By Paul Arsenio Conteh
**So Long a Letter: An Analysis of the Heartbreaking Situation in Sierra Leone**
Mr. President,
You delivered a powerful message of hope and vision on the balcony of the Bintumani Hotel during the 2018 Presidential Debate. You analyzed your predecessors’ cosmetic development, bad governance, and economic failures. You specifically highlighted excessive government spending on unnecessary foreign travel, foreign exchange rate issues, and, most crucially, the price of rice at that time.
You identified tourism, agriculture, and fisheries as the key revenue-generating sectors at that stage.
In the early days of your presidency, we witnessed an awakening like never before. For instance, the State House began releasing the names of everyone in the presidential entourage for international trips, and the National Revenue Authority started communicating weekly revenue updates. Your unannounced visits to government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies sent a strong message. Additionally, various municipalities spearheaded government-supported monthly cleaning initiatives. These good initiatives disappeared less than a year into your first term.
During your second term, you outlined a #BIG5 agenda: Feed Sierra Leone, Human Capital Development, Technology & Infrastructure, Transforming the Public Service Architecture, and a Youth Empowerment Scheme to create 500,000 jobs.
It is concerning that Leo Land youths have not been asking critical questions about the status of that promise—the 500,000 jobs. The toxic nature of social media algorithms in Leo Land has distracted the youth from focusing on crucial issues. Where do we stand on the #500000jobs? I urge you to convene a town hall meeting to provide a direct update to the youth on this and other pressing matters that affect their lives.
The issue of Feeding Sierra Leone is profoundly important to me. How can we #FeedSierraLeone when our country depends heavily on food imports, including our staple food, rice? Certain factions within the corridors of power seem disinterested in developing a robust agro-food ecosystem. With the vast, arable land available to us, it’s unacceptable that we cannot feed ourselves as a nation. I still find it baffling that an elite university in the UK invited you to speak on food security. This is an area where our country is lagging far behind. During your time in power, the bag of rice has quadrupled.
Are you aware of the blackouts plaguing the capital city and other regions? The energy sector ranks among the least efficiently run entities in Leo Land. It’s worth noting that we, the people, are not merely citizens receiving a free power service; we are pre-paid customers. We expect to receive our service after fulfilling our payment obligations, yet we find ourselves consistently on this flawed path. All we get is the constant mockery jabs #WeWillDeliver and #RadicalInclusion
Regarding human capital development, I have a straightforward question: If the program is as effective as claimed, why are top politicians not sending their children to public schools, especially at the elementary level?
Mr. President,
Let me address the trendy issue at hand – the national drug scandal. Unfortunately, the #FirstFamily has been directly implicated in this controversy, leading citizens to lose all trust in the political leadership of Leo Land. There are allegations that one of the most wanted men in Europe, who happens to be a prominent drug dealer, is married to your daughter.
Additionally, there are photos of him alongside the presidential entourage at the New Year worship service. Disturbingly, even the images reportedly used to track this individual were sourced from the social media pages of some person affiliated with the presidency. Our reputation has been dramatically damaged internationally, Mr. President.
If my memory serves me right, you often justify your frequent trips abroad as part of a strategy to rebrand our country’s image. I wonder what you think about your rebranding efforts in light of this recent drug scandal. In fairness, Mr. President, those trips have yielded zero benefits for the nation. If I were in your position, I would have pursued a different intervention strategy focused on building internal systems, infrastructures, and social cohesion. By generating positive outcomes from such interventions, we would naturally attract attention to our country. Building your flower garden will invite butterflies without the need to chase after them. This is where the war was lost, even before the battle started.
What is the current status of the Lungi Bridge? What progress has been made on Akon’s light project? Where do we stand with Idriss Elba’s entertainment city? We haven’t forgotten about these projects that created a national buzz on social media when they were first announced.
I want to clarify that I am neither a “troublemaker” nor a “terrorist.” I am a patriot who desires to see our nation regain its long-lost glory. As the “father of democracy,” I hope you will support voices like mine that advocate for the people rather than joining the propaganda machine, bootlickers, and political naysayers.
One country, one people!
Son of the soil,
Paul.
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