By Amin Kef Sesay
As citizens’ perception of the ability of the New Direction Government to instil discipline and order in the society continues to grow dim by the day, many concerned citizens who deplore the growing, rampant uncontrolled lawlessness in the society have asked: Why does Government exist?
Governments exist for many reasons. Most importantly, it exists to provide a sense of order in the land – meaning that Government is supposed to provide us with an organized system by which we can live as a nation in peace.
All responsible Governments tax, penalize, restrict and regulate their people. A democracy exists to give voice to the people and to protect their basic human rights.
In contrast, a totalitarian Government exists to benefit the State or those in charge, and this type of Government empowers its leaders to rule in any way they see fit. In this type of Government, the people’s personal freedom is not recognized.
Generally, any democratic Government is expected to unite its people, establish justice; insure tranquillity; provide for the common defence and most importantly to promote the general welfare.
Thus, addressing the Executive Management Board of the ‘Force for Good’ at the start of this month, Chief Minister Jacob Jusu Saffa told them that the New Direction Government of President Bio is seriously concerned about the rise of public disorder in the capital city and the country.
Chief Minister Saffa told the law enforcers that the New Direction Government was elected on a platform of instilling discipline in the society. He underscored that respect for public order is a concern of the Government.
In which light, the citizenry of the country is appalled, dismayed and totally disappointed in the New Direction Government that it has apparently failed woefully to instil discipline and law and order in the country – one of the main reasons why the majority of the population voted it into governance in 2018.
Take for example the newly announced transport fares. Prove The Calabash wrong. Go to Jui and Wilberforce and hear how much the motor boys, with sheer impunity for the law, ask for as fare; when the fare announced by the Ministry of Transport is Le3, 500.
Besides, go to all the provincial motor parks and find out how many drivers and motor boys are adhering to the fare to different destinations announced by the Ministry of Transport.
The New Direction Government should be reminded that one of the main reasons that Governments exist is to instil discipline in society and to maintain law and order.
In which light, the credibility and ability of the New Direction Government to effect discipline and to enforce the law is seen as zero in the eyes of the masses who are daily subject to the ruthlessness and merciless exploitative forces in the society which include Traffic Police officers who wherever they have their checkpoints run a lucrative ‘booking’ racket that IG Sovula ,who once headed the Traffic Division, knows about but will not do anything about it because the racket benefits both officers on the streets and their Divisional bosses.
God help Sierra Leone. The more we change, the worse it becomes.
They should ban these okada guys killing people in the streets put salone first