By Felix Khonte
ISRAELS BLINDNESS AND DEAFNESS: “Listen, You Deaf! Look You Blind, So That You May See. Who Is Blind But My Servant, Or Deaf Like My Messenger I Am Sending? Who Is Blind Like My Dedicated One, Or Blind Like The Servant Of The Lord? Though Seeing Many Things, You Pay No Attention. Though His Ears Are Open, He Does Not Listen”. (Isaiah chapter 42 verses 18-20).
“Every morning when I wake up and watch at the way our country is retrogressing, I cannot help control my emotions. Tears run down from my eyes, right through my chest; and settle at the horizontal lines running across my empty stomach!” These were the words one elderly man told me when I had the privilege to have a conversation with him some time ago. Siting with his empty stomach in his verandah that early morning, with the tears lying there bare, he told me in simple language ‘Krio’, but with anguish: “My brother, my belly had not got the privilege of lodging anything inside it since day break yesterday”! And, come to think of it, there are thousands of people who are going through the same suffering, or even worse than what I am experiencing presently.
ISRAELS BLINDNESS AND DEAFNESS: “Because Of His Righteousness, The Lord Was Pleased To Magnify His Instructions And Make It Glorious. But This Is A People Plundered And Looted, All Of Them Trapped In Holes Or Imprisoned In Dungeons. They Have Become Plunder With No One To Rescue Them And Loot, With No One Saying, “Give It Back!” (Isaiah chapter 42 verses 21-22)
This draws my attention to the parameters used by our index surveyors to place Sierra Leone as the fifth most peaceful country in Africa. A country besieged with hunger, poverty, and lack of basic human necessities that will help to contribute to conducive living conditions for human existence in any nation. Except, if taken on the wrong index can that perception hold supreme, otherwise, you are just fooling the greater majority of the citizens who are suffering from the harsh realities of our present day society! Would you call that nation to be a peaceful one when it was classed as the third hungriest country in world ranking? A nation that was once the Anthems of West Africa, is today in tears because it has been ranked as the second unhappiest country in the globe!
ISRAELS BLINDNESS AND DEAFNESS: “Who Among You Will Hear This? Let Him Listen And Obey In The Future. Who Gave Jacob To The Robber, And Israel To The Plunderers? Was It Not The Lord? Have We Not Sinned Against Him? They Were Not Willing To Walk In His Ways, And They Would Not Listen To His Instructions”. (Isaiah chapter 42 verses 23-24).
To the perception surveyors that placed Sierra Leone as the fifth most peaceful country in Africa, your misinformation was not only offensive and erroneous to the ordinary Sierra Leonean, but it was equally dangerous to say the least. A country where the vast majority of the people live in fear because of the draconian cyber laws, where the country is gradually metamorphosing to a police state, where check-points are mounted after 9 pm at strategic areas across the city. This report must have been influenced and wrongly authored by a group of paid agents that gave the wrong data to be communicated to the people out there, leaving the hungry populace in total darkness.
GOD’S DELIVERANCE OF REBELIOUS ISRAEL: “This Is What The Lord, Your Redeemer, The Holy One Of Israel Says: Because Of You, I Will Send An Army To Babylon And Bring All Of Them As Fugitives, Even The Chaldeans In The Ships In Which They Rejoice. I Am The Lord, Your Holy One, The Creator Of Israel, Your King”(Isaiah 43 verses 14-15).
To those who watch the eclipse of the night, and dread the fears of the day’s circumstances with empty stomachs, the events of June 24th 2023 in our nation’s history have not been friendly to them. These sad events have added more injuries to their suffering souls than any other time in their God given life’s existence. A Country where elections were conducted, with no results to authenticate the proclaimed or declared winner, but the people are caged in silence! Perhaps, it must have been a miscalculation, or distortion of facts to rank Sierra Leone as a peaceful nation, where people live in fear, intimidation and corruption are the orders of the day. Shall we continue to be lured to where the truth is not only twisted and dressed like the rainbow to suit the powers that be? This government has mastered the art of polishing false propagandas, and dresses them in neatly borrowed robes; send them to the international community for their attention about events in our nation.
