By: Lansana Fofanah
The role of a Chief Minister in Sierra Leone is becoming the daunting and challenging lately, and whoever finds himself there must be ready for the worse.
Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, one of Sierra Leone’s finest political gem and the current Chief Minister is now the latest victim of bad politics in Sierra Leone.
Before him was Professor David Francis, who served in the capacity of Chief between 2018 and 2021.
Professor David Francis’s appetite for professionalism, service delivery and his non-compromising stance on mediocrity and sycophancy, coupled with his call for the reform of the Civil Service made him hated by even those who had never met him.
Today, those ugly signs are appearing from all angles against David Sengeh; from criticizing his new-found-haircut, nitpicking his lifestyle, to skewing, framing and priming his media talks, especially his social media posts aiming to initiate national discussion on various issues and a lot more.
For a man who believes in the spiritual notion that only the truth shall set a nation free, Chief Minister Sengeh’s frank analysis on the never-ending problems in the energy sector, has been skewed, framed and primed once again to the satisfaction of ill-motivated Sierra Leoneans with the motive of denting his enviable achievements.
In his Tuesday edition of his One Dropian column titled “I’m Thoughtfully Thoughtful in my One Dropian Thoughts” I totally agree with Mohamed Sankoh who stated that the truth appears not to be appreciated in Sierra Leone anymore. Such is the plight of the Chief Minister whose frank statement on those believed to be part of the EDSA problem has turned out to be his worst nightmare. What is sacrilegious about the Chief Minister’s comment on mosques or churches not paying bills is something that is yet to be figured out.
Dr. Sengeh should be commended for exposing not only those entities but MDAs that owe the Electricity Distribution Supply Authority (EDSA) a huge chunk of money.
What we should be calling on the Chief Minister is to go after those offices for sabotaging the energy sector and not to vilify him for calling spade a spade.
For some critics, the appointment of David Sengeh in such a high office in the land has given him a vantage point and a platform to build his political ambition and consolidate his chance of succeeding President Julius Maada Bio come 2028; hence the need to throw a spanner into every of his fine work and aspiration.
The rise of Sengeh and other young energetic appointees serve as a testament to President Bio’s youth empowerment initiative, and such initiative has been craftily utilized by David Sengeh, making use of every given opportunity under the Bio dispensation.
I hold the notion that the Office of the Chief Minister serves as a shield for the Presidency and the government as a whole and should never be occupied by the fainted-heart but a brave and courageous servant like Dr Sengeh, a man with a proven international track record.
Copyright –Published in print in Expo Times Newspaper on Friday, May 10TH, 2024 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)