Independence Day Shame: African Leaders Saw Citizens’ Boycott & Empty Freetown Streets
By Abu Shaw in London (30/04/2021)
The 60th Independence Day anniversary on Tuesday, April 27 has come and gone but the ramifications of shame and embarrassments remain.
President Julius Maada Bio has brought shame on himself and his violent-oriented SLPP government and Sierra Leone in general during the nation’s 60th birthday on Tuesday which ended in public embarrassment. Even the African leaders who were invited by the SLPP government noticed glaringly divisive politics, Freetown Streets looking like ghost town, and hardships on the faces of the citizens who snubbed the celebrations. (Photo: Tales of two different cities at the Siaka Stevens Stadium).
It was a scenario that President Bio had wished did not happen under his watch. But his SLPP government has been responsible for creating the shameful environment from the outset, a situation that has now come to haunt him. This is a typical instance of the chickens coming home to roost! The empty streets supposed to be full of people in celebrative mood for the Independence Anniversary were strikingly quiet like a grave. Only the SLPP government officials and supporters shamelessly celebrated Independence Day.
The organisers of the Independence anniversary cannot be blamed for the worst independence celebration ever in the history of Sierra Leone. President Bio’s heavy-handedness and draconian style of governance – where civil liberties of citizens are trampled upon daily since April 4, 2018, when the SLPP government took power – played a pivotal role in the weak foundation that cracked on Independence Day.
Four African leaders, namely Ghana’s President Nana Akufo Addo, Guinea’s President Alpha Conde, Liberia’s President George Weah, and the Gambian President Adama Barrow, who graced the occasion in Freetown, were faced with the ugly reality on the ground and saw only police and military officers streaming the streets. “Where are the people?” was the question asked by the four leaders, a source close to the leaders say. It was clear people showed no interest whatsoever in the 60th Independence Day festivities. The leaders learned that the citizens could not see any reason for the celebration because there was nothing to celebrate amid the untold suffering in the country.
The first embarrassment that struck President Bio’s government for the Independence anniversary celebrations was the last minute change of venue. Organisers had earlier earmarked the Siaka Stevens Stadium where Independence Day anniversaries and other national events are often held by the Sierra Leone governments. But just a few days before the D-Day, sources say, the organisers, on the orders of the presidency, decided to change the venue from the Stadium to State House. The government had fears that an empty Stadium was possible and a public relations calamity imminent if the people failed to fill the stands. (Photo: President Bio, centre, pose with the four leaders Weah, Addo, Conde and Barrow.
The choice for State House to host the celebration was the surprise option. The streets of Freetown and other cities around the country were virtually empty. No signs of celebrations from the people, a stark contrast to previous years when Independence Day anniversaries were a time for enjoyment. The discontentment among the suffering majority was the main reason for the boycotts. And the human rights violations and the growing number of killings and harassments caused by President Bio’s undemocratic regime was a turn-off for millions of Sierra Leoneans.
Political observers could not understand why the event was not hosted at the Stadium, an open ground that was conducive for the COVID-19 pandemic. Sources say the African leaders did mention what they noticed to President Bio. Ghana President Nana Addo is believed to have led the discussions with President Bio on the fragile situation in the country. In his conference speech, President Akufo Addo used the word ‘Together’ many times as he advised Sierra Leoneans to work together. Reports say President Bio was admonished by all the four Heads of State to try and unite the country by every means necessary. President Bio was urged to start with the invitation of former President Ernest Koroma to attend the Independence anniversary. But the 11th-hour invitation of Ernest Koroma was turned down. More details as follows
