The ghosts of the President’s manifesto hunt him as he tries to plea for more time in office in a round of Media Appearances.
The President was Interviewed on the Good morning show at Radio Democracy 98.1, hosted by Khadija and Mabel. Credit to both hosts for pulling no punches and asking the tough questions.
Although the president was a little evasive with answers to some of the questions posed by the hosts throughout the interview. The president came across as honest and straightforward about his plans for the country and how he feels about the allegations of corruption, nepotism, and misplaced priority levied against his government by members of the opposition and Media outlets.
From my perspective, throughout the interview, the president sounded more defeated and less galvanizing. The theme of his message was that his manifesto and promises made during his campaign weren’t based on an adequate understanding of the inner workings, lapses, and problems within the previous regime. And he’d been dealing with these unexpected problems left by the previous government since taking office. According to the president, an example of these unforeseen problems almost left him and his entourage without accommodation in Japan because of owed Hotel bills by his predecessor.
When asked about the bombshell allegation of corruption and misappropriation of public funds by the Africanist Press. The president refuted the reports saying it was based on false accusations without evidence, defending his wife The First Lady, and his Chief Minister’s lavish spending habits by inferring that it doesn’t matter how much it cost the taxpayer as long as it gets the work done. A less fiscally responsible approach to government expenditure in a time of economic crisis.
Again, when asked about the Auditor General’s Report 2019. President Bio downplays the figures. Saying unaccounted doesn’t mean stolen or missing but rather in most cases means undocumented. And the Le 400 Billion would be significantly less if further investigated. Also adding that the majority of civil servants in his government are relics from the old system.
I will give it to the President for owning up to some of his failures even though they were immediately redirected at the oppositions, COVID-19, and the Sierra Leonean culture of laziness and self-hatred.
