By Alpha Amadu Jalloh
Now let’s talk about those living in rural areas, the Forgotten Sierra Leoneans, the people in villages where there are no functioning health facilities. What hope do they have, Mr. President? In Freetown, where the seat of power lies, people die from treatable conditions. So, what does that mean for those miles away from any semblance of a hospital? They are left to fend for themselves, relying on makeshift remedies or traveling miles on foot to get to clinics that, more often than not, can offer little to no help. How do you expect these people to survive in a country where their government has forsaken them?
Your ministers, Mr. President, live in a different reality. They can afford to send their wives abroad for childbirth and access the best medical facilities the world has to offer. A government official recently admitted, almost with pride, that he sent his wife to the United States to give birth because the health care system in Sierra Leone is not up to standard. This man laughed as he made this statement, completely oblivious to the insult it represented to the millions of Sierra Leoneans who will never have that option. This is a culture of dismissal, Mr. President.
Meanwhile, you, too, Mr. President, continue to travel abroad for medical checkups and treatments. You are quick to hop on chartered flights, leaving behind a nation crumbling under the weight of corruption, poor governance, and, yes, your own indifference. Your government’s failures are now so blatant that even your wife has publicly stated that she no longer cares about elections because the votes of the people do not matter anymore. This is the level of disregard your administration shows toward the very people who put you in power.
I am tired, Mr. President, of discussing your shortcomings because they are so numerous and so well known. But I must ask, what has your leadership done for the people? Where is the accountability? Every promise and every grand announcement you make is met with fanfare but little to no follow-through. Your administration thrives on paper victories, accomplishments that exist only in speeches and reports but never in reality.
Do you even remember where you came from? Do you recall what it was like for the people who supported you, who believed in you? Their lives are no better now than they were before, and in many ways, they are worse. Your government continues to feast on the people, growing fat while the nation starves. You have become a caricature, a man who speaks of progress while presiding over decay.
The people are watching as they look forward to a future without you, Mr. President. And this time, they have learned. They are no longer willing to buy into the empty promises of politicians who care more about themselves than their country. When the next election comes around, I am confident that they will vote not for the politicians who have failed them but for themselves. They will vote for a future free of the corruption and incompetence that have characterized your time in office.
The health care system is just one example of your government’s failure, but it is perhaps the most devastating. Lives are being lost every day, not because of natural disasters or uncontrollable circumstances, but because you and your government have chosen to ignore the suffering of your people. This is the legacy you are building, Mr. President, and it is one that the people will not forget.
It is time to stop the charade. Stop pretending that you care about Sierra Leone when your actions speak otherwise. The people deserve better, and I hope, for the sake of this country, that they will finally get it.
