Until we record the very last case of Ebola, record no cases for 45 straight days and are declared ebola-free, the State of Emergency is necessary.to maintain that heightened state of national awareness and carefulness relative to a country facing a major health crisis . The State of Emergency is also necessary to galvanize everybody to continue to observe the Ebola protocols and precautions. Anybody who loves the nation will support the State of Emergency, knowing fully well that our people have not been very compliant with these Ebola protocols and precautions, which did only only help to spread the disease during the peak of the outbreak, but has made expectations of ending the outbreak much like WAITING FOR GODOT. Only people with love for their country would acknowledge the fact that it would been premature and dangerous to life the State of Emergency.
The Government is therefore doing nothing except seeking the people’s welfare by extending the State of Emergency. What is more haunting than the spectre of another full-blown ebola outbreak ? Does the opposition really care about this prospect ? DO THEY CARE IF OUR PEOPLE PERISH ?
The opposition cannot say they are not aware of the dangers President Koroma is fighting to curb. Serious violations of the ebola protocols and precautions have taken place before the very eyes of these opposition elements clamoring for the lifting of the emergency .Despite all the warnings, public education and unforgiving effects from the deadly disease itself when protocols and precautions are not rigidly followed, we found that people still congregated , bathed their dead, engaged in dangerous burials, dug up buried bodies to perform rituals and took in or lived with the ebola sick without alerting the authorities, even with the State of Emergency in place. How can people who pretend to love the nation advocate for the lifting of the health emergency under these circumstances and especially when we are still recording new ebola cases, though at a minimal level, knowing it will only cause the outbreak to spiral out of control ?
WE HAVE A VERY SELFISH AND SELF-OBSESSED OPPOSITION. It is for no better reason than to score political points that the opposition wanted the State of Emergency lifted . It was not to achieve any good outcome, for what good results would any reasonable person expect from going totally lax with a tricky and dangerous illness like Ebola ? . They just wanted to challenge, for the sake of mere opposition, the authority and good pleasure of the government to rule the nation judiciously and safely . What a shame when a political party places politics over the interest of the nation .
PLAYING DUCKS AND DRAKES
The Sierra Leone People’s Party ( SLPP ) cannot justifiably accuse the government of using the State of Emergency to violate human rights or commit atrocities against its citizens. This government of President Ernest Bai Koroma has one of the best records for respecting and promoting fundamental human rights and liberties. During the State of Health Emergency, the government ensured that fundamental rights and liberties were respected. What is all the clamour to lift the Emergency about, therefore ? The answer is POLITICS. POLITICS IS THE NAME OF THE GAME. Politics is all that matters to the Sierra Leone opposition. They are adept at feigning political correctness at the detriment of the nation. They will not accomplish these diabolical goals under the watch of President Ernest Koroma.
Reasonable as he is, President Koroma has relaxed some restrictions that he believes will not hamper the fight to end Ebola. But the State of Emergency, he is not going to lift, at least , not yet, for the good of everybody .
Sierra Leoneans should be enthused that President Koroma has acted in their best interests once again, never mind the protestations of a petty opposition . They should be once again proud to have a President who puts the national welfare above politics. We have to defeat Ebola and one of the best ways we will accomplish that goal is to remain ever vigilant that there is a health crisis in our nation and to observe all the necessary protocols and precautions . Period. The times are not normal in the country as long as ebola lingers around . Let us all therefore throw our weight behind President Koroma and support the government’s and the international community’s uncanny and relentless determination to make sure that this hydra-headed plague is conquered once and for all.
It is left with Parliament now to support President Koroma and ratify the State of Emergency. Parliamentarians, elected to serve as the custodians of the people’s interest, like the President, will have to demonstrate that when duty calls and the nation’s best interest is at stake, they will choose to do the right thing, which is to support any measure that will make our country stronger, better , healthier and safer.
