Donald Sholabumi Georgestone , Los Angeles,USA.
President Ernest Koroma took office on September 18 , 2007 , and December 26 , 2007 marked
his first one hundred days of the contract with Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leoneans are very religious people . Some believe in the Christian faith , some in the
Muslim faith , and others are atheists .
From time immemorial , certain events in Sierra Leone , are usually associated with some
religious prophets .
The Holy Bible tells us the story about the children of God , who were perishing in Egypt
under the rule of Pharaoh . He held them in bondage , and refused to let them go . So God
sent the Prophet Moses to go to Egypt and set his people free.
By the same analogy, all Sierra Leoneans are God’s children , and we all know that
since the death of the first prime minister in 1964 , Sierra Leone has been going down
the drain. She has been ruled by Presidents , Prime Ministers , and Military Juntas
under the banner of corruption and deceit .
From 1964 thru 2007 , the lives of the people of Sierra Leone have got worse , with
unimaginable suffering year after year.
As a result , people have been gathering in churches ,mosques and some in their homes , offering prayers and waiting for the leader who
would come to rescue them , break that chain of corruption , and let all Sierra Leoneans
live like decent human beings , compared to the rest of the civilizd world.
From what President Koroma has done so far, I think it is reasonable for all true
Sierra Leoneans to give some thought to this question :
’ Is Ernest Bai Koroma , the Moses , Sierra Leoneans have been waiting and praying for ? ’
To be honest with you , I do not have the answer to this question at this point in time,
but as time progresses , I will continue to give it some more thought . I also urge all
true and loving Sierra Leoneans to do the same.
So far , I am deeply impressed with the President’s first 100 days of the contract with
Sierra Leone , except there were few instances in the area of Law and Order , that I
thought he could have used , to set an example.
I am impressed with the selection of the cabinet . I do not know all of them , but after
I researched the backgrounds and educational acheivements of 75% of the cabinet , I found
members of the cabinet to have distinguished backgrounds , which make them the right
people in the right positions.
I did not find any member of the cabinet with criminal records. Some of them , might have
been alleged to have been involved in some type of unethical or illegal practices , but
never found guility in the courts of law.
We are aware by now , that President Koroma rules by example . He has promised to declare his
assets , which is very good , then he demanded that each member of his cabinet do the same,
That shows he is determined to wipe out corruption.
" Leadership by example " is result oriented. It was promising to see President Koroma
use his leadership style to get the best out of our young people .
On Saturday November 10 , 2007 , President Koroma joined over one hundred youths to
clean the City of Freetown . He took trash from the drainages and deposited them in dustbins nearby.
Another impressive move by the President , was that sometime in October 2007 , he had
a meeting with his cabinet , where he made it clear that he wants results in three months
or they will be replaced.
I applauded that move. That shows he is a ’ "No Nonsense President ’, unlike his
predecessor who was a ’ Do Nothing President. ’
Another impressive move of the President, is that from the day he took office , he has
been working relentlessly to bring electricty to the entire country.
On Saturday, October 21 st , he made sight seeing tours at both Kingtom Power Station
and Blackhall Road Distribution Center . The same week , he visited the Bumbuna dam.
He has also set up an emergency task force to expedite the return of electricty to the
entire country by December 2007.
The machines they ordered , have already been delivered , so we know electricty is coming. The emergency task force might not be on schedule , due to some unforseeable
circumstances ,but it is a step in the right direction , and more so the public is kept informed.
All of us know by now that the President cares about the people , unlike his predecessor
who turned his back , looked the other way , and pretended not to see the incoveniences,
the agony and the suffering of the people . .
In the area of law and order , the people would like the President to be tougher.
On November 23 , 2007 , at a little village called Kokuima in Kono, a group of A.P C youths
attacked a group of SLPP youths. That led to the destruction of private properties and the
raping of a young mother.
I think the President should have made a strong statement over the radio , against that type
of uncivilized. behaviour ( lawlessness).
A thorough investigation should be launched , and those found guilty of raping that woman ,
should be locked up. They do not have any rights to be walking on the streets of Kono.
That is a gross violation of that woman’ s privacy . Violence against women has been
going on for a long time in Sierra Leone , it has to stop.
Those found guilty of the destruction of properities , should offer community services
or serve jail time , regardless of party affiliation.
It has also been reported , that since A.P.C. won the last general elections , harassment of
SLPP supporters by A.P.C. supporters has been on the rise.
For example , it is alleged that some time in November 2007 , in the Tonko Limba chiefdom ,
a Fullah cattle farmer was forced out of the chiefdom with the appearance of about
twenty seven Gbangbani society devils. This was done because of the farmer’ s political
party affiliation . Why all this ?
That was a violation of the farmer’s human rights . The president should start voicing strong condemnation against that type of
behaviour . If not , Sierra Leone is in trouble .
Unlawful behaviour ( lawlessness )is cancerous. Steps must be taken, to stop it before
it spreads to other parts of the country . It is bad for good governance .
The Transitional Team is doing a good job. The people of Sierra Leone would like to
see all those individuals who have been asked to relinquish their posts , because of
alleged misappropriation or embezzlement of public funds , be prosecuted to the fullest
extent of the law .
If the Anti Corruption Commission does not have enough time to conduct a full scale
investigation due to heavy work load , I recommend that, a Justice Beccles -
Davies Type Commissin of Inquiry be appointed with full mandate.
With this snap shot on the first one hundred days of the his contract with Sierra Leone , I think President Koroma has so far done a marvelous job.
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