Turning the tide: political falsehood and the November elections

There is one thing that is inevitable in life and that is death.  Dead, why Trye: I came to know Hindolo Trye when he was at Tourism Ministry. Later he was moved to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. My regular and daily activities include, reading all online newspapers on Sierra Leone and there was this one I came across on African Young Voices.  (http://africayoungvoices.com/2012/07/hindolo-trye-blames-falla-ensa-n%e2%80%99dayma-for-bumbuna-unrest/) “Hindolo Trye blames Falla Ensa N’Dayma for Bumbuna unrest”, AYV reported. Few minutes after reading the said story, I learnt though a social forum that the man is no more. Why now, you may want to ask, but that is all part of life, death comes when Allah wants it to come. He was not only sincere in his work, but was also dedicated to it. He assiduously contributed to President Koroma’s successes in governance and his efforts in pushing the Agenda for Change were just too exceptional and well recognized.  May his soul rest in peace.

Appreciation to media outlets:

Kindly accept my decision to state here my profound appreciation to the media landscape in Sierra Leone for providing us and particularly me, with the opportunity to articulate my views on Sierra Leone’s development progress. I am particularly indebted to papers like Sierra Express Media, New Vision, Global Times, Independent Observer, Exclusive, Satellite, Torchlight, For Di People Awoko, Concord Times, We Yone, Salone Times, Awareness Times, Premier News, Independent Observer, African Champion, Salone Reporters, African Young Voices, Ariogbo, Sierra Leone Telegraph,  Sierra Leone Daily Mail, Cocorioko and a host of others I can’t name now. What they have kept doing is to allow the views of people expressed on a daily outline, despite the political angles such views comes from.

I am most especially grateful to the Secretaries of these newspapers, the layout designers, for it is their hard work, coupled with the editing skills of the Editors that has kept me courageous  everyday to write on national issues.  Without your support, I am nothing. I have a role of propagating the good works of President Ernest Bai Koroma. But this role can be fully performed with your continuous support by editing and subsequently publishing my writings.

Sierra Leone at a crossroad:

Sierra Leone is in a period of transition. This is a period that could best be described as transformational, especially in areas of infrastructure, as we now see in terms of an improvement in the road network that is being undertaken by the government of President Ernest Bai Koroma, following his election in 2007.  President Koroma’s emphasis on road and infrastructural developments will surely account for the country’s upsurge in both economic and political terms. It also will open the way for practical and sustainable socio-economic and political improvement in Sierra Leone.

When in 2007 we elected President Koroma, it was out of our desire, to bring back the lost glory that we once had. What we went through, for over a decade in the form of civil war emanated from a number of factors, include g the mistakes of our past leaders. But our determination as a people to move in line with the trend the world was taking enabled us to call for an end to that decade long civil war and today we are beginning to see positive results. Again, our desire to develop has today been made possible for us, through the effective leadership that President Koroma has been providing.

Progress within years:

Our expectations from the current leadership are great and many. But we also are aware of the strides that the country has made in tackling our post war challenges, including the fight against corruption, the transformation we now see in the energy sector, in the country’s health care delivery system, in the rebranding efforts, and in many other areas, like the progress we now see in the revenue generation effort at the local level. The NRA has been doing well and this has been as a result of the motivating factor that the national leadership has been giving to the NRA, taking into account the challenges that the workforce there are faced with. Our investment potentials are also commendable, as we see in the fisheries sector.

Under the leadership of President Koroma  Sierra Leone is today implementing   a 28 million dollar World Bank funded project that seeks to support the effective management of the country’s fisheries sector, under the West Africa Regional Fisheries Project. The  project is funded by the International Development Association (IDA) and Global Environmental Facility (GEF) of the World Bank, and has three interrelated components namely; (A) Good governance and sustainable management of the fisheries; (B) Reduction of Illegal Fishing and (C) ensuring an Increase Local Value Addition to fish products. The project seeks a 50% reduction of fishing vessels that are observed fishing within the 6-mile Inshore Exclusion Zone by the end of the project life cycle.

Also, under his leadership, measures have been put in place to ensure investors are encouraged in the country. A leading agency for this is the Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency-SLIEPA. This agency creates the platform for direct foreign and domestic investment in Sierra Leone.  SLIEPA is responsible for the promotion, co-ordination and generation of foreign and domestic investment.  The Investment Promotion Act of 2004 primarily promotes and attracts private investments both domestic and foreign for the development of production and value adding activities as well as to improve exports and provide employment opportunities.  The Investment Promotion Act of 2004 provides a number of investment incentives, as a way of attracting investments into the country  Investment incentives like; capacity building support, foreign exchange remittance, remittance of profit, guarantee of capital repatriation and of loan remittance and guarantee against expropriation.

Political falsehood:

But despite all these successes scored by President Koroma, some have employed the falsehood theory in undoing the reelection of a successful government. Character assassination is another tool, but how successful it will be is another issue. Some have not been able to sincerely appreciate the fact that we are a progressing nation, one that has moved from a wretched history of barbarism to one with total peace and one with phenomenal infrastructural development.   As a country, what we should be seen doing is to  put party politics aside and see how we could come together, rally behind the current efforts that are been led towards taking the country to the apex of development and see what the end shall bring for us.

This period of political tension that the country is found in today should not be seen as a surprise. Because President Koroma has been able to reposition Sierra Leone in an accept bale global platform, others have shown their desire to also have a taste of what governance and leadership is all about. But the tide should be turned against them; they should be told in no uncertain term that what President Koroma has started should have it finishing point under him.  We just can’t allow the gains we have made to be taken down the gutter. The sincerity of this government has gone a long way in bringing laurels back home.

A clear display of this falsehood and character assassination theory was utilized in the recent open letter to the people of Sierra Leone by someone said to be a business partner of the Vice President of Sierra Leone. Whether you accept it or not, these are all political tools used by people seeking the people’s mandate but in an unacceptable manner.  But with the Vice President being the proverbial cat with seven lives, I only will tell you that his address to the nation, through the media, in the form of a press briefing has helped in selling the image of the President and government. It also helped in exposing the wickedness of some people wanting political power by all means possible. But if I tell you all these acts are not geared towards taking the Kono votes from the ruling party, then I have not been sincere with you. Kono is so crucial that every efforts are been taken that will capture that city from the hands of President Koroma.

But, no amount of falsehood will succeed in changing people’s resolve. The coming elections will be fought on ideas and successes, they will be fought on legacies and from the look of things, President Koroma is far ahead for he has laid the foundation for our growth. We should keep turning the tide against anyone that is resolved to take the country back to its former self. What we have been doing should be sustained. We can’t be taken back. Vote for President Koroma come November 17. The decision is yours and only you can help effect make the difference.

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