By Musa Paul Feika
The Chief Whip of the All People’s Congress Abdul Karim Kamara representing Kambai District have asked the ruling government led by President Bio sallient as question as to why state owned institutions wanted to be privatized instead of generating or collecting the needed revenues for the state that will immensely contribute to national growth.
Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara further asked if there’s nothing to do about it as a nation to ensure that these are enterprises or institutions become viable.
Again, he asked as the ruling the government if privatisation these is the only option, rather taking responsibility as a nation to fix the institutions by doing so, they can get running and provide income for the state.
The Lawmaker asked these sallient questions in the Well of Parliament while debating on bill titled “State Owned Enterprises Act 2025”.
He said it appears that the most of the institutions are that generated the needed revenues for the state and those that are not privatize don’t provide much revenues for the state, citing SALCAB as an clear scenario.
“Are we privatizing institutions that are below the standards of providing a single cent for the state , or are we privatize institutions that give more revenues for the state to improve the lives of citizens. What are we privatize and why are we will privatizing these institutions?” Lawmaker asked salient questions.
Hon. Kamara talked about the importance of an institution like Guma Valley Water Company GVWC arguing it has not been performing well because the government have been allocating pittance to them expected to provide water for the country.
He it is impossible disclosing that most of the mobile operators’ towers or poles are built on Sierratel, but yet it Sierratel is in bad shape because they have been deprived of the needed revenues or man power to keep the institution running effectively and efficiently.
Opposition MP said at the end of the day the government will hand over those facilities to private people “owing to or for private envelope,” re-eoching First Lady Fatima Lady’s statement.
The opposition Chief Whip Hon. Kamara suggested to the House to build these institutions referencing to Rokel Commercial Bank (RCBank), adding that the bank was at the verge of collapsing, but when it has been built, it is now in doing well.
He maintained that institutions that bring or generate the needed resources for the state are struggling to survive, in term of resources, man power as most of these institutions are occupied by inexperience people to man the affairs of these institutions because of politics.
Hon. Karama assured that inasmuch as the needed revenues are lacking in those institutions, including man power to run them, they will not do well as expected of them.
He said majority of of State owned enterprises are well positioned when it comes to customers based like Guma Valley Water Company GVWC among others.
He accused government if given institutions pittance, making them difficult to run emphasizing that these institutions will eventually giving to friends to privatize them, stress “It is a shame on us as a nation.”
He argued that as long as the government can’t build the infrastructure capacity, government in and out those institutions will do well as expected of them.
He appealed to the Ministry of Finance MoF to being allocating the needed revenues those institutions for them to exist as they are paramount to the nation.
He accused lawmakers of privatizing institutions that provide revenues for the state, but they keep saying that the country is doing well.
“Privatizing SALCAB was bad, stressing it will continue remain bad because you can’t do such to a nation that is fighting to get income,” he noted.
He said even the almighty Sierra Leone Standards Bureau SLSB is struggling to survive as it lacks the necessary tools needed to run the institutions, arguing that is the more reason foods are being brought to Sierra Leone without being be tested.
He pleaded with MoF to allocate the needed resources to them, adding that most of the state owned enterprises that are struggling to exist, government institutions owed them.
Rounding off, he urged the government to invest into those institutions by providing them the needed resources, man power without political connection (connectocrary).
He said to privatize institutions to get an income is one to privatize because them because they are burdens on the state is another.
He said it appears that the government can’t run the country’s basic instructions that provide basic necessities for its citizens.
The Deputy Speaker Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh affirmed that there are lot of problems with State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) that are managed, asserting that it within a governance structure which they must take note of it .
Hon. Conteh stated that if it is governance structure, affirming that the bill titled “State Owned Enterprises Act 2025” will not address the problems of SOE because SOE as boards and it is the responsibility of the board to monitor the performance of those SOE.
He said the boards have meetings four times in years and that it is the responsibility examining their financial statements and make sure to supervise them.
He said the bill seeks not to address the problems of SOE , instead the it seeks to set up a structure that will give additional power to the Ministry of Finance MoF.
All in all, the bill titled “State owned enterprises Act 2025” was committed to the Legislative Committee for scrutinying prior it approval or endowment.