*By Saikujohn Barrie*
After a long rumbling and grumbling including lobbying regarding who should be the running mate to Dr. Samura Kamara of the main opposition party (APC) the Flag Bearer, and the NAC members have finally settled down for the erudite member of Parliament, Hon Chernor Maju Bah as the running mate come June 24.
Dr. Samura Kamara and Hon Chericococ are not new to HE Maada Bio and Dr. Juldeh Jalloh because they were the ones who went to the finals in the 2018 elections where Sierra Leoneans elected Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) Bio and Jalloh.
Five years has gone, now Sierra Leoneans are being given the same set of people opting to lead the country for the next five years 2023 to 2028.
For almost five years since Bio and Jalloh were elected to office, Sierra Leoneans are grumbling about the economic hardships in the country even though government officials and their agents always cite the Russia Ukrainian war as the main reason for the economic hardship and policies failures in the country.
For the past years, I have heard members of the APC condemning the SLPP’s policies on the economy, education, health, agriculture etc yet, I have never seen even a shred of paper where they have come up with alternative solutions to this myriad of problems.
If you are saying Sierra Leone’s economy is a mess which many Sierra Leoneans are in consonant with, then bring us your own alternative policies that will fix the economic mess.
Sierra Leoneans are tired of hearing mere condemnations of the current rotten or broken system in the country without telling them about your own (APC) viable alternative policies. If you have any bring them on the table!
Truly speaking, Sierra Leoneans are fed up with the current economic hardship and other monumental failures by the SLPP government, but they are not sure about what the All People Congress (APC) have as alternatives.
It is like Sierra Leoneans are caught between the devil and deep sea. In their minds, they (Sierra Leoneans) want change but has the APC changed?
How can Sierra Leoneans know that this is not the usual APC which left the country austerity if there are no clear agendas and policies from the party demonstrating that they will be implementing policies with a difference if voted for?
Granted that many Sierra Leoneans vote along partisan, regional and tribal basis but there are good number of Sierra Leoneans also who would want to vote on policies.
I believe even to the international community; Political Parties need to convince them through fantastic development policies.
You can’t convince the international community to support you by mere shouting over the roof that the current government has failed.
Don’t get me wrong, on the surface the international community needs to be neutral but is it in reality?
It is on this note that I call on the APC not to bank on mere condemnations of the current SLPP government’s failures to galvanise support, rather you must bring policies to convince Sierra Leoneans that your party is worth risking their vote for.
Therefore, as the stage for the June 24th elections is set, APC bring us your alternative policies.
I rest my case.
