By KABS KANU :
Our beloved nation, Sierra Leone, is on the threshhold of a fascinating era. Never in our country’s history has there been an era that provided so much hope and optimism about the future of our nation as it obtains today under the outstanding leadership of President Ernest Bai Koroma. Since 2007, every nation of the world knows that Sierra Leone has taken a step in the right direction and entered her finest moment in history. The present improvement in the way we live, the infrastructural and socio-economic and political developments in our country, which are turning our nation into a showpiece, make one very proud to be a Sierra Leonean.
PRESIDENT KOROMA DISPLAYS THE AGENDA FOR PROSPERITY
The true value of the new dispensation in Sierra Leone is seen in the improvement in the quality of lives of Sierra Leoneans, beautiful road network that now span the entire country, the imposing buildings, the rejuvenated cities , the resumption of mining activities and extensive farming , the acceleration in commerce and investment, the return of electricity and water supply and the projections by the World Bank and the IMF that the Sierra Leone economy will grow by 50% this year and is the second fastest growing economy in the world. The new dispensation is seen in the fact that Sierra Leone is now one of the safest countries in the world during the reign of President Koroma. Though there are still some challenges in the post-conflict nation, the future of Sierra Leone has never been as bright as it is today under the productive leadership of President Koroma.
If Sierra Leone becomes an oil-producing nation as expected, the future will be even brighter but the biggest project now for all Sierra Leoneans is that we must sustain the development strides being made by the nation under President Koroma . The new era President Koroma has launched must not become a mere flash in the frying pan. Sierra Leoneans must ensure that our socio-economic and political developments, which have made us the envy of other West African nations, are sustained. The economic and political potentials of our country are immense as has been observed even by the recent UN Peacebuilding Sierra Leone Country Specific Configuration and Security Council delegations but they must not be a nine-day wonder due to citizen inaction . We must throw our weight behind the architect of our new dispensation, President Koroma, to help build a better and a more prosperous Sierra Leone.
There is no doubt that because of the outstanding leadership he has provided and the development projects he has delivered, President Koroma deserves a second term so that he can actualize the next phase of his plan, THE AGENDA FOR PROSPERITY in Sierra Leone. In 2007, President Koroma set forth a national development strategy called THE AGENDA FOR CHANGE that has been hugely successful. He must be given the opportunity to move his ambition to a higher dimension —The Agenda for Prosperity. Sierra Leoneans must therefore turn out in full colors on tomorrow to vote overwhelmingly for President Koroma to make sure that he continues to take our nation to higher heights.
There are hundreds of companies in the U.S. and other parts of the world that have manifested interest in investing millions of dollars in Sierra Leone in our extractive industries, in our farming programs and in the establishment of new industries which will provide abundant jobs for our people but they need to see a stable Sierra Leone. They need to see a Sierra Leone ensconced in safe hands. They do not want to see Sierra Leone in the hands of a thief and murderer who cannot even get an entry visa to visit the greatest nation on the face of the earth, the U.S. America is the most prosperous and strategic development partner we have after the United Kingdom. If the opposition’s presidential candidate , Maada Bio, is barred from entering the country, can you imagine what future awaits Sierra Leone if we do not vote wisely tomorrow ? We know that no serious Sierra Leonean will want to see his/her country ruled by somebody loathed and snobbed and denied entry by America, of all progressive and strategic partners. This is one of the greatest indictments against the SLPP Presidential candidate, Maada Bio. He committed astonishing human rights abuses as a junta member in 1992 and the United States and many top members of the international community do not want to deal with him.
Under President Ernest Bai Koroma, Sierra Leone has been a peaceful and stable nation. There has been tremendous respect for fundamental human rights and the climate of multi-party democracy has been very impressive indeed. We have the freest and the most vibrant media in Africa and under President Koroma no journalist has ever been harassed , not to mention arrested or jailed. Civil society, women’s and youths’ groups are thriving freely in the country. President Koroma is the most liberal, tolerant, peace-loving and democratic leader we have ever had since Independence . His challenger , Maada Bio is a brutal, violent , intolerant, ill-tempered former junta leader with blood-stained hands . Voting for a former military junta leader with such deplorable baggage that contains extrajudicial killings , grave violation of humanitarian law as well as racketeering in passports and helicopter spare parts is the greatest disservice to the nation and is certainly not the way to go if we want continuity of progress in our country.We must not trust our nation in his hands . We cannot afford to usher our beloved nation into another era of uncertainty. Prospective investors and tourists love to hear nothing better than the fact that the country in which they want to commit their resources is peaceful and stable and is in the hands of a clean, God-fearing , democratic , liberal and progressive leader like President Ernest Koroma.
President Koroma has proved his mettle . He has demonstrated that he is a man worthy of trust and confidence. He has proved that he is a man who can deliver. The fact that up to the eve of elections he is busy commissioning new projects attests to the progressiveness and productiveness of the man. The nation has faced challenges caused by the world economic downturn but President Koroma has proved more equal to the task. He has fulfilled his 2007 campaign promises to the people of Sierra Leone. In fact, Sierra Leoneans must change the slogan from DE PA DEY WOKE to DE PA DON WOKE ! ! We need President Koroma to continue taking Sierra Leone to higher heights.
The future of our nation is in the votes we cast tomorrow. We dare not err. We are patriotic and love what has been done in Sierra Leone by President Koroma, so we must vote APC tomorrow . Because of all the development projects and the bright future, we must show our appreciation by voting overwhelmingly for President Ernest Koroma and the APC tomorrow.
This is not the time to think tribe, region or clan. We must think Sierra Leone first and put our national interest first. Maada Bio might be a Sierra Leonean and he has the right to aspire for the Presidency but the fact is that he is not a match for President Ernest Koroma when it comes to passion, commitment and proven ability for national progress , scrupulous and untainted leadership and the ability to deliver. The fact is also clear that he is not fit to be President of Sierra Leone. He will reverse all our post-war gains and plunge our nation into another era of despair and chaos.
We must seek what is best for our nation tomorrow.
We must give President Koroma five more years that will surely transform our country into an even better and more prosperous nation.
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