Sierra Leone Telegraph: 9 July 2021:
Dr Kandeh Yumkella, parliamentary leader of Sierra Leone’s opposition National Grand Coalition (NGC) party has been busy in the last week, debating serious issues in the country’s parliament as well as talking to the media about the state of the economy, social incohesion, crumbling public institutions and poor leadership.
Yumkella is perhaps the busiest and most vocal of all elected members in Sierra Leone’s parliament.
He has on several occasions tried to put forward private member’s Bill that will bring forward new legislations but without success, after the ruling party’s Speaker of Parliament – Dr Abass Bundu systematically and consistently prevented Yumkella from exercising his constitutional and parliamentary rights.
Speaking on AYV TV, Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella said he is advocating for constitutional and institutional changes to protect the next generation.
He is calling for a Peace Commission that will guarantee ethnic balance through continuous Ethnic Audit, so as to ensure that no single tribe get more than 30% of public sector jobs.
Since joining politics, Dr Yumkella has been calling for changes to the Constitution that will allow Sierra Leoneans with dual citizenship to have the right to elect and be elected, without losing their dual citizenship status, except for certain roles such as Speaker of Parliament, President or Vice president.
As a strong advocate of gender equality and balance, Yumkella is calling for change that will guarantee a minimum of 30% quota for women in all public sector appointments, including Parliamentary service.
Calling on the government to be more transparent and open, Dr Yumkella says: “As government speaks about allocation, Parliament should be speaking about results. What value are the people getting for these allocations. Our government has received over $1.5 billion over the past three or more years in loans and grants. Parliament should be asking what has the government done with these loans and grants. We need results to address the burning issues of our people.”
You can watch some of the video recordings of Yumkella in Parliament last week and on AYV TV:
These things have been going on for years but the question now is, who is going to change or stop it. Are we going to continue bringing old issues of the past till end of time? A journey of one million miles they say starts with a single step. But currently with this administration, we have not seen an inch let alone a step. And every time people have the opportunity to even make a mile, they will rather make “bogus old comparisons”. And that is not helping at all. Let us all put personal interests aside and tell the Bio administration to do the work he promised. Let his work speak for him.
We are tired of these defensive tactics for this Bio administration. The defence and bogus speaking is not what is in Bio’s manifesto. Please gentlemen and ladies in this forum, let us all call the night and day as they are, at least FOR GOD’s SAKE, if not for our children’s future! For 3yrs now, you guys have been defending this Bio administration over its failure and lack of delivery. We have yet to see any promise fulfilled. Even the little ones that were there before he assumed office, are slowly eroding away. And yet his vuvuzela team is still blowing loudly like that of the titanic entertainment crew. When will Sierra Leone’s beautiful ones be born in this modern age?….Ay wi.wi rili nor si wi yone..
What we have here is gloves-off moment on the part of Dr Yomkella , a bare knuckle fight must now ensue if mother Sierra Leone is to be saved. Something in KKY has snapped if his mind is read correctly. The snapping may be due to two factors. The first one could well be that he has tried everything behind the scene to coax the Bio government to behave responsibly without success. Secondly Dr Yomkella may have had flashes of the judgement of history and posterity, and told himself to start speaking out forcefully for the records. Maada Bio and his team do not seem to attach any importance to history just like their predecessors. That’s why some of us hardly have anything good to say about most of our past leaders, including Moneycar Power (Siaka Stevens) Josephine Talker (Joseph Momoh) and Adebuyor Kasankay (Earnest Kotoma).
Indeed I have always asked in this forum – where do all the loans and grants go that the nation receives? If the laws of probability are anything to go by we may start getting some answers, with Dr Yomkella asking the same question .The same question arises when APC are in power. What should this tell us? It should tell us that SLPP and APC are one and the same; they don’t care about the nation. Let us give KKY a stab at the presidency. His performance should determine whether he gets a second term. He won’t fail us fellow Sierra Leoneans.
