By Kabs Kanu
Even during their month of fasting , they cannot stop lying and being deceitful.
With all his religiosity and Ramadan fasting, Vice- President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh sought to deceive the nation yesterday with his post that he had had a “fruitful meeting ” ( As he described it ) with the Millennium Challenge Corporation ( MCC ) on Compact Development.
The truth of the matter is that Juldeh Jalloh was very economical and deceitful with the truth . Reading his post, one would be inclined to think that the MCC had gone ahead of itself and started waiving the stringent conditions the U.S. Government gave President Maada Bio that his government must demonstrate total commitment in implementing all the recommendations of the Tripartite Committee on the elections Bio stole in Sierra Leone last year. Juldeh made it look like the MCC delegation was in Sierra Leone to push ahead the development of the U.S. $500 million MCC Compact Award won by Sierra Leone almost four years ago.
Juldeh’s post caused a lot of anger and surprise among Sierra Leoneans yesterday as it was thought that the U.S government had jumped the gun, without waiting for Bio to comply with conditions, and removed the block by the U.S government on the compact award necessitated by President Bio boldly stealing last year’s elections. Some Sierra Leoneans even threatened to stage massive demonstrations against the MCC both in Freetown and the U.S.
But the U .S Embassy in Sierra Leone has politely and diplomatically corrected the facts. The MCC delegation is not in Sierra Leone merely to hold fruitful discussions with the SLPP Government on Compact Development. Rather, the delegation is in Freetown on a fact – finding mission to discover what steps had been taken to address Sierra Leone’s electoral process.
The delegation has not only held talks with Vice – President Juldeh ; it will also hold meetings with ministers, stakeholders and the majority and minority leaders in the Sierra Leone Parliament to discuss the important role Parliament will play to implement the recommendations of the Tripartite Committee.
It is safe to describe the present MCC meetings in Freetown as very worthy, important and essential to demonstrate to all parties that the U.S. Government means business that progress must be seen in the implementation of the recommendations of the Tripartite Committee before any block on the compact can be lifted.
The onus is now on the All People’s Congress ( APC ) not to sellout as feared by many people and to continue to stick to their guns in everything they are pushing forward to compel the SLPP to restore democracy and free and fair elections in Sierra Leone.
To say the truth, the success of the Tripartite Committee depends primarily on the APC. However committed the U.S and the international stakeholders to make sure that justice is done to the people of Sierra Leone, there will be no success if the APC refuses to take a very strong and unpromising.stand in the negotiations, investigations of the elections rigging, formulation of the recommendations and their implementation.
The APC must know that the whole nation is watching them. This Tripartite Committee is a critical test of the APC’s strength, resolve, commitment , determination and resilience to stand up to the SLPP, a party they have allowed to bully them for the past six years.
The APC, to avoid ostratization , condemnation and everlasting stigma that will threaten its very existence and future cannot come back empty – handed from this Tripartite Committee . Fired -up APC comrades and desperate Sierra Leoneans will not forgive the APC if the party lets them down in this Tripartite Committee. This message needs to be driven home to the APC.
The U.S is very determined and committed to restore democracy and free and fair elections in Sierra Leone but those who come to your bereavement to mourn with you must not cry more than you. The APC must stand its ground and be very uncompromising in the interest of the nation.
A word for the wise is sufficient.
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