By Ragan M. Conteh

A few days ago, the Chief Minister, Dr. David Sengeh, appeared on AYV Television, where he criticized the opposition All People’s Congress party, calling it unprogressive. Many citizens viewed his statement as derogatory, believing it could potentially fuel unrest in the country if not handled appropriately by opposition members.

In the early hours of Thursday, January 9, 2025, the opposition Chief Whip, Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara, also appeared on AYV Television to rebut the Chief Minister’s remarks.

The legislator began by expressing concern over the Chief Minister’s actions, questioning whether the right young people were being given the opportunity to thrive.

He noted that the Chief Minister had previously made statements that had cast doubt on the government’s effectiveness, such as claiming that even if Jesus Christ returns, the country’s issues would remain unresolved. The CM had also remarked that religious institutions were involved in criminal activity related to electricity theft, and criticized members of both the ruling and opposition parties.

Hon. kargbo further educated the Chief Minister, stating that while the Free Quality Education programme was presented as a key initiative in the 2018 SLPP manifesto, the “quality” aspect was only added after pressure from the opposition following discussions with the then Minister of Education. He pointed out that despite promises, the government had not paid subsidies for the first term of the academic year, and many schools had been left out of external exams.

He added that while the government was paying a subsidy of Le30 per student and sending their own children to private schools, the opposition had advised the government to implement a policy to prevent government officials from sending their children to private institutions, but stressed the impoetant advice had been ignored.

On the matter of offering alternatives, he noted that the opposition frequently criticized the government for its shortcomings, while presenting viable alternative policies. For example, in 2019, they urged the government to adopt both educational and medical policies aimed at reducing government officials’ medical allowances and strengthening the health sector so that even the president would have access to quality healthcare in the country.

Additionally, in the energy sector, the opposition had recommended reducing high tariffs to improve the livelihood of citizens. He reminded viewers that during their time in power, they had implemented austerity measures that helped stabilize the economy and ensure timely salary payments. However, since the current government took office, things had started to deteriorate, and despite the opposition’s advice to maintain austerity measures, the government had failed to take action.

Despite these challenges, the opposition Chief Whip asserted that if being labeled an “unprogressive” opposition was the price they had to pay for raising these issues as well as providing alternatives they were comfortable with that.

Hon. Kargbo concluded that the current administration lacks ideas how to effectively govern and that the Chief Minister was struggling to handle the responsibilities of his office. He referred to the latter as “the sweating boy,” implying that during the SLPP’s time in opposition, Dr. Sengeh had little experience or knowledge about governance, having only risen to prominence due to sheer luck within his party.

Finally, the vibrant lawmaker urged APC members to remain calm, emphasizing that the Chief Minister’s goal was to provoke a situation where the opposition would be forced to engage with him, which he assured would never happen. He reaffirmed the opposition’s readiness to defend their party as that would send a signal that they are well prepared to take up governance come 2028 general elections.