Hahahaha It seems to me that our illustrious sons of Sierra Leone, Hon.Kandeh Yumkella and Dr Johnson are living on another totally different universe from the one we are striving to cope in now,right here; Here they are talking about Transparency and Sustainable solutions words that the Corrupt soldier doesn’t believe in. Clearly, Kandeh Yumkella still doesn’t fully understand that he is in a deep valley trying to rise to the peaks of Kilimanjaro. He is a nice man, a gentle timid sheep among APC Lions and SLPP wolves with ruthless iron like jaws and sharpened fangs stained with the blood of the frightened, fragile vulnerable prey that couldn’t escape their merciless grips.
Here’s a piece of advice to you Sir; The Timid Soul. that runs away from a fight has never once been crowned as King over the affairs of men; Let that sink in! Now hear this also: in the path of the wolves only the Lion can walk,unfazed without fear – the timid lambs, impalas, deers and rabbits are shredded to pieces and eaten alive.
Democracy is still in its infancy in our little Sierra Leone unlike the West where it has matured fully and become transformed into a monster – The Incredible Hulk and American Democracy – one and the same,invincible and unstoppable. But in our tiny neck of the woods here at home Pirates indulging themselves in a Rat Race that have fallen from Grace are the ones running the show; Here,on this demonic battleground religious monks and fragile ewe lambs don’t have a prayer no matter how holy and devout, than can turn things around for the better. Throw in the towel Sir if you are unable to return blow for ruthless blow,an eye for an eye is the only real message and response our delusional people can easily understand.(lol)
Your comments and unreasonable attack with derogatory remarks on this young aspirant man is totally unacceptable. To each his own but you are getting too personal which is a premature way to find solutions to problems. Get this into your head:- A true test of leadership ability is to recognize national problems and to find solutions to rectify the problems, When problems starts from TOP-DOWN is poor management and poor judgement.
Democracy in this country is classified as dictatorship, period. We can sing together but we can’t walk and talk together. Everything you are saying is negative. If you have better ideas, bring it to the people to scrutinize it. There’s nothing wrong with speaking your mind about national issues but refrain from personal attacks.
Mr. Hon. KKY, I am personally asking you in the name of God, do not even try it for APC to use you. Remember the past 2018 before the general election APC tried to disqualify you to contest and to run for president. There were too many pressures on you, which pushed you to the edge to take a hard decision to strip yourself of US Citizenship, they even banned the diaspora to run for any office in this country, the almighty APC. They like what you’re saying against the SLPP. All their focus were on you underestimating Bio. My advice to you is, fight for your tiny party (NGC) and pray hard but do not ever, never trust APC period. These guys still blame you for their 2018 big defeat!I am not advising you to try make it back to SLPP membership but beware of APC, they don’t like you, not today tomorrow or ever. They’re totally destroying this country piece by piece brother.
Bio fought and sacrificed his whole life for this country, fighting the rebels the enemies of the land, also removing the”DICTATORSHOP” one party state APC dominated. Let’s be grateful, praise God and bless these gallant guys, I am happy that God has rewarded him, may God provide him more wisdom to lead. Nothing hard like ignoring your service men and women in the war front. Most of the armunition were broken not even functioning well folks, soldiers living on GARRI, drinking” Urine”, suffering in the woods while these APCs were enjoying; building mighty houses, sending their kids and family members abroad. God sent Bio specially to redeem Sierra Leone, not the way you want it but how God does. Dr KKY I am right here in Kono Koudu town, we love you too much, keep distance from APC.
Totally agree in seeking expert advice on issues of national importance such as creating a national cohesion, and uniform programme for political and social change in Sierra Leone. We seek expert advice, because we want to get a greater understanding, and invaluable experience of the issues at play. Using focus groups, cognitive interviews, and road shows up and down the country, in the name of peace and unity, and above all else trying to understand the other side, will go a long way to help bridge the ever widening gap between us.After all, we all belong to one Sierra Leone, and no amount of politicking will change that.With illiteracy rate running high, and the two major political parties using illiterate youths as cannon fodder for their selfish political gains, the hard truth is, if we contiune on this path sixty years after independence, our country will never able to harness its true potential because some tribesmen believe they are the main shareholders in Sierra Leone PLC, and anybody eles should learn to put up with them.
