By Sorie Fofana.
Supporters of the main opposition APC party always get nervous whenever His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio travels out of this country. Interestingly, travelling is not listed down as one of the President’s hobbies. The President hardly travels for pleasure.
Before his election as President in April 2018, Sierra Leone’s image and reputation across the world had crumbled. President Julius Maada Bio’s first priority in office was to launder Sierra Leone’s battered image especially within the international community. The IMF pulled out of the country in 2017/2018 by suspending all their programs in Sierra Leone because of monumental corruption in the APC government.
The World Bank almost recalled their Country Manager from Sierra Leone after the APC government failed to account for millions of US dollars spent on the WACIP project under the supervision of the Ministry of Information and Communications.
Some major foreign mining companies scaled down their operations in the country ahead of the 2018 elections.
A Sierra Leonean diplomat in Russia was almost on the verge of being expelled from that country on allegation of duping Russian investors before the SLPP Government came to power in April 2018.
Sierra Leone’s reputation had been damaged by the APC before the advent of the SLPP to power in April 2018. No foreigner was willing to do business with or in Sierra Leone.
In his first year in office, President Bio spared no efforts to convince donor partners and foreign investors to return to Sierra Leone and resume their normal engagements.
The result of those tireless efforts is clear and obvious. The IMF and the World Bank resumed their normal engagements with the new SLPP led-administration. All abandoned IMF programs were resuscitated and new programs were introduced and fully funded. The World Bank and the European Union Commission supported the new government to stand up, through the injection of new money in the form of grants and budget support.
President Bio’s overseas travels have produced more dividends for the Government and People of Sierra Leone than any other head of state before him. Today, Sierra Leone’s reputation in the international community is completely stable. Sierra Leone is more respected by our development partners now than ever before.
What is really wrong if the President decides to take a break from work to relax? After all, he is not a robot. The President deserves to embark on a private trip with his family to any part of the world.
On a private visit to London in 2005, President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah sought medical examination to determine his physical health. The bill for the medical examination was sent to him in the hotel where he was staying. A foreign national who was doing business in Sierra Leone at the time was in the hotel to see the President. He offered willingly to settle the bill. President Kabbah refused, insisting that, the Sierra Leone Government takes care of his medical bill. “Whenever I travel out of Sierra Leone as President and head of state, the Government of Sierra Leone takes care of my accommodation and wellbeing”, he said.
President Bio should continue to travel out of the country to represent us. After all, his primary duty as President is to protect the interest of the country.
We call on President Bio to continue to ignore the mocking remarks made by certain frustrated elements within the APC party and continue to fly in the interest of our country.
Let President Bio continue to fly-fly in summer and wintertime! We love him for flying in the best interest of our country!
