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We once more acknowledge the concern of visitors who have pleaded
with Focus on Sierra Leone to try even harder than before to bring to
light as many of the shameful and embarrassing cases of corruption in Sierra
Leone. One person, in particular, recently commented in an email to us to
say: "The fact is that as long as we have a
culture of theft and dishonesty, which is ever present at the very top of
government, it will always be complemented with a culture of violence. This
is simply because if you take what is mine then you leave me with no other
choice but to fight you and take back what rightly belongs to me. The civil
war and the lack of high standards in public life in Sierra Leone are
together the consequences of the thievery, dishonesty and abuse of power that
have been rampant and unchecked for so many years, among Sierra Leone's
politicians and civil servants." Those who care
very much about this issue have our assurances that Focus will not
relent in its crusade against corruption. But first, credit
needs to be given when it is due. We cannot proceed without acknowledging the
good work that the previously moribund but now irrepressibly active Anti
Corruption Commission has been doing lately. In their most recent operation
they netted some big fraudsters' syndicate at the Immigration Department.
Speculation is rife that they will soon confront more massive scams at the
Accountant General's Department. This is welcome news, though it is still too
little too late in the day. Let's hope they remain steadfast in pursuit of
these rogues. There is one way
to look at the problem of corruption in Sierra Leone; namely, as the number
two challenge facing the country, only next to the war to which it is
indirectly linked. If you consider the matter seriously, it is plain to see
that corruption exists, as the discerning writer above put it, at the very
apex of government. Therefore, even though it also occurs at the lower levels
of public life, the place to tackle it at is at source - at the very top.
This shifts the ultimate responsibly for addressing corruption from you, the
ordinary person, to those - i.e. international donors - who are powerful and
are dictating the course of events in the country. They are the paymasters.
They control the purse strings. It is the resources that they have provided
out of concern for the plight of our country and citizens, which are being
misused by the mindless cheats whom the State places between these donors and
us the intended beneficiaries. In practice,
development aid in nearly all cases does not get to the masses except through
the agency and representation of those in government. Thus ordinary people
can expose, name and condemn these offenders but only the providers of these
resources can take effective action to stop their activities. It is the donor
countries' historic lack of aggressive supervisory control over the grant,
allocation, disbursement and application of these funds that is failing a
country like Sierra Leone. When did donors - in this case the British
government – last publicly put our government on enquiry for the rampant
corruption in government? They somehow naively expect these people to police
themselves. But how can you set a thief to catch a thief? Do not get us
wrong. Efforts like that by the Anti Corruption Commission help a great deal
towards giving some reassurance that this cancer can be dealt with, provided
that there is a political will for the commission to do its job without political
interference. But even they will admit that they are only gnawing at the
problem. The big fish will remain untouched. That is because they are in the
seats of power and have no desire to disrupt their lifestyles. As far as Focus
is concerned therefore, if we are to succeed even with our moderate agenda to
help in exposing fraud wherever it happens, then we shall need the input of
every concerned Sierra Leonean. We must look out for these people, when they
visit for example the UK. We must shadow them, and their relatives and
friends whom they sometimes empower to carry out these activities on their
behalf; we must watch their movements at the airports in Freetown when they
are boarding and note their travel patterns; when they arrive we must follow
them to their favourite haunts like (in London) Hatton Garden City, Petty
Coat Lane, and the diamond merchant arcades in Antwerp. Information is vital
to track down and exterminate these vermin from the machinery of government.
Initially it will be difficult, which is why we must start from the very top
and start naming and shaming those visible embodiments of the State who, by
their disgraceful and heartless behaviour, are heaping so much
poverty, deprivation and embarrassment upon the mass of ordinary Sierra Leoneans.
