By Joseph A. Kamanda
The People of Sierra Leone are fed up and tired of too much excuses from President Julius Maada Bio and his ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP)’s Government, with blame games and delaying tactics everywhere.
Hard works and results are highly needed now than empty excuses. And as the wise saying goes; “a man must work hard as past glories cannot feed the children,” hence no matter what the situation is, President Bio and the SLPP Government must up their guards now, by working very hard to deliver the people from the present state of messy economic affairs as promised rather than the nation continue to suffer in imposed hand to mouth hardship on the path of excuses and blame games after the other.
Outcries are emerging from all corners of the country about the current economic hardship barely after two years two months of massive failures in governance by President Bio and his SLPP party to deliver the social economic the needs of the people, as he vowed in his 2018 presidential campaign elections manifesto. Unfulfilled pledges that are still fresh in the hearts and minds of Sierra Leoneans, who actually voted Bio Government in, on the platform of change, from the last administration to a better one they expected, though it is yet to be actualized.
Such political pledges and promises are still not met yet to the wishes and expectations of Sierra Leoneans at home and abroad. And the high level of Government’s deceptions continues to ignite frustrations, anger and hate for the Government from among members of the public against the ruling party and those serving therein at every levels, to a point that whenever people see the presidential motorcade plying major roads and streets and roads in Freetown, all they react with are persistent resentments and grumblings, almost everywhere one goes in the country.
This situation of perpetual basking in regrets and frustrations against ruling elites’ lies and deceptions are not only limited to Freetown but cuts across the country and even beyond boarders, with most of critically minded Sierra Leoneans are now of the views that President Bio, the Government and the SLPP party collective failures to deliver Sierra Leoneans from economic hardship should not be tolerated any longer. “Failure is not an option,” once said by a former President of Sierra Leone.
Moreover, the SLPP President Bio led regime is therefore being urged not waste time to transfer power to the Government in waiting, the “formidable trailblazer” the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) come the next elections in 2023, as the country and the people can hardly afford to revert to imposed abject poverty and retrogressions, like they have come through in the last two years and are presently being faced with in the remaining year and few months left for the SLPP administration.
From all fronts, on new and traditional media President Bio is being pushed to effect positive change in governance, i.e. to reshuffle his cabinet and appoint people to positions of trust with the right qualifications to hold offices based on their academic credentials instead of putting square pegs in round holes, as it is now with his siblings, friends, family members to name the few, who have brought civil and public services to its knees all because of undeserved political patronage.
President Bio and his Government are also being constantly charged to provide the nation with a cabinet with a national character this time around and not with people from the south and east, incompetent SLPP United Kingdom and Ireland branches members and supporters, who have buried standards in state governance to the lowest ebbs. That is why one has no reason to ask why the massive failure in delivering on the set goals of President Bio, the SLPP Government and that of the bogus New Direction agenda.
The reasons being is patronage failing to note that when every performance and underperformance of the Government come out, the blame, praises and credits goes to the leader. Also the Government and President thus must ensure that they deliver well on their promises and carry the praises home for the proposed good works if ever any. And besides, the Government and the presidency should not forget that all other people working with the regime, apart from elected Members of Parliament and councillors, were not voted for, which is why much is expected from President Bio, his SLPP MPs cabinet ministers and the Government to measure up now in terms of service delivery for the overall benefits of people who are in dire need of formidable economic reforms with improved standards of living and not excuses after two years of deep slumber.
It is no long a secret that so many funds have been poured in from donors including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and others, be it for mitigation of the global coronavirus pandemic or for the purpose of economic recovery to enable Government improve on the living standards of the people, yet nothing is there to show neither economically realized as far as the “bread” and “butter” matters are concerned amidst hike in prises of food stuffs and essential commodities. Those blames go directly to the Government and not the ordinary man down there but those governing including President Bio and his team of failed governors.
Therefore if Government has received all the goodies of lump sums from donors including the World Bank, the IMF and others then the country continue to experience economic suffering then reasons must be provided for an immediate economic reforms now to end the unnecessary blame games here and there with excuses for which President Bio must stand tall, up his guards and be well ready to deliver the people of Sierra Leone from all forms of inflicted economic mess
