17 November, 2012 is coming: Advice to the youths
Five weeks from now, Sierra Leoneans will again go to the polls to vote for their parliamentary candidates who will represent them in parliament and also the one who will be their president for the next five years. It goes without saying that some of the former members of parliament (MP) have not contributed anything towards the socio-economic development of their constituencies, not talking about the country. Some aspirants from the diaspora organized fundraising activities to enable them to get funds to contest the forth coming elections. Some of them have been out of the country for more than one or two decades without doing any development in the respective constituencies they are aspiring to represent, but elections are coming again and they are now working our strategies so they can fool the people particularly the youths with sugar coated words so that they will be elected to fulfill their selfish desires. This is the time to say NO to such politicians. This is the time to tell these so called politicians that the youths are no longer fools. This is the time to ask them what they have done for the respective constituencies they want to represent. Youth organizations or groups should organize debates, asking them questions about their manifestos and how they can contribute towards developing their constituencies. (Photo: B Claudio Kamara, author)
Majority of these so called politicians will be visiting ‘ataya bases’ and ‘ghettos’ to get the support of the youths. They should not encourage any politician who will buy drugs and alcohol for them in exchange for their votes at the forth coming elections. I am advising the youths to vote for candidates they can trust and believe will deliver their manifestos, devoid of party affiliations, tribe or region. Sierra Leone is bigger than any one individual and the interest of the country should be above anything else. It is a fact that some families don’t even know where to get their next meal, while some of these selfish politicians are living luxurious life styles. I am imploring and advising the youths to vote for candidates who have the country at heart and who will support the present president agenda for change and work for the interest of the country to improve the standard of living of the ordinary sierra Leonean. For the youths who will have the notion that whether they vote or not, it will be the same, I want to advise them to come out and vote because their vote’s counts as it will make a difference.
It goes without saying that I have confidence in the integrity of the chairperson of the electoral commission that the elections will be held in a free and fair atmosphere. I salute her for the recent increase in the nomination fees. It is rather unfortunate that the government subsidized the fees announced by NEC. The aspirants vying for political offices should know that they are aspiring to represent their people and they should not see the nomination fees announced by NEC as a setback to achieve their political ambitions, if indeed they are genuine politicians and have good intentions for the country. The government should not have intervened to subsidize the fees for them. The subsidy should have been used to help in other areas of concern in the country to alleviate the suffering of the poor masses. I couldn’t believe that some of the political parties were crying foul when the nominations fees were announced. The people of Sierra Leone are tired of such politicians. Sierra Leone is not a dumpster where in any Peter or Paul will just come and say I want to be a president or a member of parliament or what have you.
I am again advising the youths to come out and vote wisely on November 17 and refrain from any act of violence.
By B Claudio Kamara
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