By Hassan Conteh
Like the late President Tejan Kabba, former President Ernest Bai Koroma is a transformer of statehood. Both past presidents exhibited transformative leadership qualities while in governance. They both successfully governed Sierra Leone for two terms, and were globally admired. They left enduring and admirable legacies that have helped position Sierra Leone on the global stage. It’s also true that their collective works placed the nation on the right footing. Late President Kabba was seen as a true visionary, a diplomat and democrat.
Having worked for the United Nations for years, late President Kabba used his expertise and experience to end the country’s 11 year Civil War. Back home, with the help of international partners, he instituted policies geared toward transforming the nation. His successor, former President Koroma, translated his nationalist visions into realities, as most state institutions built by Ernest Koroma were Kabba’s initiatives.
Both statesmen were fervent respecter of democratic principles such as upholding fundamental human rights, the rule of law, freedom of speech, etc.
Pa Kabba played a critical role in the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) which earned him more credit. The TRC document captured the root-causes of the Civil War that saw the death of thousands of innocent civilians and the destruction of properties. The interregnum was regarded as the deadliest guerrilla war ever fought in Africa.
At that time, an experienced, technocratic, intelligent and a charismatic leader was anxiously needed. And Ahmad Tejan Kabba was the fittest in the turbulent ring.
In the midst of the warring conflict, elections were held which saw Pa Kabba elected as President of the Republic of Sierra Leone in 1996. His time in office was largely polarised by the ongoing war between the rebels governed by the RUF (Revolutionary United Front) and the Sierra Leone Army, now RSLAF (Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces).
The administration of President Ahmad Kabba was marred by rebels who continued to launch spiral and sporadic attacks on the innocent civilian population. But the skilful international diplomat employed dialogue and mediation with the rebels to see reason why they should lay down their weapons.
His innovative skills earned from abroad, coupled with the intervention of the world peace keeping body, United Nations, and regional peace peeping body, ECOMOG, helped save the day for Sierra Leone.
In 2002, the Civil War ended after the Lome Peace Accord signed in Togo. President Kabba won the first General Elections after the war in 2002. The then Head of State firstly focused on rapid democratisation of state institutions. As a diplomat and a seasoned economist, he instituted policies and programmes that got the country back on track among the community of nations.
He saw the need that Sierra Leone must be transformed to a more civilized nation after the 11 year conflict spanning 1991-2002, for which he earned worldwide recognition as a nation builder. He worked hard for the people of Sierra Leone, and not for his personal or party interest.
He adopted gender and child focused laws because he wanted to build a safe and secure nation for boys and girls, young and old. Hence he signed into law the Child Rights Act of 2007 before his time ended within the same year. He strengthened and revived state institutions to ensure that citizens enjoy peace and security in the country.
Stability and security prevailed over insecurity and police brutality. He set up the Family Support Unit (FSUs) in the Sierra Leone Police as part of the TRC recommendation to promote and protect women’s rights. He also believed in and encouraged open criticism of his administration.
And because of that firm belief, musicians were given an open platform to voice their anger that resonates with ordinary people’s plights. Kabba once praised an artist for a song in which he used the image of a moderate bird on a rice farm that couldn’t be distracted. In other words, the President could not be distracted by public criticisms. Under his administration, late President Kabba also ensured that food was on the table. Rice and other basic commodities used to be cheaper than now. He was a practical development economist with a combination of diplomatic experience gained from the United Nations.
After SLPP’s demise, the All People’s Congress (APC) came to power in 2007 with former President Koroma at the helm. In his first 100 days in office, Koroma swiftly revived our epileptic electricity problem and brought light to the people. He built roads and institutions and changed the lives of many Sierra Leoneans by creating jobs through Africa Minerals and London Mining.
The Internet, through the fibre optic cable, which is now enjoyed by most, was installed by him. Like late President Kabba, Koroma also experienced tough times during his administration. Many observers then believed he inherited one of the worst economies in the sub region.
Sierra Leone was rated as the DARKEST country in the world. Workers’ wages was low, which he increased. He also built state institutions such as the National Electoral Commission (NEC); Office of the Vice President; Foreign Affairs Ministry; Buntumani Complex Centre, among others. He built more roads across the country in addition to the ones constructed by President Kabba.
Ernest Koroma worked earnestly for the betterment of the nation. To achieve his dreams, he encouraged telecoms investors to operate in the country. He did not only focus on networking the country to other nations around the world but helped ease taxes on businesses especially telecoms operators, who in turn provided subscribers with promotions on tariffs such as free night calls and many more.
Also, his government never passed dangerous laws that targeted ordinary Sierra Leoneans.
However, when Koroma left office in 2018, the country came under Retired Brigadier Julius Maada Bio. He promised and fulfilled the implementation of Free & Quality Education (FQE), which is his key flagship project. However, under President Bio’s leadership (first 3 years), police have killed more civilians than under any other administration in the country’s history, post President Siaka Stevens’ regime. The indiscriminate killings at the Pademba Road Prison, Lunsar, Makeni and Tombo, and the spree of police brutality on university students and okada riders are testimonies that deserve special attention.
The President has never publicly condemned such inhumane atrocities committed by the police. On the prison killings and demonstrations, he supposedly blamed and referred to the main opposition politicians as terrorists. His fight to stamp out corruption in the country is globally admired hence he scored high in MCC’s (Millennium Challenge Corporation) ranking.
Quite recently though, there have been scathing reports on mismanagement of public funds released by the country’s Audit Service and the Africanist Press, an international news agency. The Anti-Corruption Commission was accused of cherry picking on the latest reports of alleged corruption. Many critics such as journalists and some opposition leaders said the country’s anti-graft agency is a defender of the sitting government.
Although President Bio has just taken three years in office, most Sierra Leoneans believe he is complacent. Unlike his predecessors, Bio, who has a military background, is obsessed with the FQE project than other priorities. A group of Sierra Leoneans also said the New Direction Government seems to justify their developments on fake projects. This Government, Bangura said, is preoccupied with singing the praises of the FQE initiative and the adoption of many bills that are of grave concern to the people.
“They launch & launch & launch but we don’t see them implement. When you launch a project, work to actualise it first before the other,” he emphasised. In the early years of his reign, 10 opposition Members of Parliament were beaten and sacked after a petition was slammed on them.
The question asked by many activists was if the government has the authority to sack MPs elected by the people through the ballot box? They also asked why the Supreme Court would fail to reinstate the sacked Mps.
Currently, the New Direction Government has laid the Cybercrime Bill of 2020 in Parliament in spite of stiff resistance from the opposition, whose members have also challenged the promulgation of three principal laws. The bills are yet to be debated by MPs owing to their repressive nature.
However, if the documents, especially the Cybercrime Bill, take the statutory 21 days in Parliament, they will automatically become law, even without being debated.
So the tussle still exists between the opposition parties and the ruling government to pass the three contentious bills, namely: The Cybercrime Bill, the Mid-Term Census and Non- Partisan Local Councils.
Meanwhile, a group of 11 opposition parties called the Consortium of Progressive Political Parties (COPPP) earlier raised concerns that the Mid-Term Census, which is expected to start middle of this month, and political parties being exempted from participating in local council elections, are ploys and illicit tactics by the government to easily rig the upcoming 2023 elections.