NEWS > Commentaries Minister’s Disgraceful Behaviour Should Not Be Subsidized Posted by on Jun 5, 2008, 11:23

All over the world, people who are appointed to responsible positions of authority are expected to behave responsibly, respectfully and with dignity privately and publicly, locally and internationally.  This is a reasonable requirement and expectation because the behaviour manifested by high ranking public officials has the potential to impact either favourably or unfavourably on the image of a country.  In essence, the behaviour of high ranking public officials are supposed to be exemplary all the time because of public perception that they are role models and ambassadors at large.

The above observation is extremely critical for a country like Sierra Leone, whose previous polished image has been severely tarnished by both the atrocities of the almost eleven year brutal war and the alleged reckless, undignified, undiplomatic and juvenile behaviour of some of the country’s highest ranking public officials.Both the Minister of Information and Communication, Alhaji I.B. Kargbo and the Minister of Presidential and Public Affairs, Alhaji A. Kanu must painfully twist in their chairs each time an alleged juvenile behaviour of a senior government official is brought to light.

While the above Ministers are busy implementing strategies to launder the negative image of Sierra Leone, some of their colleagues are equally busy doing every thing to undermine their efforts.  Hopefully, Alhaji I.B. Kargbo and Alhaji Alpha Kanu will work cooperatively and collaboratively to design a workshop that will sensitize senior government officials about the expected appropriate code of conduct when they are out of the country.  This must be taken seriously if Sierra Leoneans expect the global village to take them seriously.  The repercussions for not acting promptly will be damaging and long lasting.

The alleged disgraceful behaviour of a senior government official in the United States of America has brought back memories of the three previous incidents in Nigeria and China respectively. 

Of course, the political history of the world is laced with unsavory behaviour patterns of some key world leaders.  Senator Edward Kennedy and Mary Jo Koppechne (USA), Congressman Wilbar Mills and Fanne Fox (Tidal Basin in the USA), President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinski (White House), Idi Amin Dada (Uganda), Emperor Bokassa (Central African Republic), Samuel K. Doe (Liberia), H.E A.B. Cotay (Sierra Leone’s former High Commissioner to the UK), and J.J. Rawlings (former President of Ghana) are personalities whose transgressions will always be part of recorded history.

Generally, most Sierra Leonean public officials have always epitomized the real essence of model statesmanship relative to decorum, dignity, awareness and consideration.When the latest incident involving a senior government official was reported from Philadelphia (USA), some argued, that the relatively young age and youthfulness of President Ernest Bai Koroma’s government are partially responsible for the indiscretions of some of them.  Another school of thought holds the position that former Heads of State, Siaka P. Stevens, J.S. Momoh, Valentine Strasser and Ahmad Tejan Kabbah all had relatively young senior government officials.What should be made very clear to these officials is that they have every right to enjoy themselves but not at the expense of the state.

Finally, President Ernest Bai Koroma should ask himself whether senior government officials who damage the reputation of the state should be subsidized with executive class air tickets and fabulous per diem.   The answer, definitely, must be in the negative.