Chasing “ 10 % Commission” From Business People…Trade Minister Undermines New Direction Government

Sources gathered by this medium have intimated that the current Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr. Hinga Sandi is largely responsible for the uninterrupted hike in prices of essential commodities like rice, cement, onion, etc.
According to our sources, it is alleged that the Minister of Trade and Industry has indulged in the habit of accepting what can be best described as a bribe from certain major business houses including the leading importers of rice and cement in the country, the Commodity Trading Company (CTC) and LEOCEM, since his appointment in order to turn a blind eye to the nefarious business practices of these business entities. This action of the Trade Minister allegedly colluding with these companies that have monopoly over these essential goods, continue to negatively impact on the lives of the ordinary citizens through the uninterrupted increase in prices of especially rice and cement.
It could be recalled that before the reassignment of the current Minister of Trade from the Ministry of Water Resources, the prices of commodities like cement and rice were relatively low, making it easy for businesses to thrive as consumers purchasing power was not very high because cement was sold at Le 47, 000.
Unfortunately, under the watch of Dr. Hinga Sandi, the cost of cement has doubled from LE47,000 to Le85,000 nationwide.
As if that is not enough, the sources further alleged that the Minister of Trade and Industry is making work difficult for some heads of agencies under his supervision as he keeps harassing them to give a chunk of their annual budgetary allocation to him or their agencies face deprivation in areas of approval for recruitment of additional staff for effective performance of the agency. If this particular allegation holds any iota of truth, then it is not only hilarious but also has the tendency to land a heavy blow against the New Direction Government as it would send the wrong message about the good intentions of H. E. President Julius Maada Bio.
To nip such an ugly situation in the bud, the government needs to thoroughly look into these allegations and where its deem necessary, fire the Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr. Hinga Sandi to make way for a more level-headed person to take over that ministry for effective service delivery