Sierra Leone Moves From Darkness to Daylight

The lights were switched on. The smiles were radiant. The faces beamed with delightful appreciation. A country that has only known darkness for most of its recent history has finally seen its government accomplish the impossible. The government of Ernest Bai Koroma on assuming office made it its priority to eliminate the abysmal suffering of its people by undertaking to provide the basic needs of all Sierra Leoneans. Without electricity a country cannot perform to its fullest capacity. Industries will fail because they cannot meet their energy demands and businesses will not function effectively as their reliant on power supply is an integral part in the day to day running of a successful enterprise.

There cannot be an effective electronic communication capability as computers rely heavily on the presence of electricity and as such people around the world would be deprived of constant information and events happening in and around the country as there would not be any access to the internet. So in other words what President Koroma has done by providing constant electricity supply for his people is, he has laid the foundation for economic prosperity.

From expectations to reality – evidence of a government at work for its people. There is no doubt about the commitment of the current President of Sierra Leone to end the poverty environment structure that threatened not only the livelihood of his people, but that deprived them of a basic education system that is ever more needed for the effective functioning of a productive country. Ernest Koroma must be applauded not just for making sure the country once more enjoys full electricity supply, but for doing so in a short period of time. This is indeed a commitment. No doubt about it. A lot of his critics had expressed doubts about whether it was possibly to accomplish this in his first 2 years in office. But I must say you cannot take it from this man, he has taken the first steps into securing for himself not only a place in the hearts of so many Sierra Leoneans around the world; but also a second term in office come 2012.

It will be extremely foolish of any Sierra Leonean not to give a leader with such brilliant foresight the opportunity to accomplish his party’s manifestoes when he has so diligently demonstrated that he is a leader in touch with his people’s expectations and desires. Don’t get me wrong; I do criticize the government when it gets things wrong; like having a criminal in the name of Abdul Serry Kamal being the guardian of our rule of law. That is indeed unacceptable and would be the focus of my next article on corruption in high places. But here is a case of a leader who comes into office and made it his utmost priority to end the suffering of his people and has taken the first steps in doing that; why shouldn’t he be commended?

If he continues on the path to economic recovery and social development he will certainly earn the support of many of us in the Diaspora who continuously yearn for a government that puts its people first. The International community is therefore urged to provide the necessary support to the Koroma administration to assist in implementing the necessary economic and social reforms that the country needs. The recent dismissal of 2 senior cabinet officials in the government and subsequent arraignment in court, was a clear manifestation of the government of President Ernest Koroma’s intention to end the era of corruption that has plagued our societies for far too long.

© 2009, Ahmed M Kamara. All rights reserved. Discuss this article on the Salone Forum Salone Forum

By Ahmed M Kamara