Census by conventional definition can be described as a nationwide exercise involving the counting of people and property of a given country, as in sync with international best practices, and present the captured data for national development in after every ten years.
The fact that development partners working with Government for and on behalf of their respective Governments and countries in the interests of the people, are well familiar with the laws of the country – knowing fully well that the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone makes no provision for anything like a mid-term census. They must therefore refrain from funding such programmes.
Development partners should therefore have no business in supporting the mid-term census when they know that it is being done against the wishes and aspirations of the people.
Hence they should withdraw their support to the mid-term census now and redirect such help towards lives touching sustainable development programmes, rather wasting their countries’ tax payers’ moneys on an unconstitutional rogue poly by the SLPP to win the 2023 elections.
The people consider their moves along with Government in conducting the mid-term census as a complete conspiracy against the people of Sierra Leone.
The involvement of our development with the allocation of funds to the tune of Six Million United State Dollars to Statistics Sierra Leone to carry out activities of conducting the much questionable mid-term census is uncalled for, as it is not in the best interest of the people, the democratic process and clearly demonstrates Government and development partners’ displays thorough disrespect for the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone.
Gone are the days when the barrels of irate National Provisional Ruling Council military leaders determine the direction of the nation. We must demonstrate the highest regard for the laws of the land, by following procedures and due processes.
Census in Sierra Leone had always been conducted after every ten years by previous administration of former President Dr Ernest Bai Koroma and late President Dr Alhaji Ahmed Tejan Kabbah as well as the ones that were conducted in the 60s.
They all went through the traditional ten years periods and not what is being imposed in the country as mid-term census by the leadership of President Bio and Statistics Sierra Leone and their financers. There has never been anything like mid-term census, which is what exactly our development partners and the specific funding should bear in mind.
Be it the World Bank, European Union Delegation to Sierra Leone, the United Nations, African Development Bank, ECOWAS, African Union, Mano River Union and long list, are not expected to fund such programmes that does not have the mandate of the law.
Forum’s Talking Point won’t name names now of the particular donor who provided the Six Million United States Dollars, while anxiously waiting for the reactions of the entire international system and agencies on the way forward on the controversial mid-term census.
Whatever the level of appeal from the Government to development partners for funds, donors must listen to the loud cries of masses, calling for the reversal of the wasteful, unlawful and undemocratic governance drive toward a probable electoral fraud in waiting through a census that does not have the merits of the laws of the land.
Don’t ask this medium about already fixed figures set to be declared as soon as the presidential election is over as everybody is already seen coming events gradually casting their ugly shadows, all in a desperate bid to win in 2023. But winning and victories are not anything one can continue to impose on a well informed and enlightened Sierra Leonean society anymore. Watch the space Statistics Sierra Leone and Government, 2025 is not here yet. So let’s wait for the right time and conduct a credible census.
Moreover we therefore suggest to our donor partners and Statistics Sierra Leone through Government to take a U-turn, and again wait until 2025 as required by law.
The reason being that this ploy by the SLPP Bio led hegemony conducting the so-called mid-term census is very much strange, and has been badly exposed, meeting wide criticisms by opposition political parties especially the Consortium of Progressive Political Parties, credible Civil Society Organizations, certain section of the media, leading opposition All People’s Congress leaders, Members of Parliament and large sects of the civil populace have all condemn the conspiracy moves by Statistics Sierra Leone and the Government for their machination against the nation just to please President Bio and the SLPP.
Nobody is stopping development partners from working with Government, but not against the wishes and aspirations of the people of Sierra Leone.
Again, no matter the condition of request, Government may have made to you-donor partners you must consider the interest of the people above anything else, making sure that funds allocated to the country for the wellbeing of the people must be utilized judiciously by both development partners and the very Government.
And done blame the people for boycotting the mid-term census process for several reasons considering the fact that it does not have the legitimacy of the laws of the country. Census is actually not what they expect now from development partners and Government. To the various heads of donor financers of the rascal mid-term census, don’t wait until the situation gets out of hands before making late interventions. Step up now. Bow away from the unhealthy conspiracy against the people of Sierra Leone. Put your mouths where your tax payers’ moneys go way of advising President Bio and Statistics Sierra Leone to halt the exercise and wait for 2025.
