May 14, 2021
Albert Baron Ansu
President Bio has once again won international confidence in his ease and composed deportment responding to the Zain Exchange on CNN. That is the telltale sign of sincerity that the president is not lying but actually projecting the truth about what is obtaining in Sierra Leone during the lock down phase of the pandemic and the prevailing environment of improved containment of dealing with the scourge.
It was supposed to be an uplifting moment for the people of Sierra Leone but we cannot be surprised that the plus scored by the President and by extension the government of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party.
Zain Asher did not mollycoddle, like pampering the President to do a PR spin doctoring of the good things there are to showcase, but rather, she asked hard questions to take him off guard. But that effect was not achieved. President was invariably relaxed to answer questions about allegation of corruption against his wife and former chief minister.
“It is easy to make an allegation but the proof of it…” That is a plausible comment to make. Sane minds know that to allege brings the burden of proof on the beholder. Without that it will always remain in the realm of the unfounded.
The same applies to the former chief minister, whose allegations derived from audit report suffered from the paralysis of not matching figures with substantive leg walk to ask questions in verifying a malice laden presumption.
The newly appointed Minister of Finance Denis Vandy was linked corruption in the past regime. If we believe in the sanctity of the court at this material time, why should we be blackmailed into discrediting the verdict that has emerged from the appeal court of the Commission of Inquiry?
And we are here on the ground to witness the shoddy work that was done in foisting a scandalous streak on the good works the First Lady is doing cannot stick.
This is point the President was driving home with ease and he even sounded facile explaining the gains in revenue mobilization amidst COVID and the diversification of the economy that the pandemic is ebbing. The world audience following that interview can but read into questions and the responses to make sense thereof that there are opportunities here to grasp in agriculture, mines and tourism. This is a prospect of bright future under the new direction but is galling some people already. Such is life; we have to move on…