It has not been easy these past six years for aggrieved youth who said they handled clandestine works for the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) government on the hope and expectation that they will be rewarded for their hard work. The youth who spoke to Nightwatch said they are tired of living a false life: pretending on the surface that all is well while beneath the surface, things are quite difficult.
Ruling party supporters who claim to belong to a special group of SLPP youth said they are living a lie as their living conditions worsen while pretending that all is well to save face. They informed Nightwatch that certain promises were made to them before, during and after the past two elections cycles that are yet to bear fruit, and the waiting is taking a negative toll on theirs and the wellbeing of their dependents.
“We belong to a group of youth that are taken all across the country during elections time to ensure that we win. Many of us are taken to places far from where we are originally from to make sure that our candidates get the necessary votes. However, the promises of jobs that were made to us have not materialised. We have all been waiting for job placements since 2018. The president is on his last and final term but we are still unemployed. We are getting older and need the financial and social security that come with a steady job. We are tired of being given pittance at government ministries, departments and agencies when all we want to do is work. I am getting older and have more responsibilities with a woman, my kids and my older parents who all depend on me. I need a job or something that promises a future with the security that comes from working. I cannot continue to live on hand outs and whatever we are given before, during, and immediately after elections,” one of the young men stated.
The youth who chose to speak on conditions of anonymity said he and his colleagues have suffered dearly during electoral cycles, going as far as displaying the scars and injuries he has acquired over the years doing what he called “the party’s dirty work.”
“It is not a secret that things are very difficult all across the country. Whether you are an SLPP supporter or not things are hard for everyone. We have waited since 2018 for the promise from the party to get us jobs. We have all been over the country during elections time doing clandestine work to ensure that our candidates win. Many of us have been injured, hospitalised, and jailed trying to accomplish our objectives. But after we have ensured our candidates’ victories we have been set aside. We all feel left out now that the president is on his second term. If we are still waiting for work, how long is the party going to take for us to get job placements?” another youth asked rhetorically.
The young SLPP supporters disclosed that some of their colleagues have lost faith in the promises made to them and have grabbed the bull by the horn by their involvement in criminal activities. This paper was reliably informed that many of their fellow clandestine party workers are involved in the illegal drugs trade, which money many of them have built homes, bought land and cars and provide for their families.
“Many of our friends are involved in the Kush business. Tired of waiting on the party government to fulfil their promises made to us before the start of elections, a lot of our friends sell drugs. You can say they have all been given carte blanche to operate their illegal businesses. But we don’t want to get involved in drug dealing as drug abuse is killing or destroying our youth. Our friends who are selling drugs also don’t like selling drugs to our fellow citizens but many of them feel like their hands are forced into the drugs trade. They are all used to getting arrested and taken to jail because they know that based on one phone call they get released on orders from above. I didn’t support, voted and fought to make sure our candidates and party wins to end up becoming a criminal. But this is not how many of our unemployed fellow party workers feel,” one of the SLPP youths disclosed.
For all intents and purposes, whether we accept this reality or not, president Bio seems to be well on his way to complete his second term. This reality is hard to swallow by the many young people who say they have been waiting for job placements since 2018 to no avail. They feel aggrieved by the party that promised to repay them with job placements in one of the government’s ministries departments and agencies.
“I feel let down by president Bio’s government. I have sacrificed a lot. While many others are getting government work, we who are the muscles and hearts that ensure that the party and government accomplish winning the people’s mandate have been forgotten. All over the country people are suffering. The prices of goods and services are too high for many of us to be able to cope. I cannot depend on the few hundred thousand Leones our representatives, councillors, mayors and ministers give every now and then. The Chinese say it is better to teach a man to fish than to give him fish. I believe that the moral of this saying is that giving the man fish is not a guaranty as the giver may not have fish to give all the time.
But if you teach the man how to fish then he or she can set out to sea to catch fish. Such a man will also be able to share with others. But how can I do for me and my family without a job? President Bio and the SLPP executives should come to our rescue. We should not be an afterthought to the SLPP. We should be a priority as we are the ones that do the party’s dirty work using our muscles and heart to get victories won. I am tired of living a false life, tired of keeping up appearances that all is well when it is not. The party must keep its promises to us especially that president Bio will soon be exiting from the stage. I feel like if he leaves power without fulfilling his promises to us, we will go through the same experiences since 2018 under another party leader,” noted the young SLPP member.