Most people would agree with me that 3 (three) years of a presidency, running the affairs of a state, are not enough to assess today’s rulers. Simply because of the extensive social needs of the people coupled with the pressure exerted by external interferences.
Most Heads of State are overwhelmingly consumed by new events, money which they have never dreamt of setting eyes on, pressure from the hungry rogues, pride, ignorance and more pressure from the rich nations
Manifestos are written elsewhere by orators and kingmakers, vengeance come their way, infidelity, sinful thoughts and deeds, all play their part.
For me, all these adversaries are nothing but distractions, for a leader must have a focus irrespective of anything. But, again, the saying goes that, ‘if you witness a sparkling bachelor’s eve; that is indicative of a very successful marriage ceremony the next day.’
The late John Magufuli of Tanzania did it in two years when he took power. He quickly made some very sweeping changes- he implemented a clear course of direction. Propagated his dreams and pursued them vigorously. He quickly transformed his people from thinking that the Northern Hemisphere of the Americas, Europe and Asian are not better but it is just for one to think home.
He did not come to rebrand his country through Diaspora intervention, but used his people, their resources, sent them to work, to till the land; he built infrastructures, put up superstructures. He did not use PhDs to top his regime but the middle level man power.
Paul Gegamy of Rwanda emerged from the cradle of war, preached equality and fraternity. He united the Hutus and the Tutsi tribes to become Rwandese. He transformed that country to a middle class citizenry.
The great Madiba Nelson Mandela left a legacy that is admired worldwide. Houphoute Boigny of La Cote D’Ivoire, Leopold Sedar Senghor of Senegal modernised his country to Petite Paris. Late Jerry Rawlings of Ghana turned round the people of Ghana to believe in themselves. These are all successful African leaders whose countries are described as the best in Black Africa today.
You may wonder why is it so for some countries that make them progressive while others are just not there. Is it a magic? No. It is all about leadership. Leadership entails acquiring the self actualization stage in life and protects your personality. Being able to choose the right people, identify the strengths from weaknesses, know the right time to do, the right source of your finances, choice of good examples from the past leaders. But to the greatest extent, and most importantly, KNOWING THE REALITY of what lie ahead…where you are and what you wish to achieve.
Sierra Leone is yet to be endowed with such leaders who possess personal spirit, and agenda to refuse to be contaminated by desperate politicians. Identify those who only care to protect their personal ambition. Weed out the weeds. Make a show of force militarily.
All past Presidents of this country have suffered from inconsistencies within their quest to do well for their country because they relied on people with academic qualifications and not leadership charisma, especially those who gave money to them during the period of hard times.
In fact, those from the Diaspora…..hungry they are to transfer money back to their second homes see nothing but money.
In this country, people always blame those surrounding the Presidency for indulging into misplaced adventures. But, for me, a true and strong leader should have a head. A weak one relies on others’ advice at all times.
The human nature tells me that, as long as the direction of a charging snake is away from the colleague hunter, he will keep pelting debris at it. Naturally people do not care to do wrong things as long as the responsibility is not theirs.
If it smells, it is the President that bears the brunt of criticism. So why go out in all the TV and Radio stations to tell anybody that this is what you have achieved or not achieved? The people know it all and know even more than what you are saying.
In the book of Julius Caesar, Mark Antonio once said, in his speech that, “…the evil that men do lives after them …. if yu do good, good go falla yu. It is only a bad workman that always blames his tool.
This government is barely in touch with the people of this country, simply because it has failed to make any sparkling transformation, either in the attitude of the people or the basic aspiration.
Three years down the line we should not have been importing rice. Our produce sector, exports (cocoa coffee and palm oil, etc) should have been expanding on a larger scale and not in the hands of foreigners. Our mines should have been under our fullest control. Our universities should have been upgraded to standards compared with the ones in the Eastern and Southern Africa.
At least one of our rivers should have been identified for a hydro dam. The bridge between our local government and the central government would have been narrowed to allow all paramount chiefs to be privy of cabinet decisions.
Public works, sanitary, road maintenance, village community health deliveries should all have been put in place. Look at how filthy are the new roads that are constructed by the Chinese in western Freetown.
Freetown should have been fully decentralized with council houses manning local Court Barrys,’ tax collection and cleaning of public properties, the roads’ pavement maintenance of discipline.
A Bad Transport System
A very good arrangement with external investors to run commuter buses would have been in place to replace the career killer bike riding syndrome.
Three years down the line, the Ministry of Trade would have set up a local market system that put standards for all products, where measuring scales for certain marketable foodstuffs, like sugar, salt, pepper, groundnuts, oil and fish, are implemented.
Three years down the line our educational system still support the blackboard teaching methods, but does not buy iron smelling machines, blacksmithing, clay designing, technical drawing, marine technology, fishing, crop and animal farming teaching to early stage learners.
The late Julius Nyerere of Tanzania did it. These Southern Presidents are a good stuff. This government needs something special to show that it is not business as usual. It needs to go down to the people, plan progress with the people, set up a secretariat for the Free Quality Education, set up a Policy Advisory Council that monitors MDAs, make land policy for agricultural investment and investors guidelines, train personnel for our mines as Government Representative in the main mining sites, sell abundant fish inland and protect transshipment.