As if blindfolded from the systemic bad governance and under cover sadistic actions of his Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) government and its actors in a macabre dance on a sandy ground, when he made that unfortunate statement against the opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) party that it is “un progressive”, the devil Dr. David Moinina Sengeh was dancing with in his hallucination turned back at him to unveil in real time, one of his government’s un progressive activities by sparkling in his face the recent cocaine scandal that has caused the diplomatic community and citizens wagging tongues about everything his government has done that constitute bad governance and are grossly unconstitutional.
In another example of “putting his foot in his mouth”, president Julius Maada Bio’s blue eye boy, chief minister David Moinina Sengeh, in a recent interview broadcasted over the African Young Voices (AYV), rudely referred to the entire opposition as “un-progressive”, which labelling was met with virulent comments by members of the main opposition and some media houses.
It must be recalled that the chief minister is known for speaking out of turn and making comments that are not encouraging, nor can be seen as inspiring the much trumpeted but seemingly unassailable governance issue of national cohesion the Bio led regime is finding very hard to achieve.
Based on his labelling of the opposition as un-progressive, it must then be assumed that the SLPP since the advent of Julius Masada Bio has been a progressive party, making progressive plans and actions that have benefitted the people and state.
Per definition, an un-progressive person or organisation is not in favour of implementing social reform or new, typically liberal, ideas, while a progressive favours or advocates progress, change, improvement, or reform, as opposed to wishing to maintain things as they are, especially in political matters. Further still, anti-progressive is opposed to new ideas or to systems that encourage change in society or in the way that things are done.
Since coming to power in 2018 to date it has been the focus of the paopa cartel of the ruling SLPP to get the entire population including the opposition, but more so especially the main opposition APC, including their Members of Parliament, National Executives and supporters, even the media and members of civil society, NGOs and religious and academic institutions to all toe the line and support the SLPP government no matter what they say or do.
The ruling party government has shown itself impervious to change for the betterment of the people of Sierra Leone by bullheadedly pursuing plans and actions that the people find to be militating against their best interest and have severally made their displeasure known by braving the political climate by taking the streets knowing fully well that they will be met with brutal and fatal response from a state security apparatus that is wholly dedicated to protecting the interest of the ruling party of the day over the people they are sworn to serve and protect. The party expects for the main opposition and the people to overlook their material and physical conditions and pretend that all is well while the ruling party government does nothing tangible to show that it is willing to advance ideas and reforms that are in the best interest of the people and state, not the party or its many stalwarts and other partisans being given huge chunks of the national pie while the poor and suffering masses fight over the crumbs.
From 2018 to date the progressive Dr. Sengeh and his SLPP have failed to favour or implement social reforms or new, typically liberal, ideas because they would have worked out for the people, whose interest it is apparent does not rank high on the list of priorities of the ruling party cabal. In terms of the economy, the state of our infrastructure and the general well-being of the people and nation, the Maada Bio led government has not done anything tangible they can point at that says something of the progress that the chief minister is inferring that his party has been on since the Maada Bios took over at State House. As a matter of fact things are so un-progressive for the people of Sierra Leone that as the president’s number one minister was making this unwarranted and unprovoked adjectival diatribe, the average Sierra Leonean, the ordinary people, were and are still contending with the prices of a cup and 50kg bag of rice, with the price of a bag way out of the reach of the pockets of the overwhelming segment of the population.
Apart from all that have happened since the Paopa train landed on the poor but hopeful people of this country not limited to the GTT report, the commissions of inquiries, the court cases pending in the white paper that resulted from the COIs, the allegations of corruption by members of Bio’s government even up to his wife and people working at State House and other government MDAs, the passing, proposing and laying of anti-progressive laws, the bloated government wage bill and failure of the president’s campaign promise projects, how progressive is the SLPP when the country’s diplomatic image was recently slaughtered when authorities in Guinea allegedly discovered cash amount of $100,000 and large quantities of a substance believed to be cocaine in a Sierra Leone embassy vehicle that had no business being in Sierra Leone from Guinea besides smuggling drugs? What is progressive about the Sierra Leone Ambassador to Guinea reportedly being declared “persona non grata” by the Guinean Government and withdrawn by the Sierra Leone government?
So, since the SLPP government has been so progressive, the few days old incident at the Guinean border of a government of Sierra Leone functionary allegedly trying to smuggle drugs and money into Guinea is what Dr. Sengeh meant by his government being progressive? Therefore, let us have a look at some the other “progressive” policy plans and actions that Dr Sengeh and his boss have made since 2018 that the people of Sierra Leone and many of our international friends want clarity on, since they are or were so progressive.
