ThinkTank

By Umaru Fofana

When he was Minority Leader in Parliament and head of the then opposition All People’s Congress, Ernest Bai Koroma and his party made an interesting attempt at fusing a feature that is germane to the Westminster-style democracy into the presidential one that we have. He appointed a Shadow Cabinet. And I remember him discussing this with me over lunch at Paladio restaurant as we watched the Michael Jackson child sex abuse trial on television.

By Umaru Fofana

“…It’s a picture of an administration riven by internal conflicts…an administration in which the advice of experts was frequently ignored or dismissed, traditional policy-making channels were routinely circumvented, policy often took a backseat to electoral politics, accountability was repeatedly evaded, and few advisers dared speak truth to power. …”

By Umaru Fofana

Dull moments? Hardly, if at all, for members and supporters of Sierra Leone’s two main political parties. Just weeks after the governing All People’s Congress (APC) held their national delegates’ conference, the main opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party are gearing up for theirs. You have got to give it to them. They are keeping internal democracy alive. Even if with some teething challenges.

By Umaru Fofana

By Umaru Fofana

There is a mishmash of cases before a Freetown magistrate court bordering on malfeasance. And the Anti Corruption Commission is grappling with its; some including some of those before the court. They range from alleged bank fraud involving a property developer and the top echelons of the largest bank in the country, to the tax man and the ports and bank workers. And just anybody else, it would seem. You just needed to listen to the head of the ACC to gauge the severity of how tough the fight against graft seems to be getting.

By Umaru Fofana

By Umaru Fofana

In the last week, or so, incendiary statements against media freedom and free speech in Sierra Leone have been made, and more are still being made by Dr Sylvia Blyden, the Special Executive Assistant (SEA) to President Ernest Bai Koroma.