President Bio need not travel so much to solve our economic problems – a point of view

Concerned Citizen: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 4 August 2019:

With the increasing questions and concerns gathering around president Bio’s extraordinarily expensive numerous overseas trips in one year of his presidency, Paopa propagandists are circulating a deceptive statement arguing that the president needs to travel to open Sierra Leone to the world, change the country’s image and woo investors.

Sierra Leone does not need a ‘travelling president’ to woo investors as well as achieve those other things mentioned above. It needs a hard working president with the experience,  discipline and appropriately acquired competencies to deal  with the grave economic challenges our people are enduring at home.

A president that would’ve come into office already sufficiently equipped with proven accomplishments, was really what a country like Sierra Leone, in dire straight, had wished for.

President Bio  doesn’t have to, neither does he need to do that amount of traveling to bring in investors to Sierra Leone and change the country’s image.

First of all, international investors are speculative business men and women who would carry out research on any country’s business and investment opportunities.

To engage them and sell the country’s business potential,  Sierra Leone’s minister of trade and the country’s foreign missions, led by our  ambassadors and High commissioners, can effectively engage their host chamber of commerce and trade abroad, companies and business community, about investment opportunities in Sierra Leone.

For instance, the current Sierra Leone ambassador to Germany, whose name I don’t know, was reported to have arranged for potential investors who visited Sierra Leone.

The justification of the excessive public funds including per diems, being paid to the president and his entourage each time he travels overseas to strengthen bilateral relations and boost trade, only make sense if we can see tangible and positive economic impact at home in Sierra Leone.

Are we getting value for money?

My argument is not against the president travelling, but the frequency, necessity, costs and the benefits to our economy and our poor people.

President Bio has travelled in just a year, more than both president Kabba and president Koroma combined together, during the same period of one year when they were in office.

It is estimated that it costs the tax payer at least $50,000 each time he travels including per diem, hotel and flight.

Surely, there has never been a time when the people of a nation in agony,  become increasingly concerned about their president’s frequent overseas trips at a time when things are very hard for them at home financially.

The people are anxious, and expecting something good from the president’s overseas trips. The arguments put forward by the Paopa propagandists, which I have read somewhere else, is that these trips are necessary to attract investors.

For the first time, therefore and by necessity, for Sierra Leone’s economic salvation, the solutions are being linked to the number of overseas trips a president can undertake.

This being so, what we haven’t seen from the Paopa propagandists is a list, in chronological order, detailing what president Bio has brought back home from these visits so far.

While they are preparing that list, can they also give us progress report on Idris Elba’s promise to invest tens of millions of dollars in developing tourism in Bonthe?

Why the quiet, or was it just one big media hype leading to nothing?

Please publish the list.

16 Comments

  1. Bravo,Bravo – to those making religious pronouncements, and insinuations,here today because it is a lovely Sunday,Bravo! But I sincerely implore you, remember,quoting,and raising banners of scriptures high that you don’t properly understand,practice or fervently believe is unacceptable,and considered by prudent minds,as an insult,blasphemy,and an unforgivable taboo.

    Sadly,regrettably,the Praise singers of the SLPP are here again today,chanting the boring choruses of the
    ‘Failing New Direction.’ These Praise singers,speaking in strange non-biblical tongues,are as naive as little ewe lambs seeing unforgiving,ravening wolves for the first time in their lives – they think,the wolves are going to hug,play,and cuddle with them warmly. Truly laughable!

    In their shallow, brainwashed,propagandized minds, POVERTY IS GODLINESS! Had it not be so, they will not be here enthusiastically chanting unfounded praises,and supporting a President that is a tireless beggar,and borrower of high interest loans,that are guaranteed to render our nation economically worthless – debts resembling dynamites,designed by the IMF to shatter our nation into an unfixable mess,consisting of giant fragments of penury and poverty.

    Soon,if this situation continues, hunger,starvation,and unemployment will become like dangerous explosives,igniting,and demolishing our fragile nation,into pieces. Yep, POVERTY IS GODLINESS to them – that’s the reason why they are proposing the building of a needless,expensive,billion dollar bridge while millions go to bed thirsty,hungry,and in tears.

    Which Holy Book have you seen,promoting, tribalism,injustices,intimidations,barbarisms, and abuses of power? None. I know,because I have read them all – The Bible,Quran,Bhagavad Gitas,Dhammapada,Yoga Sutras,Talmud,and the lists goes on and on. Not a single one of them encourages,supports,or promotes stoking the fires of Tribalism,and dissensions as this President has been doing religiously behind the scenes.

    POVERTY IS GODLINESS to the SLPP, that’s the main reason why, they have an Incompetent Finance Minister, under strict orders to starve,and strangle the poor people of Sierra Leone with his failed,stupefying economic,and financial policies,while they shamelessly,greedily, feed,gourmandise, and grow disgusting, protruding Pot bellies,resembling Oxygen balloons, and giant Michelin Tyres. Hilarious!

