VIEWPOINT President Ernest Koroma’s Per-Diem Flying Ministers....Can They Sacrifice For The Nation? Posted by on May 25, 2008, 22:56

Some call them flying ministers, others have tagged them per-diem ministers of the APC government. But what is it all about and what are the people’s interpretations of these concepts? What do they really mean by flying ministers when they don’t have wings like birds to fly the air space? To them, the meaning denotative or connotative may be far from the reality. It is their way of expressing their opinions about these ministers in government. But to call them flying ministers when they are wingless is inappropriate and gives the impression that they can fly, fly, and fly like birds that move from one place to another, perch on the branches of trees and  look at them on the ground fending for their living.

The concept of per-diem may be appropriate and gives detailed explanation of the behaviour of some of the ministers, their quest and zest for money, using their official ministerial positions to acquire wealth at the detriment of the state and its people.For the past eight months in office as ministers of government, it is disheartened to note that some of the ministers have not been treating their official state functions with maximum respect and the attention it deserves. They spend time traveling abroad on government per-diem between four-five hundred dollars per day. Prominent among these ministers are the Foreign Affairs Minister, Mrs. Zainab Hawa Bangura, Dr. Soccoh Kabia of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Mr. David Carew of the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Richard Conteh of the same ministry in charge of Development and Revenue, Mr. Alimamy P. Koroma of the Trade Ministry and of late Raymond Kabia of the Local Government and Internal Affairs Ministry has joined the wagon to benefit from the per-diem dished out to his colleagues.

There are different schools of thought regarding the debate. While some people are of the view that their mission abroad is to negotiate for funds and projects for the development of this country, others are saying that some of them have not relinquished their previous jobs overseas in the case of Dr. Soccoh Kabia who spends less number of days in his local office in Freetown and spend the rest in America where he still has clients to attend to. In the case of the Foreign Minister, the argument is that she believes that touring the length and breadth of the universe would make her create new relationships that can afford her job opportunities in the event she is asked to quit her current engagement.

The tables of these per-diem ministers are pack-full with documents that need their immediate attention for the progress of this country. Leaving them on their tables for oversea trips at the detriment of the state is negatively impacting on the development aspirations of the president and goals set out to achieve during his period of governance. It would appear that most of the ministers lack the administrative and political skills to kick-start any meaningful operations in their offices. This is evident in the poor performance of some of the ministries that is beginning to warrant a collective call from the suffering masses to change most of them.

After a period of eight months in office, nothing substantial is in progress, partly because most of the ministers are spending time, winning and dinning with their friends in America, Britain and other parts of the globe where they were forced to do menial jobs for their survival. Now that President Koroma has offered them the opportunity to contribute positively to national development and transformed the dreams of the suffering masses to reality, they are still out there merry making and celebrating their unexpected victory of becoming ministers in the new APC government of President Koroma. It is not the wish of this writer to bring to the forefront the background of some of these individuals who were appointed ministers overnight. What should have being the motivating factor for them to concentrate and perform for the good of this nation and the satisfaction of the president who appointed them to these offices is that they have been relieved from the bondage of menial jobs in foreign lands, where they were forced to work at Fast Foods outlets, seven-eleven mini shops and security officers for private security companies for $100 or less a day.

Secondly, it is explicitly clear and unarguably true that most of them don’t know where to start and change things for the better. For the benefit of good governance and the progress of this nation , President Koroma should now be thinking of replacing these dead woods with dedicated and committed Sierra Leoneans back home who can deliver and rescue the people, if not he would have himself to blame because the hungry and angry public would one day turn against his APC government.

Governance, the world over is about performance, delivering the goods and changing the living standards of the governed and not about collecting per-diems and subjecting the masses into more hardships and difficulties. The President, on a number of occasions has opened his mind to his appointees that his mission is to rescue his people because of the long sufferings and hardships they had gone through all these years. This alone was enough to bring the minds of the ministers closer and change their attitude and behavioural pattern. What these people should be reminded about is the fact that governance is a social contract between two parties (Governors and the Governed), the people and their leaders.

Candidly, the governed had fulfilled and continues to fulfill their part of the obligation by voting the APC party to take control of the state and payment of taxes. It is left with the APC to prove to the electorate that they are capable of micro-managing the resources of the state for high yield or call it an increase in productivity and not the reverse.

Eight months have gone by with no tangible results from some of the ministers with the exception of few who have endeavored to make a mark. Take the case of the Minister of Energy and Power, Mrs. Afsatu Kabbah; despite her initial odds she is managing the World Bank sponsored electricity supply to the city. With the supply of electricity, small businesses are generating income, which families of various homes are benefiting from to keep life going. This is one area that the government has scored success, despite the huge financial input to sustain the project. The truth is that we are no more living in one of the darkest cities in the world. Similarly, the area of road constructing and patching of potholes is ongoing which is also sending an appreciative signal to the people of this nation that something productive would be achieved in the not too distant future.

Sadly, areas like the Ministries of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Trade and Industry, Tourism, Defence and a few more need to be overhauled if anything meaning is to be achieved by this government. The development of any nation should not be based on sentiment, nor the appointment of government officials be done on personal relationship. Mr. President, there are individuals in real life situation that cannot perform for the benefit of others let alone a nation, therefore the solution is for you to replace them. The people of this nation did not vote for per-diem or flying ministers, but for those who have the ability, know-how and experience to work for them so that their lives and living standards will be improved.