The economic, social, and political experiences of the people under the President Julius Maada Bio/Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) leadership are in stark contrast to their experiences before its inception. Under Ernest Bai Koroma’s presidency, Sierra Leone was the fastest growing economy in Africa, south of the Sahara. Ernest Bai Koroma fulfilled his elections promises to the electorates through economic stimulus packages that made use of the fundamentals at play at the time. He built up on the successes of his predecessor, the late SLPP President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah.
However, since Bio took over, he has treated the economy, State House, the Bank of Sierra Leone, the ECSL, local banks, the legislature, the judiciary, state security, the consolidated revenue fund and a whole lot more, as if he is entitled to use them as he pleases, without care or concern about how it affects the generality of the masses. Domestic interest rates and the rate of inflation continue to make a mockery of all of President Bio’s plans for the people, which have all proven to be short-sighted hence, only crafted to benefit the President and his band of merrymakers. And when the people voted to change their situation, there votes were hijacked and Bio was announced winner by the head of the ECSL.
Speaking at a recent APC gathering in Phoenix, Arizona in the US, party strongman, Dr. Kaifala Marah said Sierra Leone is at a critical juncture as over 80 per cent of our population grapples with food insecurity, one in four children suffers from malnutrition despite the abundance of natural resources such as fish in our waters, inflation has soared way above 20 per cent, and the burden of unsustainable debt is suffocating our economy. These numbers are not abstract; they represent the harsh realities faced daily by our people.
While external shocks like the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war have had global impacts, neighbouring countries have relatively managed to recover and stabilise. Yet, Sierra Leone lags behind, a clear indication that internal mismanagement and poor policy choices have exacerbated our plight.
The progressive Dr. Sengeh must be reminded that, in opposition, the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) accused the APC government of managing an economy riddled with leakages and pledged over close those gaps. Yet, under the SLPP, the economy is not just leaking; it is drowning in waste, characterised by excessive overseas travel and poor expenditure management. Salaries and pensions are delayed, and intergovernmental transfers lag behind, leaving vital institutions in disarray.
A progressive advice was given to the SLPP government by this ranking member of the APC for the SLPP government to urgently establish a “Cut Waste Panel” to rationalise revenue and expenditure, reduce waste, and create fiscal space. Like the Ernest Bai Koroma regime, the SLPP would be progressive if they halt domestic borrowing, which is crowding out the private sector and escalating domestic debt.
Under President Ernest Bai Koroma in 2013, the APC regime implemented such measures, reducing domestic interest rates from 27 per cent to under 5 per cent and bringing inflation down from 12 per cent to 6.4 per cent by May 2014. The “un-progressive” APC government also introduced the Treasury Single Account for better resource management, which, regrettably, is not functioning as intended under the Maada Bio regime.
The progressive Dr. Sengeh who once said Sierra Leone wouldn’t improve even if Jesus Christ were to return must be reminded that his government has also failed to build upon the successes of President Ernest Bai Koroma, whose regime delivered over 1,000 kilometres of paved roads, compared to less than half that under the current administration. The APC regime brought water to Kenema, Kailahun, Pujehun, Bo, Makeni, Port Loko, Mile 91, and Kabala. In energy, Ernest Bai Koroma and co. delivered 50MW from the Bumbuna hydro-dam, along with additional projects like the Charlotte, Bankasoka and Makali hydros, solar parks, barefoot women’s solar project, 6MW in Lungi, 8MW in Kono, and facilitated the CLSG power supply network, etc. The current administration’s contributions pale in comparison.
Most concerning is the unjustified tax increases on rice in 2024, further burdening an already struggling population. Sierra Leoneans remember the days when the APC waived duties on rice, easing the cost of living for the average citizen.
But the most alarming yet un-progressive actions and plans by the Bio-led government has to do with the violence meted out against protesting civilians, the calls for street protests, the passing of the Cybercrime Law and the use of the PR system of election instead of the constituency system as should have been the case, the rising cost of the US dollar to the leone (was Le7,500 per $100 when EBK handed over power and is now Le2,500,000 per $100), the bag of rice (EBK left it at Le200 but is trading close to Le1000 today), inflation (rumoured to be between 20 and as high as 54 per cent!).
We will be remiss if we don’t mention the many un-procedural actions and plans that were scrapped because of public outrage not limited to the state of emergency without procedure, the sacking of the auditor general and her deputy, the failure of the free quality education scheme, the failure of the anticorruption fight since the progressive SLPP regime and president declared that the offices of the president, the vice president and first lady should not be included in audits.
If all of the above actions of the SLPP are what Dr. Sengeh could refer to as progressive, then the Lord be with us all as the anti-progressive progressives in the form of the devil he danced with, has taken control of his government. Lonta!