That the outcome of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party SLPP constitutional review has it that President Julius Maada Bio takes over as a leader of the party, and his vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, the deputy leader respectively. It appears so suspicious and conflicting in the face delivering their mandates of state governance officers, who owe it to the people in terms of the discharge of their duties. The decision also raise suspicions and eye brows on so many issues ranging from the extension of the term of President Bio to continue to vie for the flag bearer position of the SLPP, having ran for it from 2012 to 2018 and by virtue of the dictates of the formal constitutions President should be stepping aside by now to allow another person to run for the SLPP flag bearer position thereby allowing true democracy to survive within the SLPP party.
However with those two hats on by President Bio and Dr Jalloh working from two offices – State House, Office of the Vice President and the SLPP national secretariat, the gullible public is left with the question of where exactly our state governance leaders hold much allegiance to their SLPP party or to their executive offices, to which they were voted in to serve, and not their political party.
Besides, the country and the people of Sierra Leone are of much expectation, specifically from the President Julius Maada Bio’s administration as promised in his 2018 presidential election campaign manifesto. Though huge number such pledges are yet to be met by him and the government, and now the loads have been added, making heavier than ever before.
One thing that has to be categorically made clear in the continuing all-to-their chest conflicting leadership situation, set to desperately tear the grand old party apart, in that there is no way people of such high ranks in a ruling party to functions with overloaded positions, when their very performances in state governance mandates deliveries are so abysmal.
That is to say, the SLPP and by extension Sierra Leone as a nation is set for a mere doom and gloomy future if we were to continue with a condition where in the failed political administration can hardly meet its set goals. That is not impressive at all, and something must be done about it now to save the nation from the present political leadership and socio-economic predicaments befalling Sierra Leone’s democratic dispensation.
May God continue save the country and the people from the wrongs hands of bad governance.
Even before making the outcome of SLPP constitutional review public, governance performance has never been impressive in closed to three years now with low ratings in public sector service deliveries.
A problem which President Bio heavily charged civil and public servants for early this year during a retreat held for government workers elsewhere in the country, let alone the SLPP party now doubling the roles of the president and the vice president with those of the ruling party and that of mainstream government services, only to secure another for President Bio to run for the flag bearer position for another term, precisely a third term as against the wishes and aspirations of good number of true SLPP democrats.
Frankly speaking, the SLPP party is not fair with the Bio presidency for them to have to overcome him with so many functions and political responsibilities as if the party is drought with the qualified manpower to fill those positions, most of which probably collides with his executive mandates not to talk of his deputy, a yes man who takes directives from him.
Both president Bio and vice president Jalloh are expected to pay much attention to their executive responsibilities at State House and the Office of the Vice President and not at the SLPP party national secretariat.
By way of leading with examples as well as practicing what our political leaders preach in their hatefully charged and deceitful campaign messages to win votes and public sympathies, President Bio during the 2018 race said it all against his predecessor, former President Dr Ernest Bai Koroma for holding dual positions in the main embattled opposition All People’s Congress as leader and chairman of the APC party.
A political gimmick President Bio is bent on effectively practicing now to prolong his firm grip on critical decisions in the SLPP. That in the real sense of democracy is not for the decision that is catapulting president Bio and vice president Jalloh is not in the best interest of all members of the ruling.
And it is condemnable for which as public watchdogs of the society wholeheartedly join all and sundry in totally denouncing a move of such nature in democracy against the wishes and desires of the greater majority of the party. It is being described as too much over empowerment of the two people but what if Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh could not emerge at the next SLPP vice presidential candidate for the 2023 election what will be his fate?
