THE APC LEGACY IS SIERRA LEONE SLOWLY BECOMING A FAILED STATE AGAIN? WE COMPARE THE OLD APC OF SIAKA STEVENS AND JOSEPH MOMOH’s APC TO THE NEW APC OF ERNEST BAI KOROMA. RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU CAN SPOT THE DIFFERENCE!!!! In 2007, Ernest Koroma promised the people of Sierra Leone that, The people of Sierra Leone will see a turning of the country after 36 months of my presidency Ernest Koroma asserted, and therefore called on all present to take the message of hope and vision nationwide for the development of our beloved country Sierra Leone. HAS THE PRESIDENT ACHIEVED HIS GOAL? HOLD YOUR PEACE UNTIL WE EXAMINE THE RECORDS OF STEVENS AND MOMOHs APC. It will be recalled that several historical renditions have described those twenty four years of Stevens and Momoh as years of misrule and bad governance which led to civil unrest and a brutal war of a magnitude little seen ever in this world. OLD APC OF STEVENS AND MOMOH!!!!!!! This is how Siaka Stevens and Joseph Momoh consolidated their grip on power. The APC rulers destroyed their own state in order to exert influence via personalized patronage. By the 1980s, civil servants received only sporadic salary payments. Television broadcasts ended in 1987 when the Minister of Information sold the transmitter to a “Kuwaiti investor”. The radio tower fell over in 1989, ending state radio transmissions outside the capital. In 1993, only three percent of the (drastically reduced) official budget was spent on education, and only four percent for other “socially oriented” projects. Politicization of the civil service, which escalated during President Steven’s term of office is primarily responsible for its inefficiency. The APC, the only political party from 1978 to 1992, totally controlled civil servants’ political views and association. From the inception of the one -party system, neo-patrimonial politics dictated that civil servants be APC members. For example, section 139(3) of the one party constitution of 1978 provides that no one can be appointed or continue to be permanent secretary unless he is a member of a recognised party (West Africa, April 16-22, 1990). In advocating the inclusion of this section, Stevens’ argued that denying the civil servants the right to take part in party politics meant depriving the best brains of a chance to express their views on matters of public interest and share in of the responsibility of citizenship. In return for their loyalty, civil servants were often shielded, pampered, and allowed to increase the range of their powers and pursue opportunities for self enrichment. It was therefore understandable that civil servants put APC interest above national objectives. A significant reason for the complete lack of transparency and accountability is the patronage system that both Siaka Stevens and Joseph Momoh used to solidify the APC’s dominance. For example, the secretary to the president under both Stevens and Momoh was also the head of the civil service. This arrangement ensures that top civil servants were political appointees who helped to gain recognition and advancement by associating with state and party officials. During Stevens’ and Momoh’s administration, whom one knew not one’s job’s performance was regarded as key to personal betterment. As a result, everyone remained sensitive to the power implication of change in leadership and office. Unfortunately, high level of patronage still persist today. During the 24 years of the APC rule, government officials were accountable only to the president and top party officials who surrounded him. Momoh whose administration was notorious for promoting tribalism and nepotism, appointed his “EKUTAY” comrades to all top government posts. In testimony before a 1992 commission of enquiry, Hassan Gbessay Kanu, a former Minister of Finance, indicated that “in his capacity as the head of the Binkolo Hegemony, President Momoh was responsible for a group that was drenched in sectionalism, tribalism, favouritism, nepotism, incompetent, ineptitude, treachery, indolence, wining, dining and womanising which inflicted the severest mismanagement of the affairs of our country” (West Africa 4 – 10, 1993). While power brings with it the promise of employment, security, promotion and the authority to delegate, it brings as well the temptation to engage in patronage and corrupt gain. Thus what Sierra Leone witnessed under both Stevens and Momoh was a growing personalization of political power primarily because the two men used the political apparatus and state machinery to foster their private interests and the domination of the APC Party. Quoting Sylvia Blyden’s Awareness Times, “It will be recalled that several historical renditions have described those twenty four years of Stevens and Momoh as years of misrule and bad governance which led to civil unrest and a brutal war of a magnitude little seen ever in this world”. However, according to Ernest Koroma’s manifesto of 2007, the APC period led by Stevens and Momoh was a rosy affair and those reports of bad governance were the handiwork of people whom Ernest Koroma terms as traitors and saboteurs who were against the APC’s image. To most Sierra Leoneans, there is not a difference between old APC and New APC. You only need to change their names. The APC only changed the driver of the wrecked vehicle, and never the vehicle. The old corruption system widely known to most apc supporters as 99 tactics still remain in place to prey on. Now my fellow Sierra Leoneans, raise your hand if you can tell the difference between the old and new APC. This was Ernest Koroma in 2007. Ernest Koroma who was clad in a black suit with red tie blamed the woes of Sierra Leone on the present government. He therefore assured them of a new, young and dynamic leadership team, which he said, will within 36 months in governance, turn around the country with massive development and thereby restore the lost image and dignity of the people of Sierra Leone. In 2007, Ernest Bai Koroma promised the enthusiastic supporters that The people of Sierra Leone will see a turning of the country after 36 months of my presidency Ernest Koroma asserted, and therefore called on all present to take the message of hope and vision nationwide for the development of our beloved country Sierra Leone. He said that the elections of 2002 was not a defeat for the APC but a tragedy for the nation stating that by installing itself as a government of Sierra Leone following questionable elections the SLPP opened the flood gates of corruption and governmental administrative misconduct on a scale never seen before. Ernest pointed out that basic services for the people remain a dream; infrastructural development has been limited to a few rehabilitation projects. He said “the initiative to start something new has been virtually non-existent. In general he said “the SLPP leadership throughout this period has displayed an amazing consistence in its profound mismanagement of the state.” The APC flag bearer thundered “We in theAPC have clear messages regarding the future of our nation”. He said “It is a message rooted in our history and our achievements – we take pride in the honesty of our relations with the people because APC is their party, their political creation.” “We confess to them our mistakes and express regrets. We don’t give belated and personal information’s about donations made to Sierra Leone from foreign governments. We don’t make empty and vexatious promises about building railway or a bridge to Lungi or abundant food for the people by 2007.” Ernest Koroma punctuated, amidst booming cheers from the crowd. He promised that they speak the plain truth and nothing but the truth about what they can do and what they cannot do for the people of Sierra Leone. He humbly acceded that as a party and a future government soon to be installed they are aware of the problems and the limitations that they will be faced with and as they seek the mandate of the people for the governance of the nation they do so with honesty. IN PART TWO TOMORROW, WE WILL EXAMINE IF PRESIDENT KOROMA FULFILLED HIS PROMISE TO THE SIERRA LEONE PEOPLE AND IF THE NEW APC IS ANY DIFFERENT FROM THE OLD APC OF STEVENS AND MOMOH. Blamas Finest, The Man Who Conjures Something Out Of Nothing!!!
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 20:51:16 +0000
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