By Joseph S. Margai in Freetown, Sierra Leone
The ruling All People’s Congress (APC) party-led government of President Ernest Bai Koroma, has been accused of spending the total sum Le1,500,000,000 ($20,000usd) on paddle parade that took place in Freetown on Saturday, October 28, 2017.
Sierra Leone is currently under economic austerity due to dwindling situation of the economy.
The “East End Paddle” is a popular masquerade owned by residents in the east end of Freetown, Sierra Leone. The masquerade parade is organized on Eid-ul-Adha, a Muslim holiday which comes up every year.
People in the Diaspora normally come to Freetown to take part in the “paddle” parade every year and in most cases, contributions both in cash and kind, are made by individuals and institutions to organize the parade.
During this year’s Eid-ul-Adha, the paddle parade was not organized but the organizers claimed that they deliberately failed to do so because the country was mourning for victims of the twin shocks of mudslide and flood incidents that took place on 14th August, 2017.
However, residents of Freetown were with the pretty conviction that the paddle parade would have been organized during next year’s Eid-ul-Adha. But unfortunately for those with that conviction, the ruling APC party government used the popular masquerade event to sell out its presidential candidate for the March 7, 2018 election, Dr. Samura Matthew Wilson Kamara and his running mate, Hon. Chernor Maju Ramadan Bah.
Instead of coming out in next year’s Eid-ul-Adha, the government machinated its parade on Saturday 28, October, 2017. Having selected Dr. Samura Kamara and Hon. Chernor Bah against the wish of the APC delegates and standard bearer aspirants at the October 15, 2017 convention in Makeni, President Ernest Bai Koroma had wanted to test the party’s popularity in the midst of the controversy.
Many supporters, sympathizers and admirers of the APC party put on red dress, which is the party colour of the APC, with the photo of APC’s Chairman and Leader-President Ernest Bai Koroma on their dresses.
After the event, many Sierra Leoneans, especially those in Freetown, have accused the government of spending over Le1bn on the paddle parade.
In response to the accusation, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MoFED) has made a statement in a press release dated 30th October, 2017, claiming that no public monies were utilized on paddle parade.
“The attention of the Government of Sierra Leone has been drawn to allegations on the social media, radio stations and several newspaper publications, accusing the government of spending the sum of Le1,500,000,000.00 (one billion five hundred million Leones) on the paddle parade that took place in Freetown on Saturday, 28th October, 2017,” the MoFED press release noted.
The release stated that the Government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, wishes to inform the public that at no time were public monies utilized on the “paddle” parade, adding that the accusation is unfounded and untrue.
“Public monies emanating from the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF), to be utilized for national activities, are disbursed through the office of the Accountant General,” the release stated.
The MoFED release further noted that the process for the disbursement of such public funds can be verified by contacting the Office of the Accountant General, warning all those involved in these fabricated lies to desist forthwith.
