By Ezekiel Nabieu
Corruption is a word that we bandy about much without pondering on its real meaning. Among other things it means bribery and dishonesty and these are the indicators of our national malaise. Aside from being tagged as the most peaceful country in the sub-region one would hope that Sierra Leone would also become the least corrupt country in the sub-region. That would be a great day worthy of national celebration if it is not a forlorn hope.
Talking about corruption there has been a recent imbroglio about the mining in the eastern town of Koidu. A section of the local community is in favor of the mining operation and the other section against it. The bridge is thought to be sitting on a huge reserve of diamond deposits. And they say that gravel underneath the bridge has served as a magnet for illegal miners whose activities have seen multiple pits dug around it thereby compromising its structural foundation.
Popular civil society activist Charles Mambu himself a questionable character was on the air recently denouncing the mining operations around the bridge. He was not convinced by the statement of the resident minister East Karamoh Kabba that what they were mining consisted of unsuitable material. What has been boggling the minds of progressive and patriotic citizens is whether the Resident minister East has traded his administrative functions with the minister of mines or whether he has been acting as mines minister when the substantive minister is in the country. This brings to the fore the overlapping of functions of ministries, their loss of direction and the redundancy of some of them. And there is always a crop of distinguished civil servants available who have a sense of direction. The juxtaposed Eastern Resident Minister says that he asked the Yamba Motors Garage to vacate the area of business and make way for the mining operation after which the garage would re-occupy its space.
The presidential spokesman, Abdulai Baynaytay said that the president is not responsible for issuing mining permits but the National Mineral Agency. What he did not say was that the President as primus inter pares has the function of overruling whenever there is a conflict of schedules in his bloated cabinet. He did not also say that the resident minister had no business supervising mining operations when there was a substantive mines and mineral minister on the ground. This is in spite of the fact that the Israeli businessman Max Brandesyn told Bockarie of Campaign for Just Mining (CJM) that he had the approval of President Koroma for the mining operation. Such contradictory statements put us in a conundrum with regard to who is speaking the truth? Are we to accept the words of the Presidential spokesman, hook, line and sinker just because his words are presidential? Is he frugal with the truth? In these matters the president becomes non-committal and his spokesman contrives a convenient defense for which he is paid.
What we are sadly witnessing is that certain unlisted individuals are exempted from the rules and regulations of our statutory institutions and organizations. Indeed the public would be grateful if a list of such individuals and institutions is published for ease of reference. The powers that be would even wish to grant a dispensation against death for their sacred cows that do not exist in theory.
When a government minister can dismiss out of hand the expert advice of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Mineral Agency (NMA) and the Campaign for Just Mining (CJM) about the illegality of acting against the mines and minerals’ Act by town mining it becomes the onus of parliament to explain why they sponsored the Act in the first place. Section 36 of the Mines and Mineral Acts of 2009 says any mining activity within a radius of 200 meters from a town is a crime and is punishable by law. But who is man enough to desecrate theoretically sacred cows?
Now let us back pedal for a while and find out something about the recycled kingpin known as Karamoh Kabba. He was the self-styled investor and philanthropist who reported that Le.53 million of tax payers money was “lost” in a road accident. Shortly after the guy was seen relaxing in a pub. But who am I to question the integrity of persons appointed by a personage as high as the Head of State? Ibrahim Sahr Hammed Bockarie District Co-ordinator of the Campaign for Just Mining(CJM) was irked to the extent of saying that the mining activity “rings a loud bell on misrule and bad governance something even the lawless Revolutionary united front did not do during the 11 years interregnum.”When a fish starts to get rotten it starts from the head.
Questions
Resident Minister East
- (a) Has the Resident Minister East any schedule of duties?
(b) If so does he know them?
(c) Is he not aware of Section 36 of the Mines and Mineral Act of 2009 that forbids mining activity within 200 meters from the town?
(d) In this entire scenario why has the minister of Mines played the part of a mute?
Elections Imbroglio
- 2. (a) Why should cabinet ministers, senior government officials and military personnel with arms and ammunition participate in mere bye election campaigns?
(b) Why should government vehicles be used for campaigning?
(c) Was there not an edict against such an excise?
(d) Can such a scenario be described as a level playing field?
(e) Is that what can be described as good governance?
Dogs for export
Sierra Leone is now virtually a. k. a. dog country because it is said to have the highest number of dogs in the whole wide world. In view of the fact that there are dog-eating countries it may be expedient to export our excess dogs to them to redress our balance of payments problem
© Politico 02/08/16
