SLPP’S DECEITFUL INFORMATION MINISTER SKIPS THE FINE PRINT OF THE MCC PRESS RELEASE ONCE AGAIN AND SENDS PARTY SUPPORTERS INTO PREMATURE JUBILATION

By Kabs Kanu

Sierra Leone has been re-selected for the MCC Compact Award and we have been told to continue developing the Compact. That is good news and we congratulate the country for its success. However, the deceitful Minister of Information failed in his press statement to inform his gullible supporters of the caveat in the process. I guess the lure to deceive SLPP supporters, as is now his wont is too great or somebody does not understand diplomatic language. (Photo: Illegal Information Minister Chernor Bah, in green).

From the concluding sentence, the MCC is saying that after Sierra Leone has developed the Compact, it will have to be approved and the approval will be considered based on meaningful electoral reform outlined in the agreement of national unity. So, everything hinges on the forthcoming dialogue and agreements on the conditions outlined in the communique signed by the SLPP and the APC.

I believe Mr Chernor Bah, who should know better, should have included this in the press statement in which he announced the re-selection of Sierra Leone to make it clear to the nation that receiving the money will not be a straightforward process. This forthcoming Tripartite dialogue and the successful implementation of its recommendations will now be the deciding factor. U.S. Ambassador Bryan Hunt did tell the SLPP about this caveat in a TV interview two months ago.

So, the money is there to be claimed and it is the wish of all of us that Sierra Leone receives the U.S. $ 500. It will do a lot for our country but the SLPP now has the responsibility to make sure that the forthcoming dialogue ends to the satisfaction of stakeholders and the MCC. Officials of government should stop holding back vital information from their gullible party supporters. It is the duty of the information minister not to be just putting out information based on what he wants them to hear. He is doing a disservice to them because it brings disappointment when they hear the whole truth later.

PLEASE READ THE MCC’s PRESS STATEMENT BELOW https://www.mcc.gov/news-and-events/release/121423cabo-philippines-tanzania – In addition, the Board reselected Sierra Leone as eligible to continue developing a compact in recognition of the progress made to advance the national dialogue process, begin implementation of the Agreement for National Unity, and establish the national election review committee.

These actions constitute a critical beginning of an inclusive process to strengthen Sierra Leone’s democratic and electoral institutions following the June 2023 elections. In making its re-selection decision, the Board noted its expectation of continued progress toward meaningful electoral reform, as outlined in the Agreement for National Unity, before considering approval of the proposed compact.