February 9, 2021
Grading Politicians is an innovative political practice that is pregnant with implications. President Bio has demonstrated the resolve to rise above cronyism in government.
This has been the blight in successive governments- undermining national development agenda to promote the common good.
The new norm introduced by President to measure the performance of his ministers gives room for merit as against the promotion of cabinet sycophancy. It is a move in the right direction, drifting from the past ugly trend, when some ministers will rely on backstabbing the colleagues in gossips to ensure their retention of jobs.
The effect of the old trend had bred mediocrity and even political corruption. We hope that the process will not be diluted along the way.
It is the expectation of the general public that those who have caught the lime light including the Ministers of Finance, Education and National Covid 19 Emergency Response Commission are not going be lax and allow the accolade to bog them down in laze and sleaze.
Those ministers who could not be awarded must feel rejected and down cast. They must the Chief Ministers’ Dr. Francis as fair in his benchmarks that had taken stock of individual ministers’ deliverables to arrive at the judgment rendered in good faith.
Our suggestion to the process is for President to even reduce the timing of the award to something like every six months rather a year long affair. The people of Sierra Leone want to know the performers and the under-performers in government. We even want to better understand the criteria used in rating those who steal the show.
Whatever the decision of the government on this the fact has been established that we are no longer pandering to the vice of undeserved political elevation. The political charge must remain competitive for the competent and patriotic politicians.
This is an assurance that collective effort of government dependent on good work and result orietedness that will translate in improved service delivery and public trust amidst ingrained partisan bigotry that as polarized this country in the middle.
