November 24, 2021
Albert Baron Ansu
The others on the other side of aisle have been quick to criticize the government of “bloating” the wage bill in a simplistic and even nit witted way. The criticism is self-defeating because those that are opposing are the same people crying out about employment.
For goodness how can you charge the government of failing to create jobs without expecting a ‘Paopa’ compelling initiative in creating jobs for new people to come onboard in for instance filling the lacuna in disproportionate teacher ration to make free quality education a reality rather than a farce?
This is where we can rationalize the increased in 1.7 trillion Leones budget to education. The money is supposed to be invested in diverse education spending areas but let us be emphatic here about the job creating aspect that corresponds with wage bill increase.
Everybody is going to benefit regardless of where you come from and which political party you are tethered to. So why are we be blinded to the progressive nature of the budget even where revenue mobilization is fluctuating in the face of vacillating global economic triggers? National Revenue Authority has of late been recording drop in daily revenue collection because ships are infrequent owing to factors beyond the control of us a nation.
We time we find something better to say when we are under the bondage to criticize and get relieved of the self-imposed suffocation. So we ageing when those ill- informed partisans are explaining the state of the economy to the plebian constituents let them be forthright in alluding to the host of factors impacting things that are beyond the control of government.
Because there is a humanistic face to increasing the wage bill from 3.75 trillion to 3.80 l in impacting households where he have teachers, nurses, lecturers as bread winners, Police officers, military personnel, laborers, clerks and local government operators.
With the seriousness exhibited by this government this government attract World Bank Budget support in the tune o 75 million USD to respond to budget shortfalls. This is manifestly a manifesto fulfillment of the President Bio New Direction, laudable as it is… He promised that he will create jobs and he is not back-pedaling on that no matter the gradual pace it is proceeding in the context of global economic meltdown that reverberates in Sierra Leone and other sub regional countries.
Things are hard we are not oblivious of and cannot by any means defend the trend. But there are those who things to be even worse so that they can be under that delusion that they are going to find it as an opportunity to come back to power, God forbid… The dark hands of COVID 19 is going to be burnt out and we will see a rebound of our global and local economies to make the ingrained pessimist breathe a breathe a new lease of life. Say Amen!