SOLO BEE, A BOMB WAITING TO EXPLODE?
By Ahmed Koroma
Wednesday November 2, 2005
SOLOMON BEREWA
Leadership is definitely missing from Sierra Leone, When a country has abundant human and natural resources but still wobbles, it is clear that country has not got good leadership. A country is developed by people and people need someone to organise them, and to train them and to motivate them. They need someone to listen to them, to love and care for them. With these, they are enabled to put in their best and unleash their creative energies.
When a leader is committed and has vision the rest tend to follow. When I read that ?politics is not for beginners’ attributed to VP, I was gob smacked. What a beautiful statement .I was tempted to ask whether the statement was actually Berewa’s language and thought, or simply the thought of the journalist in Concord Times. Many who would probably think like me would want to conclude that the statement is the thought of the journalist. If not, the experienced leadership Berewa is talking about is one that leaves Sierra Leoneans living in abject poverty, no good roads, no pipe borne water, none or rationed electricity, late payment of salaries, quantity education not quality education, the kind of leadership that will leave Sierra Leoneans to suffer and sleep rough on the streets and going around begging day and night on an empty stomach. How can someone who has contested and won an election, sent to jail, become chairman of SLPP southern region and revive a whole political party, minister when our police was revamped; a household name in politics for the right reasons be a novice in governance?
Everyone agrees that a country like ours that has abundant human and natural resources but still wobbles clearly shows that it has not had good leadership. Sierra Leone is a typical example of such a country. The APC and SLPP leadership has been a class that is solely corrupt and concerned more about their personal wellbeing, and fatness of their bank accounts in theUSA, UK or Brussels to mention just a few.
How else could this be confirmed, when a Vice President is reported to have a house in Chicago and building a massive complex in Goodrich, a Minister has a house in London where his younger sister stays, and another house in Gillingham belonging to the longest serving minister, when people that have destroyed state institutions like the post office are now Presidential Spokesmen, when people who sold our diplomatic missions went Scot free as people in high places were involved, when corrupt ex-minister are now ambassadors and when someone banned from holding public office is now President . Definitely that country is unlucky with the kind of leadership it has got. A country is developed by people and people need someone to organise them, to train them and to motivate them.
Indeed the Vice President is very right, Sierra Leone’s present leaders are no doubt motivating the citizens at least by making them realise that Sierra Leone is not the best place to live , and that corruption and looting the treasury to make sure they get houses that is not commensurate to there salaries is a good thing. Sierra Leoneans need someone to listen to them, to love them and care for them. With these, they are enabled to put in their best and unleash their creative energies.
The Vice President who has a vast experience in government and governance once led the justice ministry we know how retrogressive that department became, how cases were settled like that of Lilian Lisk, how we lost our High Commission building and wasted money on lawyers in London with his perfect Legal advise, his role highlighted in the TRC report for us all to read, how he gave contracts that were never honoured when he was chair of the Tender Board, and how he has travelled out of the country but without bringing any tangible results for us all to see. That is Sierra Leone for you.
On VP’s recent visit to London it created more ripples than wave, After watching the uncut programme on OBE television today 31st October 2005, his failure to propagate his vision for the country but rather his barrage of personal attacks on people like Moijue KaiKai left me with a sad note that indeed SLPP made the wrong choice in my home town, Makeni. VP must know that people don’t need to know him for them to criticise him constructively. He behaves like someone that is vindictive and undiplomatic. Since his election he is making more enemies than friends. When the whole world is going for youthfulness with some amount of experience I must say Berewa lacks that on his performance in London. He failed to win hearts and minds of both compatriots and friends. What was also strange was the deliberate snubbing of the branch party. It was rather strange that the SLPP as a branch party was not only marginalised but there was no statement from its officials among the speakers or no mention was made of them by any of the speakers. Is this what Berewa SLPP is all about? The jury is out for now.
The question is what contribution has Solo Bee’s been in government done to the ordinary man, zero. Berewa portrays the notion that he brought peace to our country. HOW? While this Berewa was whisked away and given safe passage from Freetown by the AFRC boys like Zagalo and Mohamed Bangura (now in the UK) to Guinea .While Sierra Leoneans were fighting for the liberation of our motherland Sierra Leone, he was living quietly in Chicago-USA for most of that time. While the CDF, ECOMOG and loyal soldiers were dying at the battle field, he was globetrotting all over the place for personal reasons. Did he ever visit the battle field to give moral to our fighting forces? nooooooooooo. After the LOYAL SOLDIERS, ECOMOG AND CDF forces have dislodged AFRC/RUF out. Berewa came into the picture as Attorney General and Justice Minister to broker a fudged peace treaty. If he is proud of this then guess want happens next, Berewaleft Foday Sankoh with arms and ammunition which he later used to kill innocent civilians for which until he left the justice ministry no conviction has been done ,so why is he proud of such a poor and appalling record?
Sierra Leone is at a cross road. At this time in our country’s history the only men that will fit such a bill is either Positive Man Don Cam- Charles Margai. Or APC’s Ernest Koroma. Or for a better Sierra Leone I am appealing to Charles and Ernest to put SIERRA LEONE first by coming together to form a THIRD FORCE that we are craving for.Sierra Leoneans must know that one of the most successful leaders of the world Bill Clinton was never a VP in his life time. The last time someone was imposed on us we know how Momoh failed. Solo Bee must go into retirement with his boss Kabba.
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