By Khadijatu Mansaray
With presidential, legislative and local council elections only days away I’ve got to say the online campaign of both parties has left me with more despair than hope. It’s been aggressive and sometimes extremely and unnecessarily vicious. The skirmishes and pockets of violence imply that things are just as ugly offline. In the midst of all the negativity I take an apprehensive look at the future and realise that I cannot give up on Sierra Leone and so I still dare to hope. If the incumbent president, Ernest B Koroma wins I hope he continues to build on his commendable efforts to improve infrastructure and healthcare for children. I also hope he addresses the scandals of corruption that have plagued his administration and does his best to improve education which is his biggest failure. I hope he continues to work on attitudinal change and make it more effective and credible because so far it’s still an aspiration, only.
If on the other hand Maada Bio wins I hope he does his best to demonstrate he isn’t a human rights abuser. The worst part of the SLPP campaign has been trying to sell the NPRC legacy as something to be proud of because it simply isn’t, especially his tenure. The SLPP and NPRC have very different legacies in Sierra Leone. Military coups have no place in a democracy. We cannot learn from the mistakes of the past by using them to justify the present. I hope he continues to inspire and motivate our youth and keeps his promises of empowering them; and by that I don’t mean giving them guns.
Whatever the outcome I hope the elected leader makes a serious effort to unite the country and address the tribalism and nepotism that threaten to divide us. I hope they reach out to the opposition and work together in the nation’s best interest. I hope they both empower women and recognise their value in nation-building. I’d like to see women play a more active role in governance. I hope the laws on domestic and sexual violence are taken seriously and properly implemented. I hope child protection laws are also taken seriously and properly implemented. I hope they both make a conscious effort to behave and not embarrass their wives with numerous extra marital affairs.
Both need to heal the divides within their parties, more so SLPP. There needs to be a place for party dissidents. People need to feel safe to disagree with aspects of the party but still stay within. Political cross-carpeting isn’t healthy for the country. It only gives us recycled politicians and drives us further apart. The deserted party feels betrayed and the welcoming party doesn’t completely trust them. In the UK a pro-Euro Ken Clark stayed in the Conservative party. Labour had Robin Cook and even Ken Livingstone was a dissident at some point. In the US even the Republicans have moderates. We need to rise to this level of political maturity in Sierra Leone. APC needs to shed off the reputation of intimidating by violence and SLPP must do the same with the reputation of tribalism.
I hope Parliament recognises the importance of integrity and do what’s right for the country. The gun bill was not their best achievement. I hope they leave a legacy that history will thank them for. I hope the opposition do their job effectively and do not resort to pettiness and opportunism.
I hope our natural resources are utilised properly and foreign investments actually benefit the country and not those in authority. I hope the “land grabbing” issues are addressed. I hope we have a more structured approach to aid and we make a serious commitment towards becoming self-reliant.
I hope electricity and clean water stop being a privilege and become a reality for everyone. I hope to see health, sanitation and waste management that are fit for purpose and cholera epidemics become a thing of the past. I hope to become proud of our educational institutions.
My desire is for Sierra Leone to become more inclusive and review any laws that may discriminate against women and minorities. I’d like to see an independent judiciary and a police and military that we can trust and respect. I hope to see world class journalism. I hope the Diaspora becomes more relevant than an intangible ATM.
It doesn’t matter who wins on November 17. What really matters is that they do the right thing for Sierra Leone. For as long as we continue to sit on the bottom rungs of almost every development ladder all our victory celebrations are no more than walks of shame. We need to aim higher than moving one or two points up. We dream of prosperity but after fifty years of independence it’s about time we got serious about making it a truth. There is no justifiable reason for us not to be.
The government we elect have a responsibility but as a people we have a duty too. We have choices in everything we do. We cannot hold any government to account if we secretly aspire to be corrupt as the officials we condemn. It’s down to us to make Unity, Freedom and Justice really count for something. Ernest Bai Koroma wants to pursue his Agenda for Change and Maada Bio calls for a New Direction. Neither can make it happen without the other;’s and our cooperation. Sierra Leone is ours and our leaders reflect who we are.
And finally can faeces-throwing be criminalised? It has no place in civilised society and makes us savages. It implies the thrower despises himself as much as his victim and is the worst manifestation of low self esteem and self hate. Mothers don’t dream their children will grow up to do that and no child aspires to it as a career. Only a disgusting person can feel comfortable handling it in such a manner as they first suffer the pain and indignity long before they can inflict it on others. So why?
