By Yankuba Kai-Samba
The state of Sierra Leone under the leadership of Paopa SLPP president Julius Maada Bio has reverted to repressive tactics, more subtle and reminiscent of the one-party rule in the 70s and 80s that led to eleven years of war. Massive corruption and sleaze, in a very short period of time, under this government is worse now than the country has witnessed.
In the recently released Auditor General’s report, the presidency was indicted for forgery of the hotel and double-dipping of his per diem during his unprecedented numerous and frequent overseas travels with millions of dollars unaccounted for by his government. Police harassment, intimidation, and arrest of opposition party members and citizens who criticised the government is on the increase. (Photo: Diana last week en route to police headquarters accompanied by the gallant ladies who were later ambushed by the police).
A 40 years old man was imprisoned in Kenema after he accused President Julius Maada Bio and his wife Fatima Jabbe Bio of committing a sin and said that he would like to meet with them to explain what he meant. There have been other arrests of people in the country. Several dozens of youth protesters, mainly in the opposition strongholds, have been shot and killed, on different occasions by the government security forces to the extent that the USA State Department noted in its Report on Human Rights that significant human rights violations and killings were committed by the government’s security operatives. But as election year nears, opposition party leaders and their supporters are now being routinely targeted. Opposition party leaders of the APC, the NGC, C4C, and Unity Party were invited by the police for questioning after voicing out their position on the Mid-Term Census, which they argued is politically motivated to aid gerrymandering in favour of the Paopa incumbent president for the 2023 general and presidential elections.
Amid the controversy and protest over the preparedness, efficacy, and accuracy of the Mid-Term Census, the World Bank has withdrawn its support and funding for the Mid-Term Census as the government has failed to meet their conditions. Sierra Leone is moving in the wrong direction and we are seeing more and more confrontational party politics as it were in the 80s that scuppered national cohesion, development, and democracy. The only difference is that these human rights violations and the clamping down on freedom of speech and assembly are happening under the country’s multi Party system of government. We should not ignore the dangers to peace and stability when the political space is restricted or closed to the opposition and the citizens. History is clear on this.