GODS DELIVERANCE OF REBELIOUS ISRAEL: “This Is What The Lord Says—Who Makes A Way In The Sea, And A Path Through Raging Water, Who Brings Out The Chariot And The Horse, The Army And The Mighty One Together,(They Lie Down, They Do Not Rise Again; They Are Extinguished, Put Out Like A Wick”. (Isaiah chapter 43 verses 16-17).
The dynamics of a peaceful co-existence have since lost its grip in our fragile democracy since the advent of this government in 2018. Does real peace actually just mean the absence of gun fire? Real peace in a democratic society stands for justice, equality before the courts of laws, freedom of speech, and a properly functioning democracy that is free from orders from above and equal opportunities for all, regardless of your tribal affiliations or political associations that you belong. A nation where arrests are sometimes carried out and the suspects summarily hacked to death by state security apparatus, without recourse to the courts of law and you call it a peaceful nation!
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL: “Now This Is What The Lord Says—The One Who Created You, Jacob, And The One Who Formed You, Israel—Do Not Fear, For I Have Redeemed You; I Have Called You By Your Name; You Are Mine. When You Pass Through The Waters, I Will Be With You, And The Rivers Will Not Overwhelm You, When You Walk Through The Fire, You Will Not Be Scorched, And The Flames Will Not Burn You”(Isaiah chapter 43 verses 1-2).
The words of the presidential spokesman claiming that over 70% of Sierra Leoneans are now gainfully employed have added more fury to the struggling masses of this nation. Where are the employment facilities or factories across the country to accommodate that number of employees? Except for the sad state of affairs for our self-under employed youths who are roaming about the streets of the capital city, and other provincial cities proclaiming, “Clean Salone” with their rags, brooms, and dirty clothing they move about with, whole day long. Then you have the others moving around with their carts from one street to the other collecting garbage where ever they might be lucky with the same “Clean Salone” language. Again, you have the other category of youths who move about along the central business district during the close of businesses hours for the day, “Who dat dae go, who dat dae go”? I sometimes ponder as to how much income they might raise to make a decent living as a citizen. A stark distance from the truth, from the realities on the ground, to the presidential spokesman!
JUDAH’S SINS DENOUNCED: “Woe To Those Who Add House To House And Join Field To Field Until There Is No More Room And You Alone Are Left In The Land. I Heard The Lord Of The Armies Say This: Indeed, Many Houses Will Become Desolate, Grand And Lovely Ones Without Inhabitants. For A Ten-Acre Vine Yard Will Yield Only Six Gallons Of Wine, And Ten Bushels Of Seed Will Yield Only One Bushel Of Grain”(Isaiah chapter 5 verses 8-10).
As the saying goes, people who meddle around with words too much in their speeches can make words become like whores, clairvoyance all the time to satisfy their paymaster by not saying the truth, at the same time destroying their reputation. Our nation is currently going through the challenges of narcotic age that has devastated and destroyed a good number of our youthful population. Too many of our young generation have lost their lives due to the intake of this harmful narcotic drug called “Kush” these past few years. There are those moving around the city with swollen legs and limbs, with ghastly scary sores attached to their legs. So many of them are in their hide outs at the slums of Kroo Bay and other places unattended to, only waiting for their time to give up the ghost! SADLY INDEED, THIS CURRENT GOVERNMENT HAS NEVER BOTHERED TO ATTEND TO THEM, EXCEPT TO BURY THEIR CORPSES IN MASS GRAVES, AS WE LIVE IN A NATION THAT IS DEEPLY IN TEARS!!! Dear Lord, Redeem Our Nation Like You Redeemed Israel In Jesus Mighty Name, AMEN.
THE SERVANTS MISSION: “This Is My Servant; I Strengthen Him, This Is My Chosen One; I Delight In Him; I Have Put My Spirit on Him; He Will Bring Justice To The Nations. He Will Not Cry Out Or Shout Or Make His Voice Heard In The Streets. He Will Not Break A Bruised Reed, And He Will Not Put Out A Smoldering Wick; He Will Faithfully Bring Justice. He Will Not Grow Weak Or Be Discouraged Until He Has Established Justice On Earth. The Coasts And Islands Will Wait For His Instruction”(Isaiah Ch. 42 vs.1-4)