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Ernest Bai Koroma and the Sacred Cow Affair

Author: Richard B Bockarie - SEM

It is hard to deny that President Koroma wears an aura that is difficult to spot in the persons of those that stood the race for State House with him in 2007. He had the looks of a leader, a president; he wore the looks of sincerity that characterized his campaign for the reigns of power which definitely gave him the edge against all those that contested with him. He was conscious and very much aware of that as was evident in his clarion call to fight corruption and his apt promise to have no scared cow in the administration of powers in the country. During his swearing-in ceremony and the inauguration in Freetown, Koroma never minced his words in reiterating his government’s commitment to nip corruption in the bud especially with regards the fact that to him and his government there is no one to spare – No Sacred Cow.

The whole affair started well after he settled down in 2007 when he enhanced the Anti Corruption Laws that made the commission had the powers it lacked, that to prosecute and operate without undue influence from central government as it used to be in the days of erstwhile Sierra Leone People’s Party Government.

True to the powers of the ACC, some indictments and prosecutions have been made, lost public monies recovered and precedence set in in the fight to assuage the rampant and rising tide of public corruption that has stagnated the country for far too long.

Whilst these moves might be encouraging, it is apparent also that the front posed by the Ernest Koroma Government on the issue of ‘no sacred cow’ is actually not what it is in the reality of things. There have been cases of stack public corrupt allegations that are more than ripe for probing by the ACC and the government itself. But for reasons that have not been explained, these issues have and are slowly dying down whilst the powers given to the ACC remain practically inactive for reasons that cannot be understood. The Income-Electrix scandal still lies untouched; the Indian Rice saga championed by brother to the President Slyvanus Koroma is still yet to draw interest of any kind from the government and the ‘no-nonsense’? Commissioner General of the Anti Corruption. Clauses in the Act pertaining conflict of interest is yet to act on the fact that Admire (Koroma) Sesay continues to win government contracts with what prowess, one does not know; same goes for many other kinsmen of the president that have suddenly become privileged in winning contracts but the clause on conflict of interest and the avowal against the sacred cow affairs does not seem usable in this regard.

The only thing that is left to establish the seriousness of the President and his government in the fight to ease the thriving corruption in the country is the out come of his recent call to the ACC to have leave no stone unturned in the way of the fight against corruption comes to materialize.

The gong has been banged and all ears and eyes are now pointed to the action of the ACC as the moves made in this regard (investigate alleged corrupt activities of members of the first family) will be very instrumental in combating the menacing evil of corruption in the country.

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Ernest Bai Koroma and the Sacred Cow Affair

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