Dr. Dennis Bright – Chairman and Leader, NGC: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 15 November 2021:
Since news of the sacking or “indefinite suspension” of the Auditor General broke out, I have been doing a lot of thinking. I was especially asking myself questions such as: why would President Bio want to sack this woman at a time when the dust of the European Union’s frank and damning report has still not settled, when people are still angry about his lacklustre performance at the climate conference and all that?
But thanks to the Africanist Press, whose reports have never been challenged by the Government, we now know that the 2020 Audit Report, when it is released as prepared by Lara Taylor Pearce (Photo) may reveal misdeeds, malpractices and fraudulent activities in very high places that are unheard of in the sixty years history of independent Sierra Leone.
One thing we must make clear is this: anything they tell us now that does not have to do with what is in that report is a mere distraction.
We don’t want to know all the things they are telling us now about this woman, that she did a cover up for the Mayor or she did not follow the procurement rules or that maybe she stole a potato at the Freetown Supermarket. You had enough time to tell us all that, but you didn’t.
Now, what the nation is interested in is what is in that report that you do not want us to hear and that made you send her away? We don’t want any distractions.
You cannot just come up with a tribunal to investigate the good lady just two weeks before she was going to expose your “egregious” corruption, as the former Chief Minister (Photo: Former Chief Minister David Francis) would call it. What’s done in the darkness must come to light.
I would like to inform my compatriots in Government that this Lara Taylor Pearce story is not going to blow over. This is not going to be shelved like the case of the 49,000 bags of Chinese donated rice that disappeared within the Government, stolen or “commandeered.” I
f you think that the Christmas fever is going to make this go cold, please start thinking again. We will hear that Audit Report, unfiltered and unadulterated. And if you think you can just sack that woman when you have no right to, let’s see if the Constitution of this country has now become your tissue paper. I feel so sorry for you all.
And I do hope that Lara will not take the bait and give up, never mind the threats and intimidation. That will be the professional suicide they are hoping for. (Photo: Author – Dr Dennis Bright, Chairman and Leader of the NGC Party).
Be assured, strong lady, the people of Sierra Leone are behind you because you are the last hope for decency in this s……..hole (courtesy of the former U.S. President Trump). Good is not dead yet and God is alive.
It seems like Dennis Bright is now losing his mental stability because he made the wrong decision to instigate then presidential candidate .Kandeh Yumkella to leave the SLPP after his humiliating loss against Retired Brigadier Maada Bio. Hopefully after the 2023 presidential elections, he will be treated at the ” KISSY CRASE YARD”.
Let the heavens praise your wonder o Lord !
You are absolutely right, Dr Bright. All we want to know now are the exact contents of the 2020 Audit Report. The sacking of and allegations being made against Mrs Lara Taylor-Pearce are precisely a red herring, designed to divert attention from, or rather, keep the lid firmly on what are potentially scandalous, not to say politically explosive, findings contained in the report.
Wielding his executive (or should one say executioner’s) axe pre-emptively, Bio condemns and executes his victim before going on to authorize hypocritically the setting up of a so-called tribunal to review – negatively most obviously – her performance. He is both judge and jury and for sure certain pliant, buyable and politically-minded elements of our judiciary will do his bidding.
Mrs Taylor-Pearce is considered guilty from the word go. No allowance is made for her being innocent until proven otherwise. The tribunal is merely an afterthought and therefore has no merit. It is a charade, aimed at keeping up appearances – Bio’s Sierra Leone being a country where the rule of law is supreme. Tell it to the marines! Indeed, the truth is this: once a coupist and so a despot, always a coupist and so always a despot. The donning of civilian, democratic robes these days notwithstanding.
No one is trying to tarnish the name of our country. Tarnishing the image of Sierra Leone, is the job discriptoin of Bio and some of his do nothing, corrupt members of his government. And all my contributions on this forum, is not laced with tribal undertones, or regional affiliations. My criticism of Bio and his government is rooted solely on his failure to honour some of his manifesto promises he made to the country during his campaign for the presidency back in 2018.He promised to tackle the cancer of corruption in our country, which is the root and branch of all our country’s problems. So far he haven’t live up to expectations.If any thing corruption have flourish under his watch. And in my humble opinion, I believe one individual leader is capable of changing the fortunes of our country for better or worse. And Bio have chosen the latter. All we need in a leader, is someone who is honest and knows exactly the challenges facing our country and is ready to do something about it.
