Fifty Years of Economic and social Poverty (Economic and Social Nothingness)
April 27 two thousand and eleven marks the birthday of Sierra Leone
On this day this year the Lion Mountain turns fifty
The Athens of Africa became independent on this day
The White Man’s Grave enjoyed political independent
Fifty years ago on this day the English gave the reign of power
to us, the Sierra Leoneans
Five decades ago Mama Salone jumped into the air to celebrate
a promising prosperous nation
But, to what extent are we independent economically and socially?
After fifty years of independence, the roars of the Mighty Mountain sound like the bark of a dog
Fifty years on, the White Man’s Grave is still struggling at the bottom rank of economic development
Almost fifty years today Mama Salone still protrudes her big empty belly that is now full with cold water
Fifty year old Sierra Leone is still enslaved to bad governance
Still being ruled by greedy and corrupt politicians who do not have us at heart
Alas, our fiftieth birthday has met us in economic rubbish, malaise and scornful neglect by our leaders
To make things worse for us our President is now keenly bent on spending
25 million dollars to celebrate our 50th birthday
He wants to spend twenty-five million Dollars on a birthday that is not worth celebrating
The President wants to spend 25 million dollars on a birthday that has brought
Nothing but suffering to the hungry Lion Mountain
Ernest Koroma wants to spend 25 million dollars on independence celebration
While a cup of rice has hiked by 350 percent over the past three years
The government wants to spend twenty-five million dollars on
This day while price of palm oil has gone up by 250 percent over the past three years
Our president wants to waste 25 million dollars to give contracts to his cronies and relatives
In the name of independence celebration while the prices of all building materials and food stuff
Have gone up more than three hundred percent
Spending 25 million dollars on this day will aggravate the suffering of the people of Sierra Leone
Spending 25 million dollars on this celebration is tantamount to admitting that you have failed the nation like J.S Momoh did in 1987
Spending twenty million dollars to mark our political independence makes us feel that the president and his ministers are not sensitive to our sufferings
As we experience the astronomical rise in prices of goods and services in the past three years
Yet, the president is failing to realize the unworkability, undesirability and inapplicability of the celebration
That is why:
On the day that marks our independence I will stand on Mount Everest and shout:
“Celebrate our independence by increasing the salaries of teacher for they have suffered for long in silence”
On this day of our independence I will stand on the highest hill of Sierra Leone and shout:
“Mr. President, pump that money in this rotten economy in order to alleviate the suffering of the people”
On this day I will stand on Mount Kilimanjaro and shout:
“Spend that money to buy more buses to ease the transportation problems in Freetown”
On that day I stand on top of the Cotton Tree and shout:
“Use fiscal and monetary policies to let prices go down for the whole of April”
On this day I will stand on the roof of State House and shout:
“Our President, spend that money to create more jobs for the youth and the less privileged”
On this day I will stand on the roofs of Parliament and shout:
“Spend the twenty five million dollars to provide clean pipe-borne water for the people of Mama Salone”
On that day I walk the streets of Freetown with placards, posters and banners with the writing:
“We want more economic development because we are tired of fifty years poverty”
On 27 April 2011 I will stand on the tallest building in Sierra Leone and shout:
“H.E, use that huge sum of money to fight corruption at Water Quay”
On this very day I will stand at Up Gun and shout:
“Sir, use that money to improve the quality of education in Sierra Leone”
April 27 2011 will see me standing on the roof of where the president lives and shout:
Our Beloved President, please use that money to stop traffic policemen
exploiting commercial drivers
for they are contributing to the transportation woes in Freetown
On this day I will on top of the Clock Tower at Eastern Police and shout:
“Papa President, use that money to improve the so-called Free Health Care so that the beneficiaries will get better medicines other than only Paracetamol, Flagyl, Quinine and other low quality medicines
On April 27 two thousand and eleven we will gather at the National Stadium and shout:
“Mon Seigneur, use every bit of that money to increase the productivity of your civil servants”
On this all important day I will use SLBC to shout:
“Son Excellence, use that money to improve electricity supply
in Allen Town, Wellington, Waterloo, Calaba Town, Portee and other Freetown suburbs”
On that day I will stand at Congo Cross and shout:
“Papa Ernest, 25 million dollars, for what………? Bo, nor mek we wap”!
A piece of advice to the president:
My Dear President, if You really want to have a meaningful Independent Celebration, I advise that you stimulate the economy through fiscal and monetary means so that prices of basic goods and services will go down in the whole of April. The people will then be able to enjoy their 50th birthday as a result of the cheap goods and services.
by Mohamed Kunowah Kiellow (in photo), Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
The author is a Dutch-Sierra Leonean Human Rights Lawyer who is presently working in Sierra Leone as a Legal and Policy consultant. He is also the Executive Director of Human rights and Democracy Alert! (HuRiDA)
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Mamadi Kamara
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You guys cannot accept criticisms. How do you expect this country to develop? The writer is to a large extent right in his well-written poem. A poor man at fifty does not even think about birthday celebration if that celebration will make him poorer.
17th June 2011roland parker
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My friend stop making an idiot of yourself. Please check your facts. The budget for the 50th Independence celebration is no longer $25m but something around $8m. I do not support any political party in Sierra Leone. People like you are dangerous!! You can’t even give credit where it is due. I’ve just read through your trash!!
23rd February 2011