By Alpha Amadu Jalloh
Mr. President, how come? Tell me how come our Parliament, a body meant to uphold the democratic principles of our nation, is now endorsing something as oppressive as the Anti-Terrorism Law? How did we get to this point? I understand this law is scheduled for a vote on January 23, 2025, but I must ask you: what has happened to you? Really! Are you serious about this direction? Is this what you promised Sierra Leoneans when you spoke of progress and prosperity for 2025?
Oh, the words still resonate in my ears. You told the people to brace themselves because 2025 would be a tough year. And it seems you weren’t wrong, though perhaps not in the way you intended. Instead of the towers and developments you promised, here you are, doing everything possible to stifle the very lives of your people. It’s hard to comprehend how someone who once pledged to usher in hope and opportunity has now turned to implementing laws that erode our basic freedoms and push us closer to a police state.
Mr. President, you see, when people began to celebrate your decision to expunge the death penalty and amend Section 5 of the Public Order Act of 1965, I held my tongue. I wanted to see what would come next. For decades, Section 5 was used as a tool of intimidation, curtailing fundamental rights and, in some cases, leading to the loss of lives. When you removed it, many hoped for a brighter, freer future. But I couldn’t help but wonder: what would replace it? And now we have our answer: laws far more dangerous than anything they replaced. Laws that place ordinary Sierra Leoneans in a perpetual state of fear. Where once people might have been cowed by accusations of “public disorder,” now they face the specter of being labeled cyber bullies or even terrorists, merely for questioning the government.
“E Don Tae Wae Man Dem Faint Pa Yu” The truth, Mr. President, is that many of your fellow citizens stopped believing in you long ago. They smelled the coffee long before now. The reality is that if we compare the past to the present, many would say the old days were better. Back then, we didn’t live under constant fear, afraid to speak, afraid to question, afraid of what might happen if we expressed dissent. Today, Sierra Leoneans are forced to swallow bitter pill after bitter pill, each manufactured under the roof of that great building on Tower Hill. But these are not remedies; they are poisons. What comes out of that house is deceit and lies, disappointment and disgrace. It is a factory of despair, churning out policies that crush our spirits and darken our futures.
Mr. President, when you came to power, people dared to dream. They dared to believe that a leader who had fought to end injustice would not create more of it. But that dream has turned into a nightmare. Your leadership has transformed that once-hopeful house on Tower Hill into something unrecognizable, something no one could have imagined even in their worst nightmares.
And what is it all for, Mr. President? Is it so you can look good in the eyes of the West? Is it so you can secure a comfortable life abroad once your term ends? It is no secret that your lobbyists have been working tirelessly to secure you a reprieve, to ensure you can remain in the United States after your presidency. But at what cost to Sierra Leone? What happens to the people you leave behind, the people who must endure these draconian laws, the people whose freedoms you have stripped away?
Mr. President, Sierra Leone deserves better. We deserve leaders who will stand up for our rights, not dismantle them. We deserve a Parliament that crafts laws to uplift the nation, not suppress its citizens. We deserve a future built on trust, transparency, and genuine progress, not on the broken promises and crushing disappointments of a president who has lost his way.
Can we talk, Mr. President? Not just about the Anti-Terrorism Law, but about the path you’ve taken and where it leads. Can we talk about what it means to govern with integrity and to leave a legacy that truly benefits the people, rather than serving the interests of a select few? Can we talk about rebuilding trust, restoring hope, and charting a new course for our beloved Sierra Leone? The nation is watching, and history will judge.
