By Kabs Kanu
When I read the congratulatory messages sent by the U.S, Western democracies and international organizations to the victorious people of Liberia and Senegal for their successfully staged democratic elections, the feeling that overwhelmed me was one of joy for their commitment towards enduring that the tenets of democracy and good governance prevail in the world.
By the same token, however, I was left with a nagging feeling of foreboding and disappointment that it is all just rhetoric and deception because, truth to speak, if their fervor and commitment were deep and serious enough, America , especially, and the international community in general , should have done more to punish the bastardization of the same noble ideals of democracy and constitutional governance in Sierra Leone by delinquent, lawless, unmanageable, and non – compliant hoodlum President Maada Bio .
The more America and the International community mouth their commitment to ensure that democracy prevails everywhere in the world, the more President Maada Bio continues to demonstrates that he is a sacred cow and seems to be getting away with the most outrageous elections robbery in the world in recent times. And the more Bio seems to be making America, especially, look foolish, the more the exuberant, hearty congratulations to Liberia and Senegal sound hollow in my subconscious mind.
If democracy is all that important to America and the world, everything should have been done to punish elections thieves like Maada Bio more severely than was done. If America and Britain mean what they say about democracy, an example should have been set on Maada Bio to discourage future elections thieves from engaging in the same despicable perfidy he criminally executed in Sierra Leone. Maada Bio performed a most heinous elections horror in Sierra Leone but all that was done was to him was a slap on the wrist . His punishment , if you would call it that, was not deep enough to have served as a deterrent to him and other like- minded elections criminals.
The sanctions imposed on Maada Bio were not biting enough and that was why he had the testicular fortitude and gumption to come to New York for the UN General Assembly and badmouth America cheekily in public forums , accusing the U.S that it criminally tried to influence him to undermine democracy in Sierra Leone . What brazen effrontery !!! A criminal really came to America and declared in public that America was its criminal accomplice. But who do you blame for such impudence, insolence, audacity and rudeness ? America. Bio thumbed his nose at America in America’s own backyard after robbing democracy in Sierra Leone and got away even with that. America is afraid of him.
As if that was not enough , Maada Bio came to America again last week and in blatant disregard for the immortal and much – cherished values of truth, honesty and humility , delivered a self- gratiating statement on democracy, inclusive governance and progressive pilitics on the podium of the University of Pennsylvania that was a shameful addition of outrageous lies , deception, fakery and impunity to his already weighty offence against public decency . Again, who do we blame? America. The U.S. commitment to democracy, on the strength of the way Maada Bio was let off the hook on both occasions, is duplicitous, pharasaical and unctuous.
In fact, Sierra Leoneans are laughing at America that she is a toothless bulldog. America made such a disruptive noise about a travel restriction on those who undermined democracy in Sierra Leone but where are the restrictions ? It was just a facade because Maada Bio and his elections – thieving collaborators are out there traveling all over the globe and America, making a mockery of America”s travel ban. So, where are the travel restrictions? Name any one SLPP official who undermined democracy that is affected by America”s travel restrictions !!! NONE. So, why should we the victims of Bio’s crimes in Sierra Leone, take America seriously when it talks about promoting democracy in the world ?
The Millennium Challenge Corporation ( MCC ) was forced by the U.S Congress to put a hold on the U.S $ 500 grant in reprisals for the elections robbery . Indeed, it took the Congress to intervene because the corrupt MCC had already selected the Bio government for compact development, even with all the elections crimes committed by the SLPP, showing duplicity of the most insane kind by the MCC. And recently, the same MCC flashed confusing messages when it sent a delegation to Freetown . Vice – President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh said he had a fruitful meeting with the delegation, though it was found out later that the MCC came on a fact- finding mission. But many people were left thinking that the MCC might be tricked by Bio into giving the SLPP the compact money .
In conclusion, let it be also said that this matter is not only about Bio, where truth is concerned. As perversely as Bio’s impunity is worsening, it is also about punishing political crimes and deliberately depraved governance, so that other miscreants are not emboldened to follow after Maada Bio.
America and the International community must punish Bio seriously so that other prospective dictators will see and fear, and also to send a strong message that they mean business about ensuring that democracy prevails in the world .
Leave a Reply