In less than hundred days in governance, the Sierra Leone People’s (SLPP) government of retired Brigadier General Julius Maada Bio is accused by some political gurus of continually violating the sacred constitution. They furthered that the absolute power exercise by the President if left unchecked would usurp the powers of the people, landing the country into constitutional crisis and make parliamentary sittings a mock session of democracy.
When the powers of the president become supreme, there is every proclivity for absolute corruption to satisfy political egoism at the detriment of constitutionality, thereby widened the gap of political divide, abhorrence and distrust.
The said desecration are conspicuous and continuous in every facet of governance, and are done with immunity and levity in the disguise of exercising executive authority with disregard to democratic principles and the rule of law.
According to some political critics, they termed the act of violation as deliberate, and borne out of the thirst for authoritarianism. The other day, one senior SLPP operatives in parliament referred to the said violations in the local parlance Krio as, “turn debt” (retributive justice). These by all reasoning substantiate premeditation of the revealing SLPP distasteful acts, which continue to desecrate our national constitution with the failure to provide required leadership ability to cohesively making the one country and one people concept a reality. The unfolding governance situation has succeeded in turning the One Country One people impression into a sham. The political kitchen is hot to accommodate the concept; as some are more equal than other in the new dispensation of political inequality.
If retributive justice is the call to the New Direction then it is unfortunate that the SLPP government of President Bio has woefully failed the nation to provide the ability to manage difficult interaction, as retributive justice borne out of nastiness has been the concentration of his government.
If retributive justice is the answer to the SLPP’s leadership ability, then it is unfortunate that gullible electorate have fallen into political prey in conclusion of a Political misrule.
Partisan politics is assumed over by now and development should be the focus. Retributive justice should not be the focus to distract attention to warrant excuses of governance failure. The political inaccuracies to gratify egoism must stop now and allow democracy to occupy its respectable place in the journey to the destination of national growth and development.
True as the maxim goes, once a soldier is always a soldier! Indeed the prevailing circumstances make it difficult to dispute the said maxim. “When rain falls on the leopard skin it does not wash off its spots.” A soldier will transform into a civilian but will never exhibit the fullest characteristics of a civilian, but to qualify the old Krio adage, “Monkey nor ba lef him blak han.” Meaning, the monkey is never innocent because of its tricks. No matter the circumstances, a soldier in governance is devoid of democratic principles, and stands guilty on the accusation of authoritarian intent.
Chronicles of event unfolding within the hundred days of the Bio led administration revealed lots of despicable stemming from rampant termination, dismissal and alleged fraudulent approval of Presidential nominee – Anti-Corruption Commissioner at the detriment of our sacred constitution.
The Bio-metrix trinity (President Bio, First Lady Madam Fatima Jabbia Bio and the Chief Minister) Prof. David John Francis seemed to dominate the political landscape and has almost succeeded in making the Office of the Vice President and Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh redundant. What is most apparent is the continuous isolation of the Vice President. He is assumed of being politically impotent in the misdirection of the New Direction.
Vice President Dr. Juldeh Jalloh is the legitimate symbolic representation of the Vice Presidency, but has been actual sense denied the privileges to perform his role of principal assistance to the Presidency. Indeed the cockroach is never innocent in the gathering of fowls. He is gradually being overshadowed by the “Prime Minister” Professor David John Francis-the holy son in the camouflage of a Chief Minister and the First Lady-the holy mother in the Bio-metrix trinity.
The co-elected Vice President is hardly heard or conspicuously seen performing State functions on behalf of his boss, the President. If not the First Lady, is the Chief Minister performing official functions of the President. Dr Juldeh, “fang ku na-nee” (sorry in the fullah parlance). The Chief Minister is no longer the “David” by name but the Goliath by nature in the misdirection of the New Direction, lamented one political observer.
As presidential orders are becoming monotonous, the nation will one day be taken by surprise to hear a presidential order, announcing the confirmation of Madam Fatima Bio as principal assistant to the President; therein all public and civil servants are subject to her instructions or else face dismissal, commented an aged retired politician.
There is veracity in the maxim, “Power intoxication is a voluntary madness!” Don’t be stunned! The bio-metrix trinity will one day order a presidential decree to suspend the constitution to celebrate the rebirth of despotic rule, leaving the legislative, executive and the judiciary as ordinary spectators; weeping and gnashing their teeth; asking for the resurrection of Professor A.V Dicey and Buck to once again explain the concept of democracy and the rule of law respectively.
History continues to be in the making, and it will never end. The Chief Minister has constituted to an epoch of a new political development, probably the best in history or the worst in history by being the first minister to have subscribed to two publicized oaths of office administered by the same Head of State within the period of less than hundred days in a political change over. He is currently the Chief Minister and has acted as Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister. Two hats on one head!
Only God knows why the technical heads in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation were thrust with no-confidence to run the ministry in the absence of Dr. Alie Kabba and his deputy.
The much published Presidential orders or decrees are a calm form of perpetrating authoritarianism to kill democracy in a nation in political transition. Stop the violation and respect the prescription in the national constitution for good governance. The telescope and satellites of our international partners are everywhere and constantly taking inventory of political events as they unfold.
