Socratic Method
By Gibril Koroma, Patriotic Vanguard publisher, Toronto, Canada
Witch hunt: True or false?
1. What is a witch hunt?
Well, a witch hunt is a witch hunt. People go out and look for witches to catch. It happened in Europe. It happened and is still happening in Africa and other parts of the world.
2. What is a Commission of Enquiry?
A Commission of Enquiry is a group of people mandated to look into or investigate and in some cases convict people accused of something. There have been many Commissions of Enquiry in the history of Sierra Leone, a lot of them on corruption. The recommendations of some were implemented, others were left to gather dust somewhere. Some were simply abandoned as the APC government did in 2007.
3. A lot of people will soon face Commissions of Enquiry in Freetown for grand corruption. Some people are already calling it a political witch hunt. Is that true?
No, I don’t think it’s true because the APC, which is now the main opposition party did it in 2007 when they were in power. But for reasons best known to them, they stopped their commissions and dissolved them. Somebody may have advised them not to go forward and they got scared and quickly stopped. However, they never told us why they stopped. I am speculating.
4. Some people are saying only northerners are on the list, that it’s a tribal thing.
I don’t think so. A prominent southerner, the former Vice President, is in court on corruption charges. Also, many northerners held very strategic and very important jobs in the past regime; that is why you see a lot of northerners on the list. Likewise when the APC established their ill-fated commissions in 2007, the majority of the accused were from the south and east. The opposition should come up with concrete evidence of corruption on southerners and easterners so that the Anti-Corruption Commission could add them on the list. If there is no evidence how can the ACC arrest or prosecute southerners and easterners?
5. How can corruption be eliminated in Sierra Leone?
You cannot really eliminate corruption, even in totalitarian regimes. You only reduce it to its barest minimum by arrests and prosecution as the current New Direction government is doing now. Corruption arrests a country’s development and kills thousands of people every year. It’s a capital crime. Maybe that’s why corrupt people are shot in China. I wouldn’t recommend that for Sierra Leone though.
6.It is being said that billions or even trillions of Leones have been stolen by past government officials in Sierra Leone. Is that true?
Oh yes, trillions and more. It was robbery on a grand scale by not just Sierra Leoneans but foreigners as well. But we are only going after Sierra Leoneans for now. We will deal with the foreigners later.
7. Do you think somebody who has stolen trillions will give up such an evil fortune easily?
Oh yes they will if they see a prison sentence coming or if they see their property being seized. As for their foreign accounts foreign governments are ready to help us get back that money.
8. It looks like interesting days are ahead for Sierra Leone.
Oh yes, Honourable Sir.
9. I am not a Honourable.
Well, I honour you with the title Sir.
10. Thank you very much.
11. Thank you too, Honourable Sir.
Comments