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Our country was recently seized by the fangs of corruption. The government of President Bio has released its long-awaited report from the Government Transition Team (GTT), and for all intents and purposes it is not a good story at bedtime; by all standards. It goes without saying that emotions have ruled and flown since the publication. Various opinions and reactions have been expressed, ranging from witch hunts, revenge, set-up, blackmail and partisan machinations to bury the political careers of the accused and their political parties. The central theme here is that of corruption, and there can be no surprise here. When the SLPP led by Bio took power, one of the first things that it shared with the nation was that Sierra Leone's coffers were ravaged to bankruptcy. (Photo: Abdulai Mansaray, author)
It is no secret that some of the Biovistas signature campaign pledges were over free education, clogging leaks and the fight against corruption. President Bio has not wasted time changing guards and rules of engagement. In any political climate, it is natural that any change of government marks the beginning of one's own team. More often than not, this will involve replacements, layoffs, promotions, appointments and others. Unfortunately in our country today, every movement has been greeted with suspicion, cynicism and even paranoia. Looks like every "new" in the New Direction was seen in the context of feelings like witch hunting, revenge, tribalism, etc. The fact is that if the Biovista is to carry out its contract and promises to the electorate, monumental amounts of money would be needed to do it. So, how can we expect the government to achieve these goals on empty chests? if we must believe the report?
This piece is not meant to exonerate or blame anyone in this report. As far as we are concerned right now, all those named in the report are presumed innocent, until their guilt has been proved by law. As good citizens, even if it is tempting at worst, we should try to avoid drawing hasty conclusions as to the veracity, results and even intentions of this report. As human nature dictates, it is difficult to resist the temptation to comment or express opinions; as I do now. I am guilty. However, in expressing such opinions, we should all strive to do so in a RESPONSIBLE way. It is rather regrettable that, as a Sierra Leonean, there is now a strong indication that partisan loyalties replace national considerations ; the new form of patriotism. It seems that the whole fabric of our lives is now calibrated by the principles and ethics of our political parties; and it's a state of affairs unhappy. It is interesting to note that we have allowed some to force our minds to such disastrous limits.
Judging by the reactions of people on social media, it is irrefutable that the corruption has gone from a simple state of mind and way of life. It seems to have become so acceptable that any allusion to the idea of fighting it is considered an offense to treason. We must not hide the fact that the culture of corruption has profoundly undermined the foundations of society in Africa in general, and in Sierra Leone in particular. According to Transparency International, Botswana is the least corrupt of developing countries. Twenty years ago, they were free of corruption, but with increasing wealth, corruption began to infiltrate. They fought it by means such as a free press that named and shamed the guilty by publishing front page photos. headlines such as "Is this man corrupt?" Nothing here indicates that the recent publication of the names of the accused is of name and shame. As I said earlier, there are charges and up to guilt they are all innocent in court. It is a quest for RESPONSIBILITY. So, no wahala then.
Without reference to the current situation in Sierra Leone, there are bitter, regrettable and brutal truths that we should face as a people. Africa and corruption are synonymous, therefore, our state of mind urgently needs immediate radical surgery. Unfortunately, instead of fighting corruption, we adopt it. We all know that our leaders in Africa are the champions and midwives of corruption, and the rest of us can hardly wait our turn to loot and exploit our national resources. But as long as the mbades are still unaware of their rights, corrupt and opportunistic regimes are still there, political conflicts continue and poor education systems, corruption will remain in Africa. There is a romantic saying that says "power corrupts" but I believe it is the fear of losing power that corrupts. Things have gone so badly that it is now considered unpatriotic to denounce an injustice done on our behalf.
As a Sierra Leonean, we should remember that there is only one Sierra Leone. We should not allow politicians to use, abuse and abuse our emotions for their personal gains. We should not allow them to use our tribal persuasions to divide us. Like any legal system and as their right, those who have been charged, including our former President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma have declared their innocence. If these people tell us that they have never stolen a penny from your child, we should respect that. They tell us that the funds to build good hospitals, good schools, improve sanitation, build good roads and provide us with clean running water, are used to appropriately, we should respect that. They tell us that the capital from our natural resources is used appropriately to provide us with electricity 24 hours a day, to improve the level of education in our country and the standard of living General, we should respect that.
Because of their hard work, our cost of living has been dramatically reduced to the point that every family in Sierra Leone has a guaranteed 3-course meal, we should respect that. If they deny owning mbadive homes, refuse to illegally sell government properties, we should respect that. The accused have the right to deny any responsibility for the high death rate in our country. They have a right given to God to deny any knowledge of the reasons for the high unemployment rate, especially among the young people of our country. With the best of intentions, they buy 100 buses to our Chinese cousins, and that these buses can not even last a year in service, by what right do you blame them? Are they the manufacturers? One of our golden geese has never been sold to foreign owners. The Sierra Rutile Company is still our national heritage. The report indicates that our local banks nearly failed in the form of toxic loans contracted by bigwigs of the previous government; and when they say it's not true, we should respect that. So when the former president said in his transfer notes that he left a robust economy, I believe him. Have you seen Sierra Leoneans risk their lives in questionable boats just to get to Europe? Every defendant should have his day in court and a fair trial. So why is fear, or is it a case of guilt afraid? It is now up to the courts to prove their guilt and the defendants to explain their chance of attracting such alleged wealth and, hence, their innocence. We know salary ranges, according to Kingsley Davies' revised salary range.
We know that money is true, but if a man speaks of honor, you should make him pay cash. Technically, corruption is the authority and the monopoly less transparency. By implication, this is exactly what the GTT report calls for here; transparent accountability . But as Patrice Lumumba once said, the tragedy of Africa is that Africans have the mission to canonize thieves and demonize the saints . It goes without saying that corruption is the enemy of development and that we must get rid of it. But if we want to succeed, the government and the people must come together to achieve this national goal. Corruption should never be seen as our way of restoring our faith in our democracy. If we do, our country will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything. Today, we face corruption and hypocrisy; which become the by-products of our democracy. And that can only be sad for us all.
The accused are INNOCENT until they are found guilty. Justice must be done and must be seen as done. There is only one MAMA SALON. LIVE IT AND LOVE IT
Our lives begin to end the day we keep quiet about the important things (ML King).
Abdulai Mansaray
with Sierra Express Media, for your place of confidence in the news!
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