Alphonso Manley On The Spree To Discredit President Bio’s Government

By: The Bontalee

It is obvious that the owner of the one-man Civil Society Organization Civil Rights Coalition, Alphonso Manley is on a smear campaign against the government of His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio.

His recent appearances on radio talk shows clearly shows that, his years of quietness after the 2018 election, was his calculated strategy to survive under a system he fiercely campaigned against.

And indeed, he survived in several ways through ministries department and agencies.

But alas! The 2028 election has been so hyped that advocates like Manley sees it as a regime change era, and the only way for him to mend his broken fence with the main opposition All People’s Congress is to return to his old-ways against the SLPP by discrediting the entire system.

Until such a time comes for the real politics, let us face the reality.

It is absurd and ignorant for Manley to publicly say that, First Lady Dr. Fatima Jabbi Bio has delivered more projects than the President who gave her the political will and support to make that happened.

I didn’t see that as a boldness to speak truth to power or a praise to Fatima Bio, but a calculated ploy to demean her husband and to brew bad blood in their enviable matrimonial home.

This piece in no way intends any disrespect towards the First Lady. But all the situational loyalties she is enjoying today in and outside the country is because of her husband.

Every man truly deserves Dr. Fatima’s type of partner as she doesn’t hide her love for the President. She is desperate for President Bio to succeed in everything including delivering for the people of Sierra Leone before leaving power.

She stood by the President through thick and thin and President Bio in return, has given her the free will as a supportive husband to implement projects and developments. And for once, there has never been a situation where the President has limited her from expressing her opinions even on controversial governance issues in the country.

He paved the way for the First Lady to be respected and honored as the mother of the nation. Therefore, he should be commended.

But for Manley to openly praise the First Lady’s projects while discrediting her husband’s development undertakings as failed ones, shows his lack of knowledge on governance and national issues.

Recently on the Unity Broadcast online platform, Manley boldly expressed his desperation for money by discrediting the transformation in the Ministry of Information and Civic Education under Minister Chernor Bah and his team.

According to him, civil societies are no longer surviving since the Ministry has limited their operations by coordinating all information-related under MDAs.

The presenter should have asked Manley to produce any evidence or Memorandum of Understanding from the Ministry, ordering MDAs not to engage CSOs or the media in any campaign or programs.

As a seasoned journalist, the presence of Joe Sesay in the Ministry, has created an enabling journalistic approach between the media, CSOs and the Ministry at all level.

Despite the regular media briefings, the Ministry has hosted CSOs and the media on several occasions to discuss development projects.

That is a manifestation that some civil societies have outlived their usefulness in this modern days of new media.

With innovation and technology, the Information Ministry has upgraded the government communication platform known as the weekly press conference that now reaches global audiences online.

Minister Bah and his outreach team continue to engage citizens across the country by timely disseminating government information and programs, thereby bridging existing gaps between the government and the people.

Some CSOs have lost their voices and trust with the people long ago and Manley happens to be one. For him to compare the APC to SLPP in terms of financial support to CSOs clearly shows the extortive reasons for the existence of some civil societies to milk every government dry.

Focused minded CSOs are not waiting for them to be embedded with government programs since they exist on purposes.