Officials of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) seems to have lost its way after five years in power. They have not made it out with the people in spite of fine promises made sometime ago. SLPP’s proposals were big, but could not provide a glass of water, says former President Ernest Bai Koroma. Koroma’s claims do not hold sway when one’s mind goes back to the Lungi bridge, the diagnostic hospital, increased pay package and a sound living standard for all Sierra Leoneans.
These dreams are dead in the waters. Sierra Leoneans asked the question: who made the promises? This question has caused many to dabble in controversies while the question remains unanswered. The failure to deliver on the promises leads to the next question about who destroys SLPP?
This question also goes unanswered. But, fingers are pointing at key officials in the party who have sounded the deathnell of the second oldest political party in the country. It is politics of revenge, corruption, thuggery, human rights abuse and false promises that have caused SLPP’s fall. In April, 2018, a Governance Transition Team (GTT) report was authored by a group of eminent SLPP politicians including former Chief Minister, Professor David Francis.
Francis who now sits as Foreign Affairs Minister captured almost every governance aspect including tribalism. Fiscal mismanagement and ethnic composition of public offices are ones that Professor Francis do not let rest. The reported noted that “astonishing level of corruption took place in the government of President Ernest Bai Koroma that plunged the country in its current state.”
The GTT report further labelled the Koroma-led government as a “criminal racketeering enterprise” thus recommending a judge-led commission of inquiry. The allegations, at face value, are convincing so much that the UK heavily threw her weight behind the tribunals by spending approximately US$10m to find out the truth.
On the eve of the formation of the investigative bodies, a Brit told this press that even the late British queen supported the commissions. After a year of existence, SLPP government badly disappointed Britain and the international community as what is discovered is not worth the search. The commissions did not get half of what was poured on them.
What the country saw was rampant confiscation of past government officials’ estates and their passports. It is not yet clear whether those property have been bought. Many fear to buy since many questions on the means used to confiscate the estate still linger. Almost invariably, the tribal factor raised in the report sent SLPP government into a frenzy of retaliation.
They dismissed a large number of government workers from the civil and public service without just cause. One of the affected civil servants say suspicion of being an APC sympathiser makes one’s head to roll. In deeded many heads rolled at State House, Statistics Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone Maritime Administration, Office of Diaspora Affairs, Human Rights Commission, Ministry of Youth Affairs among others. The dismissals were alarming so much that on May Day last year, a senior government official said the dismissal had brought ineffectiveness and inefficiency in the country’s service delivery system.
Loud cries about loss of jobs continue, but no miracle can be worked out as SLPP had entered its eleventh hour. Bio’s government has already almost ridden into the sunset. However, it became clear later that Professor Francis who preached probity in public life was portrayed as one who has not practised the least of what he preaches.
A US-based media agency, Africanist Press has not had it easy with the professor. The press has made scathing publications about Prof Francis’s alleged corruption. The press went into great details about the Foreign Minister’s dealings on his media consultancies abroad. He allegedly splashed billions of Leones to carve a good image for Bio’s government although it is not delivering.
Prof Francis also allegedly involved in procurement irregularities to furnish his former office at State House. The Anti-Corruption Commission never went into action owing to political patronage. What about Professor Kelfala Kallon, the former Bank Governor? Reliable sources said, Prof Kallon escaped from Sierra Leone after damaging the economy.
He attended a foreign conference and never returned. He will be remembered for the new Leones he printed, and the many restrictions he imposed that resulted into an economic catastrophe Sierra Leone sees today. He banned the Foreign Exchange trade on the streets and later cancelled it without explaining any reason. The NLe8 billion alleged to have been stashed away while he sat as Bank Governor still remains outstanding.
ACC also turns a blind eye on the act, but might be held accountable in the future. What about officials of State House against whom a dangerous corruption report was published by a consortium of civil society organisations. Centre for Accountability and Rule of Law, Restless Development and Christian Faith indicted State House, parliament and the Sierra Leone Police as the three most corrupt institutions in Sierra Leone.
No official came out to defend the names of the institutions. Those who however ventured to speak were very defensive of government. They spoke on the extensive nature of Office of the President and nothing else. Office of the First Lady also came under fire for an alleged misappropriation of millions of dollars meant for the ‘Hands Off Our Girls’ campaign. The ‘Hands Off Our Girls’ is an anti-sexual violence campaign to protect under-aged girls from sexual abuse and exploitation.
According to the campaign, no man tampers with a girl below 18 years. Huge sums of money was splashed into the project, but the successes are not encouraging. Under-age girls are still being abused at brothels and slums as the money meant for the campaign has been converted into other use. What about the ACC under Ben Kelfala?
Since Bio was elected, the office has known nothing other than double standards in the enforcement of corruption laws. SLPP officials are always spared when they commit corruption offences while past government officials are chased from pillar to post. The move angered not only Sierra Leoneans but also the diplomatic community. Former American ambassador, Maria Brewah minced no word in telling ACC that the whole corruption fight is about “punishing the old guys.”
The level of unfairness led to ACC’s low rating as it fell from 83% to 79% last year. It will fall further low in 2023. Little wonder that President Bio was among six African heads of states warned by US President, Joe Biden to accept the election outcome if defeated. Who should be blamed if SLPP loses the election? Even if it will come back, when will it come back as the stain is too much.