor teachers, but no poor ministers, no poor lawyers and no poor judges,” he said.
A close look at the classroom situation leaves Ibrahim Bangura with no option but to refer to FQE as a “mere masquerade.” Bangura has been in the classroom for close to 20 years, but has not made much fortune. He lives in a one-room and parlour apartment in a slum-like community in eastern Freetown.
Sometimes, it is difficult to raise money for the rent owing to his domestic responsibilities that have weighed him down. He usually prevails on the house owner, Pa Alie Bangura, a stark illiterate to give him a month more to pay him after threats of notice to vacate. Like Bangura, other teachers are trapped in similar situations.
Electricity
Ganja Sesay as Energy Minister, Sierra Leoneans held great dreams for a thriving energy sector.
What appears a sound take-off point, President Bio nullified most of the energy agreements signed by the past government saying they fell short of value for money. The Turkish Karpowership left the shores of Sierra Leone after its contract was terminated.
However, the termination did not bring home the required dividends. Electricity supply became eclectic not only in the provinces, but also Freetown, the nation’s capital.
At the moment, power supply is done by rationing. Some communities enjoy electricity for days while the others go without. It is the same with Bo city, the home of the Energy Minister and ‘PAOPA’ heartland. Before now, Bo city could go for several months without power. Electricity returned there when an electricity generator was forcefully removed from Kono district and installed in Bo city, an act for which the Kono will never forgive SLPP. Nevertheless, the energy crisis has never been solved.
A resident in Bo city, few days ago, told this press that proper electricity is still a distant goal. Francess Lahai depends on her freezer for making ends meet at home through the sale of cold water and drinks. “Sometimes, my community could go for days without electricity. It is therefore difficult to make sales in such period,” she said.
Isata Amara, another resident in Bo told similar stories. Government struggled a lot in its effort to stabilise electricity in the country. Another forceful removal of thermal plant from Makeni led to protests that left six people dead according to official accounts.
The stark failings in the energy sector portrayed SLPP government as one that failed to capitalise on the over 200 megawatts left behind by the past government. Even universities and colleges still struggle with power supply. Hardly a paper work is completed within a day through a computer without light going off.
Rule of Law and Human Rights
For years, Sierra Leone is a country governed by the rule of law although there are few challenges. The rule of law concept rests on three pillars: supremacy of the law, equality before the law and recognition and protection of fundamental human rights. Although it was destroyed during years of war, law and order returned following the restoration of democracy in Sierra Leone in 1998. It got root when the war was officially declared over in 2002.
It continued on to 2018 when former President Koroma was exiting the political stage.
Initially, President Bio showed some effort to strengthen the legal system through the amendment of old laws and the enactment of new ones. One of the most controversial amendment was the Sexual Offences Act, 2012.
The law provides for a stiff punishment for sex offenders than the old law. Life imprisonment is now the maximum punishment for sex crimes (rape and sexual penetration) in Sierra Leone since the amendment in 2019. The amendment however opens room for criticisms. The amendment was followed by a proclamation of a controversial state of emergency by President Bio and the launch of the ‘Hands Off Our Girls’ campaign by the First Lady, Fatima Bio.
But, many Sierra Leoneans say the campaign ends with the ADP (Alliance Democratic Party), Mohamed Kamarainba Mansaray who is running a 17-year jail term. Hands however are still on girls at brothels in Texaco, Victoria park, Portee and slum communities despite the call for hands off. Arguably, the greatest rule of law disaster in Sierra Leone occured in 2019 evidenced by the removal of 10 APC parliamentarians in a day by the judiciary and replaced them with SLPP runners-up in the 2018 elections.
The removal went contrary to the provisions of the Public Elections Act, 2012, a law that says where a petition is successful, the court must order a re-run. The double standards in the country’s justice system still persists. What is good for the goose is never good for the gander in Sierra Leone’s legal system.
Abuse of human rights is rife in Sierra Leone between 2018 and 2023. Rights to life, free speech, movement, assembly and association are constantly threatened by the security forces. Recent reports by rights campaigners: Amnesty International, Afro-Barometre, Institute of Governance Reform among others have seriously implicated Bio’s government for which heads might roll in the near future.
Democratic Consolidation And Women’s Empowerment
Democratic consolidation and the empowerment of women should be seen as a never-ending projects in Sierra Leone. Democracy is neither American nor Western; it is universal. It has been adopted by free and civilised nations across the world. It is only in a democracy that citizens enjoy their freedom, realise full potentials and hold power to account.
They also protest and petition government without pain or threats of harm. In a democracy, sovereignty rests with the people from whom government derives its power, authority and legitimacy. In a democracy, everybody is free and equal as acclaimed by several conventions to which Sierra Leone is a signatory. It hold one creed: all men are created equal and endowed at birth with inalienable rights.
For many Sierra Leoneans, SLPP is democratic only because it comes to power through elections.It is however undemocratic in practice, critics say. In a democracy, political parties must campaign freely, no one’s freedom should be unjustifiably tampered with, nobody should be detained without a distinct breach of the law. SLPP is an exception in terms of good democratic practices. The party in power has survived to this day by means of police brutality, strict control although the controllers themselves are lawless and rudderless sometimes.
Use of widespread terror tactics to keep the populace in perpetual fear is also not uncommon. Political violence and thuggery is felt in every community in Sierra Leone making women’s participation in politics very difficult. Sierra Leone has a Gender and Women’s Empowerment law, but violence may defeat its purpose. No matter how sound the legislations are for women’s political empowerment, such objective could be hardly realised if the conducive environment is not created. In this case, an environment free from violence must be established if women are to come on board.
While Sierra Leoneans wait to hear what Bio will tell parliamentarians in his good-bye speech, the hard task is how to turn ostensible threats into democracy into opportunities ahead of June 24 elections.