By Yanguba Kai-Samba
The central theme for the paopa SLPP election campaign in 2018 was on the economy. At a time when the economy was contracting and in bad shape, these paopa folks assured the people of Sierra Leone, that when elected to office, they would fix the economy promptly and relieve poverty.
Less than three years left for them to face the same voters they had promised better living standards and economy, this is what their finance minister, J J Saffa, has told the people.
“Sierra Leone has been poor for a very long time…since independence we have been poor and we will continue to be poor for a very long time.” JJ Saffa Minister of Finance on Radio Democracy 98.1 FM. ”
So for those who might vote for the paopas again in 2023, don’t complain if you continue to be poor after 2023 election because, this time round, the government has ran out of excuses and blame game. According to the finance minister, you will continue to be poor.
MINISTER OF FINANCE JACOB JUSU SAFFA
The paopas blame game has taken another turn. It is no longer inheriting a “battered economy” from their APC predecessor,but a generic poverty .
This is an attempt that tells us few uncomfortable truth about the paopas: 1) that they are totally unfit to run the economy.2) that they lied to the people of Sierra Leone to get in to power.3) That the latest statement from the finance minister is an attempt to obscure their incompetence and failure to turn the economy round as they promised the voters and 4) that these excuses are a deliberate pattern of deceit to exonerate themselves from responsibility.
There are those who may not like me or even hate me for what I write, but at least they should respect my courage in expressing my opinions.
Hoo! why most u put urself in this kind of confused mind huh? The economic strumble that the country is in now was provoke by the APC then gov’t. Because they actually did not know how to fix the economic problem of this country.In fixing the economic problem it has to go with policies i.e either you work with the”FISCAL POLICY” or “MONEYTARY POLICY”but they went and imposed the moneytary policy at the time the country needed to strengthen the fiscal policy, if u are economically oreinted then u can understand what i mean sorry for that my dear.But to let u understand let me asked what was the importance of APC printing money? and what economic development did they brought to the people and the economy of sierra leone? PLEASE REPLY WITH SUBSTANCIAL EVIDENCES WITH REFERENCES IF U KNOW TOO WELL THAN J.J. SAFFA
Mohamed Brain Nyallay the straight answer is found in your own admission of your inability to improve on the economy .
Your economic policies are incoherent. Your reckless spendings in two years surpasses that spent by the previous administration during the same period.
The increase in wages is still below living standards and not enough to survive on as the prices and essential commodities have escalated beyond what majority of people can afford.
You have still not brought inflation down.
There are now greater hardships and hunger prevalence across the country. You know that but you are detached from the experience of the people.
You didn’t not inherit a battered economy. You met money in the treasury but your recklessness in spending nearly 4 million dollars in unproductive ,unnecessary presidential trips abroad and awarding unjustified high salaries to party appointees in government jobs have caused more financial loses for the country.
I am not a spokesman for the previous administration but they built the hospital in Kailahun, renovated the court barray and tarred the Freetown Kenema road, even though it was the funds were secured under president Kabba’s administration.
Give an example of one infrastructural development SLPP ever built in Kailahun-‘a place they called their stronghold.
In Kenema,it was the APC under president Koroma that built the city council hall. Installed some solar street lights. It was also under the APC administration that the clock tower was built in kenema.
Give me one infrastructural development the paopas have brought to kenema since they came to power.
Your economic policies are encouraging the centralisation of resources away from the provincial and rural communities where the bulk of the disadvantage population resides.
You have achieved noting, built nothing tangible.
The few you are doing are continuation of the unfinished work left by your predecessor.
Don’t tell me I don’t understand how the economy works.
That is why I had told you that you were elected on lies and still running the country on lies.
Why did you tell us during the election campaign that you would fix the economy quickly and create half a million jobs in just one year of your paopa government?
You’re now in mid tern of your five years mandate.
Hunger is prevalence. Hospitals are run without proper equipment and medicine.
Drinking bacterial infected water is prevalence.
More to come
