JOSEPH KAIFALA CONSULTING (SL) LTD

In the past week, I have witnessed with horror and outrage as individuals, businesses, NGOs, Plenipotentiaries, foreign heads of state, and even our own local government ministries make direct donations of cash, cheques, and supplies to the president and vice president for victims of the recent flood and mudslide in Freetown. These donations, amounting to millions of dollars, are made under no concrete instruments of accountability. C’est a dire, these donations are not for the victims; they are made to ensure that “di pa” knows the donor exists. That is the very foundation of cronyism, clientelism, and corruption. Otherwise, why is a humanitarian organization or a local ministry donating to the president or vice president? Folks are fundraising for the local Red Cross and it is busy making donations to State House. I guess the president and vice president would have to go and do what the Red Cross does.

What is more appalling is that the entire country seems oblivious to this conflict of interest and patronization of leadership. A couple of weeks ago, a few government officials were suspended for their roles in the embezzlement of Hajj Funds intended to provide scholarships to low income Muslims wishing to go on a pilgrimage. Separation of church and state is something I have preached before, but we seem to ignore that too.

But if we do not care about the grand corruptions, where do we get off complaining about Joe Ayampi from an unaffected area registering as a victim to receive crumbs from our tapalapa of corruption? Please remove the beam from your eyes before complaining about the speck in your brother’s eyes. Flomo is chopping; let Gobah chop! A putrid system breeds maggots, that is why our country remains a carcass of what it could be. Tumbu dae krawl pan tumbu. We die as we live.