A Brief Commentary on an Impending $25 million
By Victor A. Massaquoi
News report monitored from the United Nations (UN) in New York City has indicated that the Government of Sierra Leone is to receive $25 million (about 75 billion Leones) to intensify and expand its peace building initiatives (youth development, gender development, improvement of the justice sector and continues to develop positive democratic credentials and structures) in the country, the UN News Service, reported December 14, 2006. While this is a laudable gesture and an incredibly wonderful venture by the UN, to aid struggling countries, blighted and still trampled by the vestiges of rebel wars and other forms of political instability, I must say I received the news with mixed reaction, even though I am not a pessimistic person; here is why.
1. First, one side of me is very pleased that the UN can be so generous to give my country $25 million to help address a crucial area of peace building, and by extension, social change for those in desperate conditions, particularly the rural poor, who are my primary concern. Unfortunately, how many times have we not seen or heard of huge sums of money doled out to the government of Sierra Leone in the last 30 years, and forlornly, what do we have to show for that, very little, except in the last four years, we have seen some semblance of authentic rural development in terms of schools and markets rehabilitation, new constructions, and other forms of targeted miniscule development.
2. Second, I am very incredulous at best, but with a wait-and-see posture, as to the accountability mechanism of the coming money. I would like to spend some time in this commentary talking about youth development, one of the primary funding areas. The development of youth in my country is as significant just as the UN is scowling on corruption in poor and developing countries. One of the reasons why the UN Peacebuilding Commission (UNPC) has given us the money was because, people like Victor Angelo (an influential UN personnel) appealed on behalf of the government of Sierra Leone, by arguing (his premise understood) that the government has (even though in baby steps) or in the process of undertaking a comprehensive youth unemployment program; irrespective of the fact that Victor Angelo himself voiced serious concern on the subject under review. Victor Angelo said “youth unemployment and marginalization remained the biggest threat to stability.” Mr. Angelo is 100% correct. Some of us have been writing and talking about development in general, but youth advancement in particular, in Sierra Leone, for years now. My concern was, and still is, the utility of the untapped potential of our young people. An idle mind breeds danger. Some of these young people between ages 12-30 are either formally illiterate or school dropouts or too poor and hungry to go to school or engage in any meaningful enterprise; to a large extent, is not of their making. The reason for this status quo dates back to our post independence celebrations. Since 1961, serious development structures were never constructed, even where studies were conducted and recommendations made that would have improved the lives of young people, the political establishment then, and to some extent now, was more concerned about personal ill-gotten wealth rather than strategically positioning our country (developing young people) for the next 10, 20 or 30 years. This behavior is evident in most Sierra Leonean organizations today. For example, since the late 70s, the Bunbuna Hydro project is yet to be completed. In one small county in Texas-USA, a project of Bunbuna’s size takes less than five years to complete.
The $25 million, according to the UNPC, is to be spent on specific projects (as mentioned above), by this measure, one hopes every penny will be directed to the identified areas for social change. Because of what happened (social neglect, political volatility, and economic shambles) from 1961 to 1989, our country was plunged into a nasty rebel war, started in 1990 that left thousands dead, those who were poor, became poorer, and those with homes became homeless. I staunchly hope that we are not heading down that path again, after five years of relative peace. Our politicians should know better by now, that if you allow young people to go hungry, uneducated and unskilled, coupled with very little social support structure, the consequences can be grave. We saw that in Liberia, in Congo, Uganda and Burundi.
All the more reasons why the present government should tactically invest large chunk of the $25 million in young people are:
· It would reduce violence and youth delinquencies, statistics are unavailable to corroborate my assertion, but as a former journalist who covered the court for years, I can make an educated guess of the percentage of youth crime rates in the country, especially after the war,
· It would drastically cut the rate of incessant youth abuse of illegal drugs,
· It would Increase the educational base and leadership skills of young people in the country, and
· It would reduce the socio-economic and other existing gaps between the rich and the poor within and outside of the country.
As I conclude this brief commentary, Burundi, in Central Africa, the other war-torn country (now in relative peace) also received $25 million from the UNPC. The central question is, come March 2007, when the UNPC receives its first progress report, what would Sierra Leone have done with her $25 million? Would Sierra Leone be able to point to small rural and urban technical institutes, (built and stocked with materials, teachers and equipment, maintained and secured) where young boys and girls can acquire technical competence, construction, leadership, business, and other skills, or are we going to hear the same tired old stories from some dubious politicians, majority of whose children are basking in wealth in Europe, America and some parts of Africa, while less fortunate children are shackled in poverty, struggling to have one basic meal a day? Or would we see part of the money spent on rural and real women issues, or would we hear that part of the money has been swindled and lodged in a Switzerland bank account of a politician. My country is seating on a powder keg that would explode again like in 1990, if serious efforts are not directed at removing young boys and girls from the grips of illiteracy and poverty. The government has the capacity to improve the lives of poor, young people; all it takes is the political and economic will. The Gambia is a classic example of some political and socio-economic successes in West Africa. Twenty five million is small, but it can do a lot for a country the size of Sierra Leone. Look at Malaysia, Botswana and others, education for the young has been, and continues to be a priority; these countries use proceeds from sale of their natural resources (diamonds, palm kernel etc.) for development projects. Why can’t we do the same? Some of us who have had the opportunity to study abroad promised to return and change our country, only for us to return and join the bandwagon. Either we are rapacious or just flat educated, self-serving idiots.