On our part, any
information that comes our way which we believe can be of assistance will be
passed on to the relevant authorities here in the UK and anywhere else
abroad. If by this time
there are still those like the numb head who angrily wrote to insult this
editor for presenting "merely anecdotal evidence against these people
who are only human and doing their best for the country", we can confidently
remind them that there are honest and humane Sierra Leoneans who would be
quite happy to work for their country without falling for the vice of
corruption, greed and self aggrandisement. In response to this
uninformed irate writer we wrote recently with this bit of information, which
we would like to also bring to the attention of readers. We wrote then to
say: "For your information, at their meeting held
on 21-23 September, 1999 the Commonwealth Finance Ministers, commenting on
the Framework
for Commonwealth Principles on Promoting Good Governance and Combating
Corruption, observed that: "Good governance is not a luxury but a basic
requirement for development. Corruption, which undermines development, is
generally an outcome and a symptom of poor governance. It has reached global
proportions and needs to be attacked directly and explicitly… The
Commonwealth should firmly commit itself to the policy of "zero
tolerance" of all types of corruption. This policy must permeate
national political cultures, governance, legal systems and administration. Where corruption is ingrained and pervasive,
especially at the highest political levels, its eradication may require a
sustained effort over a protracted period of time. However, the policy of
"zero tolerance" should be adopted from the outset, demonstrating a
serious commitment to pursue the fight against corruption. The
Commonwealth should remain firm in its determination that the high standards
and goals enunciated in the 1991 Harare Declaration are upheld and enhanced.
Creating an environment, which is corruption free will require vigorous
action at the national and international levels, and within the Commonwealth
itself. These actions should encompass the prevention of corruption, the enforcement of laws against it and the
mobilisation of public support for anti-corruption strategies." These are not the words of Focus on Sierra Leone
but of those who know most about these matters. We are merely the messengers.
So please don't shoot us!" Needless to say
he has not written back since. Focus on
Sierra Leone
is not the first and only medium to recognise the incidence and wicked
effects of corruption, and the mindsets in governments who perpetrate it.
Other people and media have, but to their eternal frustration nothing
worthwhile has been done to address it. One sometimes
wonders whether the Commonwealth Organisation has itself eaten its own words.
There is little visible proof that they have taken our frequent charge of
endemic corruption in Sierra Leone seriously. At the moment, a senior partner
in the Commonwealth i.e. Britain is running the show in our country. You
would therefore expect for this matter to be dealt with robustly at root
source, meaning at the very top. But, No! They have a seemingly very cosy
relationship with the authorities in Sierra Leone, dripping praise on the
leader and defiantly saying they will make sure he stays at the helm. The
corruption continues with unabated aggression against the vital interest and
survival of the Sierra Leone nation. Can the present high profile injection
of British cash into Sierra Leone be said to have been predicated on the
policy of "zero tolerance" which the Commonwealth’s own declaration
says "should be adopted from the outset, demonstrating a serious
commitment to pursue the fight against corruption"? And still they keep
throwing more money at these scoundrels. It is nothing short of scandalous. On the other hand
it may well be that Sierra Leone government officials themselves are not, or
have not been made, aware of the existence of the above declaration. If so,
then it is presented here for their benefit also. We have however
not failed to observe that President Tejan Kabbah has a habit of appointing
some of the most disreputable and corrupt people on the Sierra Leone
political stage, into high political office. He gets away with these
appointments, despite the charade of a so-called parliamentary appointments
commission, which, on paper, examines and ratifies his nominations. What has
this Commission ever done when someone they have cleared as fit to do the job
in fact ends up cheating the nation, or was in fact already a known rogue?
Has it ever had cause to reconsider or revisit its decisions, or to revise its
procedures for ascertaining the probity of these candidates for high office? Nothing is more
ridiculous than this practice of, for example, Kabbah sacking a minister
ostensibly because of "lengthy dossiers in [Kabbah’s] possession on
their corrupt activities" as one source recently claimed, only then to
send them away as ambassadors or high commissioners to Sierra Leone's topmost
diplomatic representations abroad, where they continue with their nefarious
activities. This signifies to us how seriously Kabbah takes his job and the
issue of corruption. It shows nothing but contempt for the intelligence of
Sierra Leoneans. Would any sensitive leader knowingly export the most
disreputable rejects in his Cabinet and present them to the outside world as
the public image of their country and as representing the national interest?
It leaves one to wonder what kind of leadership Kabbah is giving to this
nation. But, as the
biblical refrain goes, "by their fruits ye shall know them". Maybe
this President is telling us something about himself ...and his friends.
Think about it! ©FSL |
