It is no gainsay to substantiate to the notion, crony criticisms have plunged Sierra Leone in to a pulling down syndrome epidemic and failing to provide panacea to such an epidemic will ignite pandemonium of hatreds and jealousy. It is good to be genuine and sincere when expressing opinions and refrain from surfeit of sentimentalism. It is my genuine intention to point out the inadequacies that currently put the nation at stalk.
To start with, majority of Sierra Leoneans believe in status quo and reluctantly adamant to change. Change is inevitable and it brings about developments for a nation if the social processes are taken in to cognizance. Change often begins with a crisis. A crisis in any organised setting often acts as a catalyst for large-scale change.
Alternatives that may have seemed unthinkable only a short time earlier suddenly appear eminently practical. The rebel war in Sierra Leone may be seen as a crisis, but it was not because the war did not bring about change. Instead, it helped to nurture the status quo as its aftermath brings misery to the populace and vis — a — vis vast majority of Sierra Leoneans are still swimming in the pool of poverty with an average cost of living of less than $1 (U S) a day. Knowing what needs to be done without knowing how it can happen will not bring a change. It is high time for every Sierra Leonean to come together in a bid of finding solutions to the nation’s problems. Criticism will not bring about solutions as it tears the nation in to fragmentations.
Another key attribute of any successful nation is good leadership. this attribute has been lacking in Sierra Leone for the past three decades. A good leader is one that brings social processes in initiating change efforts. As social process is a series of events or experiences that utilises our knowledge of individual and group behaviour to facilitate change. Effective social processes are aimed at transforming people’s belief systems; therefore, they must win over not only the mind but also the heart of each individual. Properly designed social processes can take full advantage of elements such as cognitive dissonance and power of consensus. The nation’s predicament is based on an inept leadership.
The blame for such an inept leadership lies upon every Sierra Leonean who attains the electoral age in taking decision to choose a leader for the nation.In the event, if not all,but majority voted on party line eventhougth trhey fully realised the consequences that their decisions might face in the future. Sierra Leone politic is a clear manifestation of “vote for the wrong man in the wrong position” instead of voting in the right man for the right position. As a nation, we need to turn the table round this time come 2007 Presidential Elections. Let every Sierra Leonean embraces change and stand firm for what he/she believes in. We should not forget that the decisions we will make in 2007 Elections will affect our socio — economic and political well being for a period of five years. As such, Sierra Leoneans both at home and in the Diaspora must be prepared than ever before to select a leader with substance who can make firm decisions and ensure that his decisions are implemented without impunity.
The nation seeks a leader who must learn to mitigate the impact of natural traits — suspicion, stubbornness, and anxiety — that undermine change, while capitalizing on those positive human qualities — trust, idealism, and dedication — that make change works. the evidence is, human beings lie at the center of every change effort, and throughout history many have put up strong resistance to it. During the 19th century, for instance, the English Luddites saw their livelihoods jeopardized by industrialisation and tried to put stop to it. There are Luddites inside every nation, and they will derail the change effort if you let them. what Sierra Leone needs at this time is change of attitudes i.e. candidates vieing for public office need to be srutinised to determine both their public and private lives. Character is one of the most valuable parameter to assess a good leader. Thus, ending with an advise for the nation as a whole – “character is like a white paper, it is better to keep it clean than to let it dirty. Once it is dirty, it can never be washed”.
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