By Joseph A. Kamanda

The threatening, misguided undiplomatic and non-leadership statement made on Tuesday 19 July 2022 by the failed State House Chief Minister, Jacob Jusu Saffa, alias J. J. Blood, that they as a Government have enough powers to coerce the opposition, sounds very much unfortunate and irresponsible.

Saffa must see himself as one of the senior most faces of the Government of Sierra Leone, and should be conducting himself very well in public, especially in capacities wherein he represents the presidency. Serving the presidency forms part of his terms of reference as Chief Minister designed by President Julius Maada Bio in the Office of the President. And Saffa should be up to the task from so many fronts. Ranging from the initiations of constructive dialogue drives with state and non-state actors, political opponents and professional public sector workers at whichever levels, to the monitoring, evaluations and appraisals of Ministries, Department and Agencies as well as other state-owned entities, making sure that Government/State policies are fully implemented for the overall gains of the country, rather than always bragging of having all the requisite powers to coerce and bully the opposition instead of lobbying them, if that is the only function he was hired for, by the Government of Sierra Leone under President Bio. The president is unavoidably mentioned in all of it because he’s fully aware of utterance of Chief Minister of Saffa. That unwise statement of boasting of coercing the opposition is unwise, thoughtless, of non-leadership and does not represent the best interest of the whole democratic process as far as lobbying political opponents to get what you in democracy. So don’t ever repeat such a war mongering statement in public anymore. And grow above that moving Mr Chief Minister! The reason being that your statement represent so many interpretations from your top leadership down to the least member of your political background, and by extension largely exposed the oppressive tendencies and dictatorship leadership styles of President Bio.

Mr Chief Minister Saffa though you pretended not to be boasting, but had already boasted of using your powers against the opposition to get whatever you want, which seems to be very fine, right and good for, and your Government. So arrogantly, you can go ahead and do whatever you feel like or want, for no one expects much from. Even on the job for which you are paid colossal amount from taxpayers’ moneys, you could not deliver on it to the satisfaction of your paymaster.  Your poor performance records at the Ministry of Finance can attest to the facts, which formed part of couple of reason you were brought to State House as a mere cover up the messes you caused to the economy and the national reserve during your tenure at the Finance Ministry. These are haunting facts you should be mindful of rather than threatening the opposition on the eve of your first term of office. By now you should be busy marketing your policies to Sierra Leoneans as we are approaching the elections. You sound blank and empty in your last four to five years rule with nothing to showcase as developmental goal that is why you are trying to divert the attentions of the people from your governance failures which didn’t work.

Moreover, nobody expect any respectful remarks from you except such an irresponsible remark, because the unleashing of derogatory comments at people and organizations are common with your system of governance and the leadership you work with; down to your least member. They are all in the unethical habits of unleashing derogatory comments and defectives against people as your people recently manifested in the House of Parliament at the peak of debate of the controversial Public Elections Bill 2022 under the watch of the Sierra Leone Police. So your statement against opposition lawmakers in the well of Parliament was not a shock to religious followers of your public dishonorable engagements. You ought to be engaging in meaningful and constructive deliberations with the opposition for and on behalf of the Government and the presidency for mutual gains, bearing in that Government is run by both the ruling party and the opposition as a Government in waiting. It does not matter how oppressive you conduct yourself to the opposition they are part of the Government. So know this and be mindful of your remarks for the sake of peace and national unity.

Such a public pronouncement by a top Government official of your status, was not only aimed at intimidating and diverting the attentions of opposition lawmakers and minority politicians from realities of your failures but also exposed you as not leader but a yes man. Restrict your utterances to professional leadership languages next time you are sent by president Bio to represent him at public functions. The last time you did the same thing by publically saying in front of development partners at the youth empowerment programme hosted at Radison Blu Hotel, that donors have lost faith in your government. That is flippancy and you must stop that and put on some diplomatic culture. For such comments shouldn’t have come from you as Chief Minister Jacob Jusu Saffa.

Back to your blunder in the well, your purpose of visit to Parliament was to present the National Security and Central Intelligence Act, 2002 to the House for debate. And you were expected to lobby and coax lawmakers for their fullest support to your proposed bill, instead of boasting of using your powers to force the opposition. Lies! And gone are the days when you just take chances and get away with it like that. As your ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party is in minority, in the House of Parliament, you need the majority, which you SLPP cannot provide at all so you need lawmakers from across the political divide to support you in whatever you table before the House survive. So don’t ever brag of vilifying the opposition whenever you are in Parliament with any serious business for the attention of the House. Besides, manage your diction the next time you are in public in order not to continue to shame the presidency.

What you need to clearly know is that your public statement always represents the presidency as the executive arm of your Government, President Julius Maada Bio, his policies and your entire collective body political relationship with your opponents.