Some sound minded political analysts have described the President Julius Maada Bio and his New Direction government as a per diem Presidency and Governance.
These political analyzers have stated that since the beginning of President Bio’s regime, they have been cunningly looting tax payers’ money in the full guise of per diem. For instance even if President Bio and his appointees are travelling within Sierra Leone, they collect fat per diems while the poor tax payers continue languishing and wallowing in abject suffering and poverty as majority households cannot afford three square meal per day while others only put food on the table during Sundays.
According to these political analysts, the President and his entourage collect per diem for every trip they are going abroad.
“Ever since the New Direction administration took over the helm of powers, they have been collecting per diems at the detriment of the masses without any recourse for state wealth,” a senior citizen averred.
The Ministers, Heads of Agencies and Institutions have seen per diems as the new found tactics to rob the State off its wealth. They have been so imbibed with this harmful practice to ask for per diem towards every single trip they are embarking on be it local and international one.
This habit of the President and his appointees to collect per-diem in a shrinking economy has been viewed by many citizens that the ruling Government does not mean well for the people of this nation.
Some sources have even said that the President and his appointees never give account or return unspent per diems into the national coffers after returning from most of their unfruitful meetings abroad. Some people have called on President Bio to invest his per diem on development projects rather than him embarking on unsuccessful business trips to attract investors. Some people have even decried President Bio for his too much overseas travelling that has yielded no benefit to the nation but more hardship and struggle on the masses.
The public is disgusted by the manner in which the State wealth is being utilized by the President and his cohorts whom they are of strong perception have led the nation to no further development after the end of former President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma’s presidency.
Some citizens have even expressed their dismay over President Bio’s suspension of Madam Lara Taylor Pearce, the no-nonsense Auditor General who had wanted to expose State House in its so many dubious and shady procurement deals and agreements before she was suspended for being fearless. Many people have called for her reinstatement who they strongly believe left no stone unturned as head of Audit Service Sierra Leone.
Recent investigations conducted by credible sources have indicated that President Bio, his wife and senior appointees have travelled more than150 times abroad for the year 2022 which cannot be equivalent to the travelling done by any former President since the end of the 11 years civil war. And it was revealed that despite there was an international travel ban due to the Covid-19 virus, President Bio allegedly withdrew US$3 million from the Bank of Sierra Leone as travelling expenses.
The President and his appointees are killing the already dead economy through the collection of per diems as travelling allowances.