Tbey know what is good for our country. Turns out they are only experts in promoting division for their own selfish ends. The 2007, 2012 and 2018 presidential elections brought some home truths, which many political observers believe exists long before anyone cast their ballot in those elections, that our country was indeed divided on party, tribal and regional differences.No one can deny this issues that brought us wars needed to be distill and flush out from the political system, for our country to stand any chance of moving forward as one people striving for the common good. When Bio got elected in 2018,he called for national cohesion agenda, under the banner of Bintuiemani III conference get together, and inviting all stakeholders to revitalise and try and iron out our differences, so we can forge a way foward where Peace and national cohesion should be the main goal.
Bio went to parliament, and promised he will set up a presidential commission addressing this particular issues of tribal and regional differences that have played a great part in promoting under development in our country. But as ever, true to form, Bio knows the problems, but addressing them is like taking a leap to the unknown. But in reality we all know this divisions in our country, are the ones that has brought us nothing but an almighty underdevelopment and blame game for which no one it seems is ready to take the responsibility for,even our elected representatives. More like we are all guilty of the same crime because we allowed it to go on. Next time we need to put our thinking hats on before we cast our vote.
These issues have existed in Sierra Leone since independence and are not new in Sierra Leone. I have published articles about governance and is still evidence that the government is not listening. The issues laid out by Hon. Dr. Kandeh Yumkella is a lingering cataclysm affecting Sierra Leone and are issues requiring expert research to unveil sustainable solutions that would advance the people of Sierra Leone. We get concerned when our birth place is slowly becoming an autocracy like China, who is slowly taking over Sierra Leone and its resources.
This pure common sense which you rightly posited as a natural phenomenon of our people even at grassroots levels of governance.
Here is a Hon Member of Parliament, and leader of the opposition National Grand Coalition party, with his head firmly tucked on his shoulders and body frame with the brain that goes with it. Mr Yumukella knows where the pulse of Sierra-Leoneans can be located. A real son of the soil, and a man of the people. Time again, with his international experience working in various capacities with International bodies, and leaving everything behind before jumping in the crocodile infested cut throat politics of Sierra Leone to make what he rightly considered helping to develop Sierra Leone, Hon. Kandeh Yumukella has proved himself he is not only a man of his words, but he stood by his words regardless of the consequences to his person. No other politician in Sierra Leone has come up with practical solutions to our countrys problems, by identifying them and trying to point our reluctant and bone headed political classe how we go about redressing these political imbalances that we all know exist in our country.
From gender issues, tribal make up of our institutions, and encouraging the Sierra Leone diaspora community for active participation in how to clean up the nitty-gritty of our gutter politics that Bio and all the presidents men seem to have mastered and pefected. Of course there are other politicians like Dr Blyden, Mayor Aki Sawyerr and countless others that are determined to pull our country from the quagmire of political vendettas and incompetency of the highest order to hit a fragile country like ours. The issues raised by Hon. Yumukella are legitimate and require fundamental seismic shift in the way our country is governed. We cannot inherit colonial era institutions with limited or no reforms undertaken in the past sixty years, and expect to claim our countrys democracy and its democratic credentials are anything but.
Active participation of all citizens, and with the rights of every individual citizen of Sierra Leone respected, regardless of tribe, region or economic independence, is guaranteed through our constitution. In terms of political mass participation and the way our country is governed, should not be reduced to the monopoly of one party, one tribe and if only you have connections to the powers that be. It is what we call unhealthy democracy. And sometimes left unchecked, will lead to dictatorship. If we are not already there.