By Mohamed Sankoh (One Drop)
Current happenings in Sierra Leone are showing that majority of Sierra Leoneans appear to have been conned by “Paopagandists” and “Squealers” of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) who have been ramming down their throats half-truths and downright lies.
How can you insolently tell a hungry man that his stomach is supposed to be full simply because there is an imaginary “Feed Salone” spectacle taking place in the sky? How can you cheekily tell a woman, who is living in abject poverty at Mabella or Kroo Bay, that she and her family are supposed to be living in clover like the First Family and their relatives who are allegedly wasting state funds on meaningless overseas travels (Just imagine our president attending a “Clean Cooking in Africa Summit” in Paris, France, as if he intends to become a chef after his term of office ends)? And how can you impudently infer that your elders are no-do-gooders just because you are opportune to be enjoying the spoils of office at State House? What I have noticed in most current presidential appointees is the impudence with which they try to spin the facts about the horrible economic and political situation in the country as if majority of Sierra Leoneans are sheep!
But as Barack Obama notes in his book, The Audacity of Hope, “…sometimes there are facts that cannot be spun, just as an argument about whether it’s raining can usually be settled by stepping outside.” Equally so, the SLPP “Paopagandists” cannot spin the facts about the appalling conditions in which majority of Sierra Leoneans are now living in despite some SLPP-leaning Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are frequently sexing-up surveys to make their SLPP government look nicer than Santa Claus! They cannot spin the fact about the high cost of living which is now said to be killing the living. And the SLPP “Paopagandists” cannot spin the fact that the economy of Sierra Leone is now in a pretty prickle. Indeed, there are facts that cannot be spun.
But Chief Minister Dr David Moinina Sengeh, the seemingly newfound “Squealer” in the Bio-led administration, wants us to believe that President Julius Maada Bio is one of the best things to have ever happened to Sierra Leone since the country gained Independence in 1961. But in actual fact, President Bio appears to be the worst apparition majority of Sierra Leoneans have ever seen on the political stage.
In my opinionated opinion, the current Sierra Leonean Head of State seems to be a synonym, or byword, for monumental failure. And methinks success and President Bio’s name should not appear in the same sentence even if that sentence is being penned down by a certified SLPP sycophant at Unity House at Wallace-Johnson Street in Freetown or State House!
But Dr Sengeh, whose irritating flippancy is now becoming an embarrassment even to himself, is trying to find scapegoats for President Bio’s ineptitude and seemingly lack of leadership qualities. He knows that our Commander-in-Chief doesn’t seem to be cut out for his current job. And he knows that President Bio appears to look more like a tribal chieftain than a national leader. Yet, the now dreadlocks-less Dr David Sengeh is shamelessly, and painstakingly, trying to dress his boss in borrowed robes or telling the robe-less king that his royal robe looks good on him!
At every given opportunity, President Bio and his hangers-on seem ready to con the people of Sierra Leone out of something. They promised a “New Direction” which turned out to be a rudderless ship which has now left the country adrift like driftwood. They promised a “Free Education” that turned out to lack “quality” in every shape and form which has now left our educational institutions in shambolic shambles. They promised a “School Feeding” programme which turned out to be a sort of a Ponzi “Awujor” for relatives of presidential appointees. They promised to “Feed Salone” which turned out to be a campaign of “begging food for Salone” from the People’s Republic of China. And President Bio and his hangers-on promised to uphold the fundamental Freedoms of all Sierra Leoneans (as enshrined in the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone) but they have never shown any real commitment to democracy, good governance, and national cohesion.
The above is just a handful from the bagful of seemingly conned policies which President Bio and his hangers-on in the SLPP government have churned out since 2018. They now appear to look more like con artists than patriots who are really committed to the welfare of Sierra Leoneans generally. Imagine President Bio telling attendees at the Clean Cooking in Africa Summit in Paris, France, last Tuesday that, “The absence of access to clean cooking solutions significantly affects Sierra Leone’s economy, with estimated annual costs of inaction totalling US$4.7 billion. These costs stem from adverse impacts on various fronts: women’s lost productivity (US$1.4 billion), health (US$3.2 billion), and climate change impacts (US$0.2 billion)….” This is laughably laughable! This statement has now cemented my conviction that President Bio will do far better if he tries his hand in Creative Writing than politics!
Even when the economic situation in the country is going from worse to worst; President Bio and his hangers-on can still muster the courage to tell international audiences that their seemingly Ponzi policies have made life much better for ordinary Sierra Leoneans. Imagine, Sierra Leone is one of the few countries in Africa where the Minimum Wage cannot even buy a bag of rice (and the country’s staple food is rice); yet the SLPP “Paopagandists” and “Squealers” can still insult our collective misery with half-truths and downright lies.
What crime has Sierra Leone, as a nation, committed against the Almighty God that He should bring such SLPP-ian punishment upon the people of Sierra Leone? But as Albert Einstein notes, “we cannot get to where we dream of being tomorrow unless we change our thinking today”. So, it is now left with majority of Sierra Leoneans to change their thinking of being victims of seemingly con artists!
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