By Victor A. Massaquoi
News report monitored from the United Nations (UN) in New York City has indicated that the Government of Sierra Leone is to receive $25 million (about 75 billion Leones) to intensify and expand its peace building initiatives (youth development, gender development, improvement of the justice sector and continues to develop positive democratic credentials and structures) in the country, the UN News Service, reported December 14, 2006. While this is a laudable gesture and an incredibly wonderful venture by the UN, to aid struggling countries, blighted and still trampled by the vestiges of rebel wars and other forms of political instability, I must say I received the news with mixed reaction, even though I am not a pessimistic person; here is why.
1. First, one side of me is very pleased that the UN can be so generous to give my country $25 million to help address a crucial area of peace building, and by extension, social change for those in desperate conditions, particularly the rural poor, who are my primary concern. Unfortunately, how many times have we not seen or heard of huge sums of money doled out to the government of Sierra Leone in the last 30 years, and forlornly, what do we have to show for that, very little, except in the last four years, we have seen some semblance of authentic rural development in terms of schools and markets rehabilitation, new constructions, and other forms of targeted miniscule development.
2. Second, I am very incredulous at best, but with a wait-and-see posture, as to the accountability mechanism of the coming money. I would like to spend some time in this commentary talking about youth development, one of the primary funding areas. The development of youth in my country is as significant just as the UN is scowling on corruption in poor and developing countries. One of the reasons why the UN Peacebuilding Commission (UNPC) has given us the money was because, people like Victor Angelo (an influential UN personnel) appealed on behalf of the government of Sierra Leone, by arguing (his premise understood) that the government has (even though in baby steps) or in the process of undertaking a comprehensive youth unemployment program; irrespective of the fact that Victor Angelo himself voiced serious concern on the subject under review. Victor Angelo said “youth unemployment and marginalization remained the biggest threat to stability.” Mr. Angelo is 100% correct. Some of us have been writing and talking about development in general, but youth advancement in particular, in Sierra Leone, for years now. My concern was, and still is, the utility of the untapped potential of our young people. An idle mind breeds danger. Some of these young people between ages 12-30 are either formally illiterate or school dropouts or too poor and hungry to go to school or engage in any meaningful enterprise; to a large extent, is not of their making. The reason for this status quo dates back to our post independence celebrations. Since 1961, serious development structures were never constructed, even where studies were conducted and recommendations made that would have improved the lives of young people, the political establishment then, and to some extent now, was more concerned about personal ill-gotten wealth rather than strategically positioning our country (developing young people) for the next 10, 20 or 30 years. This behavior is evident in most Sierra Leonean organizations today. For example, since the late 70s, the Bunbuna Hydro project is yet to be completed. In one small county in Texas-USA, a project of Bunbuna’s size takes less than five years to complete.
The $25 million, according to the UNPC, is to be spent on specific projects (as mentioned above), by this measure, one hopes every penny will be directed to the identified areas for social change. Because of what happened (social neglect, political volatility, and economic shambles) from 1961 to 1989, our country was plunged into a nasty rebel war, started in 1990 that left thousands dead, those who were poor, became poorer, and those with homes became homeless. I staunchly hope that we are not heading down that path again, after five years of relative peace. Our politicians should know better by now, that if you allow young people to go hungry, uneducated and unskilled, coupled with very little social support structure, the consequences can be grave. We saw that in Liberia, in Congo, Uganda and Burundi.
All the more reasons why the present government should tactically invest large chunk of the $25 million in young people are:
· It would reduce violence and youth delinquencies, statistics are unavailable to corroborate my assertion, but as a former journalist who covered the court for years, I can make an educated guess of the percentage of youth crime rates in the country, especially after the war,
· It would drastically cut the rate of incessant youth abuse of illegal drugs,
· It would Increase the educational base and leadership skills of young people in the country, and
· It would reduce the socio-economic and other existing gaps between the rich and the poor within and outside of the country.
As I conclude this brief commentary, Burundi, in Central Africa, the other war-torn country (now in relative peace) also received $25 million from the UNPC. The central question is, come March 2007, when the UNPC receives its first progress report, what would Sierra Leone have done with her $25 million? Would Sierra Leone be able to point to small rural and urban technical institutes, (built and stocked with materials, teachers and equipment, maintained and secured) where young boys and girls can acquire technical competence, construction, leadership, business, and other skills, or are we going to hear the same tired old stories from some dubious politicians, majority of whose children are basking in wealth in Europe, America and some parts of Africa, while less fortunate children are shackled in poverty, struggling to have one basic meal a day? Or would we see part of the money spent on rural and real women issues, or would we hear that part of the money has been swindled and lodged in a Switzerland bank account of a politician. My country is seating on a powder keg that would explode again like in 1990, if serious efforts are not directed at removing young boys and girls from the grips of illiteracy and poverty. The government has the capacity to improve the lives of poor, young people; all it takes is the political and economic will. The Gambia is a classic example of some political and socio-economic successes in West Africa. Twenty five million is small, but it can do a lot for a country the size of Sierra Leone. Look at Malaysia, Botswana and others, education for the young has been, and continues to be a priority; these countries use proceeds from sale of their natural resources (diamonds, palm kernel etc.) for development projects. Why can’t we do the same? Some of us who have had the opportunity to study abroad promised to return and change our country, only for us to return and join the bandwagon. Either we are rapacious or just flat educated, self-serving idiots.
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