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One Thing And Another

Standard Times (Freetown)
OPINION
January 21, 2005
Posted to the web January 21, 2005

Who is ripping off Sierra Leone apart
"Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macdoft, beware the thene of fife, enough
dismiss me," and Macbeth answered them saying I have three ears, thou calles't
me three times" to many scholars who have gone through this text "MACBETH" they
have their interpretations about the prophesies of the witches, some even went
to the extent of saying that Macbeth was a strong believer of the witches but
did not pay heed to their prediction while on the reverse some said that
Macbeth was very thirsty for power and all his focus was how to acquire power.
The interpretations vary from one scholar to another, but the fundamental or
basis was to warn Macbeth, but since his mind was preoccupied ignored what
could have prevented his downfall as the witches again prophesied that "no man
born of a woman would harm Macbeth" forgetting that there was Malcolm whose
mother went through caesarian operation and never went through the normal birth
process.
This could be likened to the current situation in the country vis-�-vis the
press and president Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. Every morning when the newspaper come
out they keep warming the president to beware of some of his ministers and that
not all of them are interested in working in the interest of the country. Some
maybe working while some may be plotting his demise. Like what Niccolo
Machaeavilla once said that a teacher can be judged by the people around him.
President Kabbah should be aware of this by now that most of his men around him
are not suppose to be there, but unfortunately he has as usual turned deaf ears
to there warning and blind eye to every signal giving to him, and by the time
he would come to realize the true story the situation would have developed to
an uncontrollable proportion. Take the case of the later president Momoh, it
was those men he though were good that caused his demise and eventually caused
his death no one is saying that those men would cause president Kabbah's death
but the possibility for them to plot against him may not be ruled out.
Since his tenure of office is gradually coming to an end, he should be watch
full that the loyalty of some of his minister have begun to be shifted slowly
and come 2007 when he hasn't the power to hire and fire then he would realized
why social scientist have not been able to study the true behaviour of human
beings among the different species and that is the time he would come to the
realization that all the --- of the press were vital but refused to adhere to
them because of mental fixity.
Though president Kabbah himself is a major player in the parent political ball
game, but the fact remains unpredictable as to why most of the ugly incident
taken place cannot be wiped in the bud by the president. One beings to wonder
as to why the president has become so inactive whether his inactivity is
deliberate or was resigned to fate that whatever happens let it happened as
long he has comfortable place to sleep and a luxurious and delicious food to
eat, therefore whether the average Sierra Leoneans cannot afford all there
luxurious is nothing significant to him.
But this is a direct irony of the oath he took on behalf of the people of the
country. It was a very solemn one, and was done with all amount of honesty and
sincerely. The question normally asked by the suffering masses is whether
president Kabbah is aware of the degree of suffering the people are going
through.
Indeed the president is aware but as I indicated there is nothing he though he
can do to change the ugly situation, and because of that the country is left in
the hands of very few, and each member of the few is taking advantage to enrich
himself at the expense of the nation as long he/she is put in a position of
authority.
Perhaps to those individuals who though that the Poverty Reduction Strategy
Paper (PRSP) will remedy and rescue them are just making fool of themselves.
For the PRSP is just another project document which the government intends to
use in a bid to solicit funds from the international community including the
World Bank and the International Monetary Funds. There is no assurance whether
or not this solicitation with proved successful. It is like the government is
counting its chickens before they are hatched, without knowing whether they
would be dead prior to birth or will not hatched at all. So for the government
to start caroling the general public by telling them that with the PRSP things
would be fine is a total dishonesty.
Let's wait until the bird is in the hand.
The intention of the government theoretically to reduce poverty is a pleasant
and acceptable idea, but what seems to be taking place even before the poverty
will be eradicated is that government is subjecting the people into more
poverty so how can this poverty be reduced when people are getting poorer and
poorer in every tick of the clock while the government keeps promising them of
poverty reduction and alleviation?
The recent unreasonable increase in the price of passport and other services at
the immigration department through their connivance of the finance minister
J.B. Dauda and the commissioner of the National Revenue Authority, if allowed
to pass through parliament will be a clear indication of government
insensitivity of the awkward position of the people of this country. The
argument in favour of this increase is government determination to generate of
for good governance.
How can good governance be effective when the government continues to subject
the people into more poverty? How can good governance be appreciated when the
people are not sure of a day 'meal the next day?
How can good governance when thou at the top continues to squeeze the people
day in day out? The question that keeps bugling the mind is whether some people
at the top are planning to buy Sierra Leone, so that the inhabitants will be
subjected to their whims and caprices. What perhaps is a secret to the average
Sierra Leoneans is that while the last cent is squeeze out of them in the name
of revenue generation John Karim is getting beautiful commission from the money
paid by them in the form of taxes and other related services.
So while the people gets poorer John Karim gets richer and richer, and
continues to build more houses. Already the Daru house project ahs been
completed those who have seen have estimated it closed to a hundred million
leones, and to other one in the Godrich vicinity in gradually approaching
completion, while he has in mind to erect one in Bo and Kenema. All those
monies for his pockets is expected to come from the people of the country, so
why fooling the people about poverty reduction? The finance minister J.B. Dauda
has since completed his fencing project in Kenema, what next he will undertake
is not known for now.
But the government is preaching about poverty reduction and food security. How
those two concepts be realized in the interest of the country is not known when
few people in society have formed a cabal, busy pocketing the meagre resources
the people should live on.
It is very clear that the 2007 general elections are just round the corner and
the ruling party, including its candidates needed money to win power, but why
should the ordinary man who has no business in politics pay the price?

   

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