Freetown — A recent report by the International Crisis Group (ICG), the global conflict prevention organization, has described as mere rhetoric the ruling All Peoples Congress government's flagship programme of attitudinal and behavioral change.

In a report titled 'Sierra Leone: A New Era of Reform?' the group challenged the government: "To give meaning to the rhetoric about 'attitudinal change' and 'zero tolerance on corruption' through specific policies for improving public service delivery and increasing government transparency and accountability."

However, executive director of the ABC campaign, Phillip Conteh, said the campaign was a vision of the president but quickly admitted that he was not privy to the report and did not know in which context the claim was made.

"As far as we are concerned the ABC campaign is a reality targeted at the Sierra Leonean people. I can assure you that millions of hearts and minds have been touched by this vision of the president to make this country a better place for its people."

Meanwhile, ICG has suggested that the current administration, "must consolidate policy on youth employment, private sector development, infrastructure rehabilitation, public sector reform and decentralisation into a National Development Plan and conduct extensive public consultations to determine local needs," adding that it must ensure any future audit is transparent, bipartisan and disseminated in a form that enhances public understanding of the operations, capacity and limitations of governmental ministries, departments and agencies.

Because the National Electoral Commission (NEC) under Dr Christiana Thorpe came under scathing criticisms from the defeated Sierra Leone Peoples Party following the 2007 elections, ICG recommended that the govern must ensure that NEC remains politically independent, which may require bipartisan consultation over future staff appointments.

The Group challenged President Ernest Bai Koroma to live up to his public promises of separating the offices of justice minister and attorney general and to require senior officials to declare their private assets as was being enforced by the Anti Corruption Commission.

In the interim, ICG thinks the donor community could help by supporting the creation of a national development plan that replaced the recently expired poverty reduction strategy paper and commit long-term funding to it.

It added: "Donors should continue support specific projects in partnership with the government but ensure, where possible, that these are integrated within the National Development Plan; continue supporting the Anti-Corruption Commission, which has an important role in promoting governmental accountability."

As was in the case of confidence building measure, the Group called on the Peacebuilding Fund to support the Koroma government's efforts to forge political consensus and improve accountability, including by funding implementation of Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) recommendations and countrywide consultations on a National Development Plan and land tenure reform.

"Use the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) strategically to support public consultations, consensus building and policy development rather than simply plugging gaps in existing development funding."