A Country of Shortages

The sporadic long fuel queues are no longer foreigners in this republic; they have long gained first class citizenship as they have been living with us from the days of Siaka Probyn Bandele Stevens to the days of Joseph Saidu Tumba Momoh, Valentine Junta Strasser, Tejan SLPP Kabbah and Ernest World Best Koroma. In fact, these fuel queues have the right to contest presidential and parliamentary seats by virtue of their long stay in this nation.

Therefore, there is no need to frown at the fuel queues and raise hell when they pay their usual visit to their motherland and fatherland; they are part of this country. But fuel shortage is not the only shortage, there are shortages in almost everything, so, why the fuss about only one shortage? Below is a list of some of the other shortages:

Food Shortage-An undersized plate of unpalatable plate of rice is sold at the cut-throat cost of 3000 Leones while a usually non-full bag of rice is going for 150.000 Leones which the impoverished masses cannot easily afford. Many Sierra Leoneans are still going to bed on vacant stomach although the former President Kabba publicly promised this nation that by 2007, every Sierra Leonean would go to bed on a well-loaded stomach. As starvation keeps withering us, so the Food Ministry keeps stupefying us that there is bountiful food.

House Shortage-Many Sierra Leoneans cannot afford to rent a room, not to talk about owning a house; many sleep on the streets, on the market tables, under the bridges and in the slums. Those who are fortunate to live in decent houses are often crammed to the brim. Stone-hearted landlords have been banking on the housing shortage to be exploiting the citizenry by inflating their rent costs to unreasonable proportions.

Money Shortage-We are living in a cash trapped donor-driven country that is heavily that is heavily indebted as recently admitted by the Director of National Debts, Sahr Jusu who publicly announced that this country has $1billion international debt. A majority of Sierra Leoneans live in poverty and misery, a situation which has permanently relegated us to the perigee of the UN Development Index. The multiplication of street beggars is a clear indication of money shortage in the country. But are we having a natural or artificial money shortage?

Intellectual Shortage-We are running out of intellectuals with only very few professors left in the Athens of West Africa and there is no sign of their possible replacement considering the current academic decadence plaguing this nation. After the death of the few remaining Professors, we will, possibly, resort to importing Professors at exorbitant costs.

Pipe-borne Water Shortage-There is water everywhere in Sierra Leone little to run in the pipes. Even in our capital city, people scramble for pipe-borne water while many areas go without. Most areas in the provinces have never dreamt pipe-borne water sine pre-colonial days.

Electricity Shortage-Most towns and villages in Sierra Leone have never dreamt of government-supplied electricity present in only the cities. If you want to use electricity outside Freetown, Bo, Kenema and Makeni, get ready to buy a generator at a high price.

Shortage of Honest People-You need fasting and prayers to meet an honest Sierra Leonean. Dishonesty, cosmetically called corruption, has been the root cause of our notorious state of backwardness. For most of us, dishonesty is the best policy and, indeed, it is the best policy to survive the corrupt and hard system.

Professor Parrot

With Joseph Milton Lebbie

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