January 18, 2016 By Gabriel Benjamin
President Koroma is expected to leave office in 2018
There is no doubt that President Ernest Bai Koroma has achieved some notable goals in the over eight years that he has ruled Sierra Leone. His achievements however are in dire jeopardy and in serious threat of being overturned by no less a people than his harbingers-cum-sycophants.
As it stands now, President Koroma’s worst enemies are not the anti-More Time crusaders, not pro-democracy activists, not even the poor and highly vulnerable Sierra Leoneans who wallow in abject poverty and penury; whose lives the much trumpeted government Agenda for Prosperity has not prospered significantly, but a microscopic few who hold the view that, their continual survival and relevance is hinged on President Koroma’s unconstitutional stay in power beyond the constitutional stipulated time, 2017/2018 – the greatest threat to Sierra Leone’s hard earn fragile peace and nascent democracy.
In their obdurate and self-serving quest to perpetuate themselves in power, remain relevant at the national scenes, further impoverished the masses, truncate democracy, undermine the constitution and reverse democratic gains, these sycophants are all over the cyber and media space shouting: More Time!!! Unwittingly, undermining and threatening everything the President has laboured for.
In fact, even if commonsense and wisdom sink into the murky thinking and logic of this sycophants, they should know already, that they have done a lot of damage to President Koroma’s government by refusing to borrow a clue from leaders such as Mbeki of South Africa who clearly, honestly and unambiguously stated that he will not use his party’s political might to change the constitution of his country to grant himself tenure elongation. It is quite clear that these sycophants are not of the same moral material as President Mbeki.
However, some of President Koroma’s mouthpieces argue spuriously that he has not stated flatly that he wants a third or more time, rather, Sierra Leoneans are the ones asking for it, and pleading with him to continue as president and blaming his opponents for raising the tension in the country. But President Koroma has not denied that he may well seek a more time once the constitution is amended and after a referendum. He must come out openly and plainly to debunk the more time cacophony if indeed he nurtures no such ambition. President Koroma must not put himself squarely amongst this gallery of seat tight African presidents, otherwise Sierra Leoneans would never again trust in their leaders to leave office willingly after their term of office ends.
Another question that the sycophants, the carpet baggers, and the out-rightly ignorant people that swarm around the President fail to answer is that after the more time, then what next? Another time and another and another? It is nonsensical and plain idiocy for anyone to argue that after 10 years President Koroma needs more time. Giving him another 10 years will still not solve all the problems of the country.
MPs and Mayors are equally certain of having more time since what is good for the goose should be equally good for the gander. Now, show me an MP or Mayor who will not relish more time of his snout in the trough? Not only will they, they will in fact ensure a 100% support for the more time cacophony.
Rather than these hypocrites and unpatriotic ‘vuvuzelas’ encourage President Koroma to lay a solid economic foundation and deepen democracy in post-conflict and post-Ebola Sierra Leone, they are praise-singing him into laying the worst foundation ever, pitching him against Sierra Leoneans and the international community.
One of the reasons that proponents of more time proffer is that President Koroma should be allowed to complete his ongoing massive infrastructural works across the country. They point to the President’s achievements in road construction and youth empowerment. My questions to them are: is governance no more a continuous process? Is it not the greatest of ironies that President Koroma will now have to embark on road construction and youth empowerment on a colossal scale to keep himself in office? Is it a crime for President Koroma’s successor to consolidate on his (Koroma) laudable achievements? Why are they so desperate to foist the more time toga down the throat of every one if truly they have no ulterior motive?
In his autobiography, President Bill Clinton, on the eve of his leaving office after eight meritorious years as President of the Unites States of America, wrote: “Soon George W. Bush would be President of all the people and I wish him well. I knew they saw the world very differently from the way I did and would want to undo much of what I had done.” He, Bill Clinton, then listed those things that he felt that George Bush and the Republicans may undo. However, Clinton concluded by saying: “But those were not my calls to make anymore.” So why can’t the sycophants accept that with the best will and might in the world, President Koroma does not have a monopoly of wisdom to turn Sierra Leone into paradise on earth, nor does he alone have the patriotic fervour needed to run the country?
These sycophants may feel that President Koroma is the best thing to have happened to Sierra Leone and he may well be, but what happens if after him, and with a constitution that allows more time for every sitting president, the next president happens to be a power intoxicated cum dictator, or a murderous cum thieving rogue, then Serra Leoneans would be lumbered till ‘thy kingdom come’.
These sycophants have to be stopped for the sake of peace, prosperity, progress of Sierra Leone and its poor, hapless, downtrodden masses.
God help Sierra Leone and save her from ENEMIES WITHIN.