And there is no politician in Sierra Leone that knows our country’s problems better than Bio himself. He used to speak about it like a broken recorder. But that was when he was in opposition. Now that he is in power, Bio is doing the same things that he was critical of. So when is Bio going to have his road to Damascus moment and practice what he use to preach? A honest broker. We all want Bio to succeed, so we can all say finally we have a transformative leader, that understands the issues and is doing something about it. It can be done. Our Country with all its human and natural resources, with one of the youngest population in Africa, can harnes its God given fortune and become the Singapore of West Africa. A tax heaven and a wealth creating economy for Sierra Leoneans and wolud be investors around the world. The fomer Prime minister of Singapore,Lee Kaun Yew, was able to transformed his country single handedly through his pragmatic approach and vision for the future.
In 1965, Singapore broke away from Malaysia and got its independence. Four years earlier our country was already enjoying its own independence achievement. Singapore was a poor country, with no minerals resources to boasts of. There were ethnic differences in the country. But what prime minister Lee told his fellow countrymen, and women, if they want to develop, they have to put their differences aside and work towards the common good. Nation building should be at the forefront of every citizen. And this was underpinned by investing on education, infrastructure projects, and encouraging foreigners to come and contribute to his vision of nation building. And he didn’t stop there. He built a solid governance infrastructure, with transparency and accountability the corner stones to this wonderful projects he dreamt of .No excuses for corruption. Because Premier Minister Lee doesn’t entertain it or tolerate it. Also the respect for the rule of law, private ownership, and free press becomes the calling card for would be international foreign investors. And until we have a leader like Premier Minister Lee, that is prepared to tackle our problems, instead of lying to the population, I will continue to point out their failures to diliver for the people of Sierra Leone.
I have been waiting to find one propagandist and apologist , here we found one . Mr Solomon Kamanda , do you know that sentiment and tribalism is killing our country and people like you are responsible. The standard of living of our people has sank to the lowest I have ever known since this government come to office , whilst our noble President can afford millions of dollars to travel around the world . What has the people of Sierra Leone gain from his travelling? Our public services are crumbling, teachers and nurses and other public sectors haven’t been paid for months. Why are they running scared from the Auditor General’s report if they have nothing to hide? This administration has no experience in running a country’s economy. They came to power to enrich themselves. Like the previous government when they are kicked out of office they will get back to the UK or America to enjoy their spoils, living the poor people in the country to suffer as they always do.
The President in his time in England, was labelled “hangout” by some of his critics. His supporters looked after him, pay his rent , travelling money (bus pass) and some spending money. He was a poor man who was waiting for the time to enrich himself and his supporters and to live the life he could ever dream of, hence all the travelling. Those who voted for him put this on themselves and the rest of the country. We are all suffering with high costs of living. But the people of Sierra Leone never learn, both main parties does not have the country at heart. It is sad to see the APC who brought our country near bankruptcy is now the Messiah.
We forget so soon the millions of dollars embezzled by the last administration and we forget the diamond that was found during their last days . The then President Koroma sold the diamond for millions of dollars, what happened to that money? Most of the APC ministers are in the Gambia and other neighbouring countries waiting to get in power again to fleece the country.
God help Salone
She was the auditor general during Earnest Bai Koroma government at the end the country ends up to austerity. How did the audit that she did led us to austerity at the end of the day? That position is not given to someone to work for a particular party or individual but for the interest of the people of mama salone. I strongly believe that the president has his own reasons for her indefinite suspension.
Best if you don’t know what an auditor does to keep quiet instead of displaying your ignorance for the whole world to see.
An auditor’s job is to audit. That’s a straw man’s argument. They are not responsible for the actions of the state.
You guys are damaging the country for little or nothing. Stop this type of politics as other potential politicians bring something good on the table rather than critics that has no ayota of truth.