Concord Times (Freetown)
Pel Koroma
5 August 2008
opinion
The recent cocaine saga is not only on the verge of tarnishing Sierra Leone's image in the international circuit as a bastion of drug mafias, it now appears to be posing a great challenge to our justice system.
As long as it is convenient to a particular set of over lords, our justice system has so much string that can be pulled at will.
President Ernest Bai Koroma is very conscious of the lackadaisical attitude of justice providers. The judiciary is so porous that officials are ready to compromise their integrity and mortgage the nation for material gains.
It is no more news that cases are delayed in courts as a means of extorting money from people for justice which ought to be rendered free of cost. There is no sanity in the justice system.
It was in this country that a high court judge was bribed by a businessman to pervert justice. Several instances indicate that the judiciary is incapacitated to slam justice where it is due and on time too because justice delayed is justice denied.
Most people believe that it was on this ground that President Koroma vowed in public that he will separate the justice ministry from that of the attorney general's. This idea was highly welcomed by many people.
At that point in time, President Koroma was hailed as the man of the people who is determined to uphold the doctrines of our democratization process. President Koroma knew how much people have suffered injustice in the hands of unscrupulous law officers in the country. He became the people's messiah, ready to call things by their names after his remarks about separating the two institutions.
Weeks after, there was a fall back by the President following Serry Kamal's appointment as minister of justice and attorney general. It was like a bomb shell to those that had hoped for justice and its speedy delivery.
Why did the President reversed his words is still unknown to most people. Here is a head of state who stood before the public to denounce the handling of the two institutions by a single person but his flip flopping left a lot of people jolted. Why did the president change his mind?
It might be true that President Koroma came to power with so much boisterousness and was eager to satisfy the wants of the deprived people of Sierra Leone. But sadly, this got nipped in the bud because he is supposed to be making policy statements.
President Koroma dented his authority by reversing what he had earlier condemned; capitalizing on the fact that it is against the people. The President should know that whatever he says appear like a gospel truth.
Many people wished to have seen the two institutions separated for the sake of transparency, accountability and timely provision of justice but my President will say this today and by tomorrow he will be seen doing something different. It is worrisome that the 'Captain' of the nation's ship is acting like a pendulum.
Law officers have proven to be weak in the past and there are still signs that they are even weaker today more than ever before. Drug traffickers have rotten the fragile states of West Africa by corrupting politicians and law enforcement agencies.
United Nations have confirmed that over 50 tons of cocaine was shipped through West African region every year by corrupt politicians and law enforcement agencies. In Africa's impoverished states such as ours and Guinea Bissau, where drugs have made millions of dollars for people, Guinea Bissau's attorney general Luis Manuel Cabral last week lamented that there are people among the high ranking figures in politics, the army and the security forces who do not want any investigation to be held in the cocaine saga that is smearing their country.
"We are facing total obstruction with death threats to try and stop the investigation from going forward," he told AFP.
Why is it that African states officers are vulnerable to corruption? The cocaine deal needs to be investigated and justice slammed on culprits to shame those with the ill-gotten wealth from the dubious cocaine deal.
Had the President divided the justice ministry from the attorney general's office, the case of these drug barons would have gotten a speedy trial in court and justice dispensed.
Some people are of the opinion that President Koroma is not his own man. Justice will not be expected in his reign as he has allowed himself to be cowed and destroyed by the APC syndrome. To them, the president has disappointed the nation.
In fact, the Anti Corruption Commission bill that should deserve so much reverence to the President, pegging him on his zero tolerance drive, is currently stagnated at the parliament. But are parliamentarians not paid out of the tax payer's money? Why is it that they are dragging their feet over the ACC bill?
Attitudinal change phenomenon should start from high ranking state actors .These are the strings the executive arm of government use to manipulate the independence of institutions like the ACC. But unfortunately, clauses are often used to stifle justice.
Today, some people are left with nothing but to refer to Koroma as a flip flop President. "There are some elements of truth in what people are saying about the inconsistencies of the President. Much enthusiasm was expressed by President Koroma to declare his assets to the people. This would have given him a clean sheet as indeed a new man in the corridors of power. This idea disappeared into thin air mincing his words," said Kalawa Conteh.
When President Koroma was in the United Kingdom (UK), he was asked about the declaration of his assets. He said he was waiting for the ACC to put papers in place for the declaration. Later, flip flop President Koroma reversed again to say it is the parliament that should guarantee assets declaration. The idea now appears dead and sealed.
It is unfortunate to state that these parliamentarians are in office to make riches with little thinking about the demise of poverty-stricken people. After all, the All Peoples Congress (APC) has the largest seats in parliament so much so they can influence laws once there is the political will.
President Koroma should know that he has added more nails to his coffin. People have not taken his words for granted. Definitely, this flip flop attitude of the President will cost him his wish for a second term.
Disgustingly, the President ended up appointing his friends from parliament to preside over the unhappiness of the people in his cabinet. Earlier, he had faked the people and swore that he will not take anyone from his parliament. What did the President do instead? He negated his own promise.
This attitude has slowly instilled fear in some people that the President may override his powers. For real, can people trust such a President for the pursuance of justice to the latter? When will he prove that he is a firm ruler? His yes is supposed to be his yes! These are serious blunders that will seriously hamper our democratic process.
President Koroma would be embarrassed by journalists anytime he visits the White House or 10 Downing Street who depend on facts for news dissemination. Is the APC government prepared to give justice to the nation in this disgraceful act of people engaging in drug trade and destroying the human resource of the country?
Days ago, Iran executed drug traffickers. It is also on record that China, Indonesia and the United States of America are some of the countries that slam death sentences on drug mafias. People should know that no nation will triumph in the sale of drugs. All it will give birth to is a bunch of criminals, hoodlums, junkies and introduce a lassez fait attitude among citizenry thus making them believe that there is a shortcut to making riches.
These criminals, in connivance with the police, live big in town; land cruiser jeeps to their beck and call; frivolous and always on spending spree. Yet, they pose as businessmen. What type of business or where are their enterprises for such a splash of wealth in town?
The police force is supposed to be a reputable institution. But the riches senior police officers are displaying today, surprises a lot of people. In fact, many people now strongly believe police officers are the master controllers of the network of drug traffickers and other notorious criminals.
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Mr. Koroma, corruption is an erradicable predicate of the human condition, both on ecclesiastical and secular grounds. Rome had a substantial dose; the one thousand year Christian Commonwealth in Europe had some; and the states that succeeeded the "Christian Roman Empire," the bourgeois states of modern Europe and Europe's ARGUABLE extension in the New World, the USA have a fair dose of the phenomenon corruption.
Accordingly, Sierra Leone is in good company, on the surface.
A closer look, however, uncovers a valley deep difference: the Sierra Leonean State is founded and thrives on corruption, which simply means… [Read Full Text]
Cocaine barons, Fish barons, Knaves of Diamonds, etc the list goes on and on . Are you surprised ! These are not new to Sierra Leone. Endemic corruption has been the hallmark of the modus operandi and modus vivendi of most of Sierra Leone's public officials since the mid 1960's. Sierra Leonean's in the diaspora act as if this is all new. Some individuals with twisted minds and without an iota of asocial conscience who have pillaged our beloved nation for the last half century believe that a crime is only a crime when and if you get caught. There… [Read Full Text]