Things were much better for the people of Sierra Leone under the previous government of Sierra Leone headed by former President Ernest Bai Koroma. This is the assertion of grassroots supporters of the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) who complained to this medium about their economic conditions six years after their party took over the reins of leadership.
“Walahi, yesterday betteh pass tiday,” Kinnie Jarjua Kallon from Kailahun lamented to Nightwatch, describing the path of governance by the SLPP in terms of difference in these words: “Dae difference between dae APC 2007 to 2018 rule en waetin we don see en we dae continue for see with SLPP from 2018 to now tan lek dem don pull we na Aljannah en take we na Jahanama,” Kallon lamented, as he elaborated on especially the wrecked state of the economy and the impunity and reckless abandon corruption and malfeasances are rampant in the country’s administrative circle these years.
Despite the outcome of last year’s presidential elections, the SLPP grassroots members say they wish things had turned out different as they continue to live under trying, desperate and tormenting times, far worse than what they experienced during the tenure of the APC. They maintain that under President Bio, things are get worse in rapid succession from his first term to now, and for them, “We nor dae see any hope say things go betteh for dis contri.” The ruling partisans say their leaders and others in the party are uncaring, adding that unlike the past APC regime the SLPP government is indeed not grassroots oriented.
The youths who described themselves as staunch SLPP members say despite their love for and belief in the ruling party the APC is a grassroots party that delivers whenever they are in power, apart from being inclusive regardless of one’s political and other leanings.
After a first term full of unaccomplished promises, the youthful Sierra Leoneans say a year into his disputed second term regime the president has not accomplished anything that positively impacts on their living condition, adding that they expect for things to get better and improve when the APC returns to State House.
“We can collectively agree that we miss how things were for us under Ernest Bai Koroma’s government. And things will get better for this country under the APC. Most of the grassroots supporters of the SLPP have been barely surviving these past six years. While president Bio’s government projects are designed for the poor, those that continue to benefit from them are those closest to the regime. I never imagined that things will get this bad with my party in power. I am embarrassed and ashamed of speaking up in defence of how president Bio has performed since 2018. The country did not experience such running difficulties under President Koroma. We really wish for the APC to return to State House. Although we support the SLPP, we all remember our condition when EBK was president. It is only now we have learned that any government or president that performs well is my government and president. Politics is for those who benefit from political parties; we are informed by our reality on the ground based on my leader or government’s delivering on their campaign promises,” said one SLPP grassroots woman in Calaba Town. She said that they danced and sang disparaging songs against the APC with the hope that the incoming SLPP Government led by Julius Maada Bio and his wife, Fatima Jabbie-Bio will make significant differences from what obtained under the Ernest Bai Koroma-led APC. “But for say true tok me eh, ee for been betteh if we been leff dae APC for continue,” Agnes Gbindi regrettably stated, pointing out that when the Maada Bio regime took over the reins of power, he and his cohorts made a complete U-turn from those economic and financial policies the Ernest Koroma-led APC were implementing and which were at least keeping the country afloat to now introduce policies that have nose-dived the country’s economy and has inflicted poverty and misery on the people.
“Waetin make we dae regret sef now,” Agnes maintained, “na dae fact say dis dem policies way dem kam with so bad dat, ee nor dae pick wether u vote for SLPP or not. Dae suffering na we all dae pan rub am now,” she concluded.
Apart from the general public, the grassroots ruling partisans say many of the current ministers and heads of departments and agencies also benefitted from President Koroma’s stewardship of the economy and country.
Added another SLPP grassroots member, “Even some of our government ministers and heads of departments and agencies complain and confide in us that things were better under the past APC regime than what has been going on in our party government. Many of them wouldn’t come out and say it because they are part of the regime and hold critical positions but they privately confide in us that the APC government is much better at handling the economy than our government regime has proven over the years.”
The SLPP grassroots members and supporters accused their party leaders from the president to the ministers, heads of departments and agencies, Members of Parliament and party executives of being uncaring, greedy and arrogant, furthering that they don’t know how to manage the economy.
“It is no secret that our SLPP government of Sierra Leone and president Bio have failed us. No one less than the president himself admitted last term that he cannot fix the economy. That statement was buffered by the former finance minister Jacob Jusu Saffa that they will not be able to handle the economy. Very recently the current chief minister David Sengeh admitted that the economy is so banged up that even if Jesus Christ were to return things will not get better for Sierra Leone. What else do we need to hear or know that economically things will only continue to get worse under president Bio? So why are they still in power? Why not hand over our government to people that can make a success of the economy? The APC government seem to have the wherewithal to make a success of our economy where the whole country benefits regardless of your tribe, party or region,” noted one of the SLPP grassroots members that spoke to Nightwatch.
Reminiscing over his condition before 2018 one of the SLPP youths said under EBK’s regime they received a bag of rice and some cash that was delivered to them every month by a generous APC operative they called a patriotic Sierra Leonean “because he would make these monthly stipends available to us knowing full well that we belonged to the opposition,” he added.
Meanwhile, some members of the APC executive have welcomed the openness and honesty of the SLPP grassroots members they described as the facts on the ground, furthering that since president Bio took over in 2018 things continue to go from bad to worse with no end or solution in sight.
“That was the reason many SLPP supporters voted for Bio to leave State House last year and is the reason why they will do so again in 2028. Imagine that things were so bad last term that they voted to replace president Bio; now imagine how things are presently for the SLPP and other grassroots people across the country. If people all over the country were to speak the honest truth about their level of hardship it would result to a vote of no confidence against president Bio who claims to have won the people’s mandate last year. No matter what party one belongs, we all go through the same experience from the president’s economic, social and political decisions and leadership of the state. Sierra Leonean voters care about delivery and president Bio has failed to deliver. The reality is on the ground; the writing is on the wall,” concluded the APC executive.