    For their own sakes,I sincerely hope the hands of this government are clean, and free of corruption,because the first order of business when the APC assumes power in 2023 will be to thoroughly examine and scrutinize all if their dealings,under the intense, Criminal,microscopic lenses,that doesn’t ever miss a thing.. And they better be squeaky clean -far cleaner than,fervent dedicated religious monks – otherwise their will be Hell To Pay…Rising Sun Will Rise Again!

  2. Long Live President Bio . We people are lazy to fully engage with God”s plan for our Country”s development. We are only concern with politics of a clearly interllectual type well those families rich and poor need a very hard working people to help get them out of the bondage of negativity and persistent lack for basic human necessity.

    We all can play our part ask yourself how can I contribute to help my country if you are a student keep learning don’t give up,a Pastor your ministry is undeniably vital to the health of the nation. Parents your creativity is essential how to feed your family in a growing economy demands your utmost enguinuity and humility,making them acknowledge life is more important than food and clothing you can do this only with Jehovah Shamma’s help yes you can raise an economy from the ashes,yes you can laugh with those that laugh and mourn with those that mourn with God all things are possible.

    We are thankful for the gift of a willing and obedient President I hope many are modelling his positive example Yes join Sierra Leone and grow with her soon she will become a Testimony to the Nations of the world and her enemies shall have to ask her for forgiveness. John 3:16 I believe we can rejoice again in Jesus Christ Yeshua’s name amen. What God did for other nations he can do for our little Country with a Great ❤️ thanks so much you all God bless and have a great liftime journey experience with our Unique Mama and Papa Salone.

  3. And Could You Imagine, Things Are Getting Hard Every Day. You Go To The Market, Prices Are Skyrocketing Every Minute By 2%. My Question To The General Public Is, How Are We Going To Vote Comes 2023 With This Kind Of Hard Economic Situation In Sierra Leone?

    Are We Going To Vote With Empty Stomach Again? When Are We Going To See This Changes That We Were Yearning For? Is It That All What Emmerson Have Been Saying About These Politicians Is True?

  4. In your ten paragraphs which are hypothetically written, do you know how many times Ernest bai Koroma travelled out of Sierra Leone without bringing anything back to help the people of Sierra Leone?

    • President Bio has answered your silly question by banning ministers from travelling abroad. Sycophancy is bad for Salone. You are not helping president Bio by insulting others each time they criticise his policy and performance.

  5. Can the author help us with a comprehensive ezact number of travels made by our president and monies spent on him? Can he also help us with instances where trips made by past presidents yielded immediate benefits.

    We need to be honest with ourselves by giving the public the correct information.

    • Edward Amara, very good questions. Unfortunately, the author will not have any answers for you because whereas APC apologists are good at creating hysteria, they are very poor at providing analytical answers. These guys are turning every stone over to rub dirt on president Bio. But they will fail abysmally because Bio is discharging his duties with maximum honesty and determination.

    • Edward instead of asking the author, why not stop being so lazy and find out for yourself. Anyway president Bio has responded by banning foreign trips. Very wise.

  6. My brother from another parent Mr. Abu Jalloh, may God guide and bless you for your eloquent statements. I just love you for God’s sake bro. This president H.E.RTD.BRIG.DR.J.M.B. is doing everything within his power as he promises for the betterment of this country he fought for, puts his entire life in the line of duty to serve Mama Salone.

    He never promised to (RUN THE COUNTRY AS A BUSINESS CONCERN) and failed to deliver on these promises. Again brother A. Jalloh, Thank you

  7. Is it true that president Bio’s one year in office travelling, has submerged both Ex-presidents Kabba, and his predecessor Ernest Bai Koroma with an estimated cost of $ 50,000 on each trip?. So of what use are all these fruitless and costly trips to the nation, when the country’s economy is sinking deep down into the drainage?

  8. Is it true that President Bio’s next trip (whichever it is), will be the 40th, and each is estimated to cost up to $50,000? Wow! A whopping amount for a new government that did not inherit any cash in its Central Bank. This is terrible. “Ar Salone don-don.

  9. The same APC apologists that are criticizing president Bio for traveling, are the same folks that would hit him should he decide to stay home and not interact with world leaders. Sore losers are hard to please.

    • Sycophancy out of blind loyalty is bad for our country. So what do you say now that Bio has banned foreign travels? The author was on the money. Kudos to him or her. President Bio must have read the Sierra Leone Telegraph

  10. With all of the travels we have seen, there is nothing good to talk about. Prezo should stop all this trip and focus on how to boost the economy which is going down the drain.

    • Yes, the president travels and return home empty handed. It is better for the president and people to look into the president activities and hard work. I think Sierra Leoneans must know that a house cannot be built from the roof without basement. He is doing everything he can to build the strongest foundation, so Sierra Leone will not be dependent on others for development. Long Live President BIO.

Leave a Reply to Maxwell Bakarr Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.


*


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.