In an exclusive interview with one of Sierra Leone’s finest Economists, Prince Jacob Macauley, he expressed admiration and commended the role of the ambassadors of the United States of America, United Kingdom and the European Union, for their unflinching support of the country’s democratic processes. He noted the various interventions, by way of funding as, well as technical support given to the government and people of Sierra Leone for the advancement of democracy in the country.
Macauley noted that as giants of democracy, the envoys of the aforementioned countries have endeavored to contribute positively to the development of democracy in the country, and he dismissed as lame, accusations levied against them by some politicians, in a bid to taint the hard earned reputation of these international partners, who have been very instrumental in getting their respective governments to support the country, both financially and technically.
Economist Macauley furthered that as international partners and moral guarantors of the country’s peace and stability, it behooves them to admonish the government on any matter that has the potential to derail the peace and stability of the country, and if in doing so they come under attack, it is because those who attacked them have deliberately refused to see the role of these international partners in enhancing the country’s peace and democracy. As moral guarantors, and mindful of the negative effect of the country’s 11 years’ war, especially with regards to the killings, maiming and ravaging of the country’s resources by the warring parties, at the detriment of the people, our international partners, whose resources from their taxpayers have been and are still being poured into the country, have the moral standing to ensure that the hard earned peace remains unhindered.
Prince Jacob Macauley noted that the aforementioned governments have dished out huge sums of money to help build institutions like the Statistics Sierra Leone, the Judiciary, the ECSL, the PPRC, as well as MDAs. Their interventions in the Education sector has seen an improvement of various planned projects. For instance, the EU held discussions with the Education Ministry recently to discuss how the grant of 35 million Euro can be utilized to benefit the nation (22nd March 2023). The EU is a major funding partner of the ECSL, Judiciary etc. UK and the USA have all been funding the government through their various agencies; like the UKAID, USAID, FCDO (Foreign Commonwealth Development Office), etc. These governments have been funding various areas of development; example: governance, Education, Judiciary, national development activities, legal reforms, political participation of vulnerable groups in the country, health and sanitation, climate change etc.
Amidst all these interventions, Macauley is grateful that our international partners and moral guarantors are actively supporting the development of the country and democracy. Today, several reforms have taken place, including legal matters and the enhancement of freedom of speech, association, political participation, female empowerment etc. These, Macauley maintained, are the bedrock of any developing country and the maintenance of peace and stability in the country. He also noted that despite the negative light that a few politicians have embraced to put these envoys in bad light, their commitments have not waned, and are still doing all they can to ensure that democratic principles are maintained, and the country become a shining example of democracy in the region and in Africa.
Concluding the interview, Prince Jacob Macauley admonished the USA, UK AND EU to continue their work and make Sierra Leone the bastion of democracy in the region, as it is only in a democratic dispensation, where respect for the rule of law and other democratic principles are maintained that economic stability, good governance can prevail.
