2 May, 2008
Zainu Bassie, Freetown

Recalling Kabbah's Handing Over Report to Ernest Koroma-Part 1

 
When former President Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah was leaving the political stage after eleven years of governing, he issued a statement which he asked to be referred to as his handing over report to President Ernest Bai Koroma.

The report dealt with the achievements of his SLPP government and what Ernest Koroma was inheriting.

 

Former President Kabbah handing over report to President Koroma

The opening statement of the report reads:

"This is a unique and momentous occasion in the history of our beloved nation, as it is the first time that a constitutionally elected Government is handing over authority to a constitutionally elected successor."

The report went of to say that Ernest Koroma was inheriting a state that was on the threshold of taking off for the progress and prosperity that lie ahead.

Security

On the security of the state, the report said that since the war came to an end, the security of the state has been maintained through the restructuring of the security sector with the assistance of the United Kingdom Government and improvement in the conditions of service for the forces.

Local Government

Local government authority has been restored according to the report.

Justice

The report says that a more effective justice system is being gradually built, a more proactive stance and increased vigilance for responsible civil society groups and a satisfactorily informed general public is increasingly contributing to the furtherance, promotion and protection of justice in the country.

Electricity and Water

Here the report stated that much progress is being made to complete the Bumbuna Hydro Electricity Project and construct more water dams for the City of Freetown.

Projects

A lot of projects have been put in place to create jobs, particularly for the youths.

Schools

Many schools have been built and some are under construction, the report said.

Hospitals

Refurbished and new ones under construction and new diagnostic equipment are being installed that will now significantly reduce the need for people to travel abroad for medical attention, the report noted.

Corruption

On corruption, the report said that he, Alhaji Kabbah, was amazed to have read in the local press that his outgoing government was soft on corruption and that their development partners may have withheld funding because of this.

Ex-President Kabbah reported that his Government maintained a robust stand against corruption. He said before he assumed the Presidency, corruption was a taboo subject in the country and it was so endemic that the word corruption was never even used.

President Kabbah reported that he personally took up the fight against corruption and in the process requested and obtained assistance from Britain. A British consultant designed the Anti Corruption Commission strategy based on a model he had put in place with excellent results in Hong Kong and Botswana. The report said that at the inception of the country's Anti Corruption Commission, the outgoing SLPP Government was able to prosecute and convict high profile officials amongst who were an Appeal Court Judge, Ministers, and other senior officials. The Commission sensitized and continues to sensitize the Sierra Leone public about the evils of corruption through very effective media programs. The report stated that he, Alhaji Kabbah, had referred to corruption as a national threat, in his address in Parliament. He said that certain strong positions taken by the nation's international partners may have been counter productive in the fight against corruption. The former President cited the Department for International Development (DFID) as an example. He said DFID insisted that we change the prosecution process of corruption cases by removing them from the jurisdiction of the Attorney General to determine who should be prosecuted and relegating these functions to a team of three prosecutors, two of whom are their appointees and a third a nominee of the Attorney General. This was contrary to our constitution which made them threaten to withdraw their financial assistance.

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