…SLPP secretary general aspirant
October 25, 2016 By Mohamed Massaquoi
An aspirant for the position of National Secretary General for the main opposition Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) has observed that recent austerity measures by the government have a potential to create insecurity in the country, adding that the security sector is a capital intensive undertaking that needs enough resources to carry out their activities.
Mohamed Massaquoi said despite the fact that government has announced areas the cut will affect, they have yet not explained to Sierra Leoneans how monies collected would be expended, nothing that he was more concerned about the health, security and agricultural sectors, which he claimed were gradually collapsing in the country.
He claimed that the austerity measures were a political gimmick employed by the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) to amass more wealth and resources for the forthcoming general elections.
He averred that the new economic policy would increase prostitution among young girls, whom he said were finding it very difficult to survive under the harsh economic stagnation, thus accusing the National Revenue Authority (NRA) of having misled the people of Sierra Leone about revenue collections over the past years.
He said though the NRA has been propagating that they have been reaching their yearly target, such was not reflective on the average Sierra Leoneans.
Massaquoi further explained that the erstwhile SLPP government under the leadership of late President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah established institutions to improve the living standards of the people, but noted that on the contrary, the APC was bent on exploiting the country by establishing institutions that are not relevant to the strengthening of democracy, good governance and political tolerance.
‘‘The austerity is telling on all sectors of society and that is not new to us as a country. Always when the APC is in governance, we face this kind of financial difficulties. Government is keeping this money to campaign our people come 2018 because they have not told us how they will utilise money collected from the austerity measures. The country made series of political and economic gains during the administration of the SLPP,” he said.