Alpha Amadu Jalloh: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 27 September 2024:
Once again, President Julius Maada Bio is basking in the glow of international recognition, this time as the recipient of the US Foreign Policy Association Medal. According to the association, the award celebrates his “Exemplary Leadership and Progress Initiatives in Sierra Leone.”
Yet, for those of us living in Sierra Leone, such a proclamation feels like a slap in the face. What exemplary leadership? What progress initiatives? From where we stand, these awards are not only hollow but also insult the lived realities of ordinary Sierra Leoneans.
It is time for us, as Sierra Leoneans, to critically examine these accolades that President Bio so enthusiastically collects. What leadership has he exhibited that merits international praise, especially from a country like the United States?
President Bio’s time in office has been defined not by service to his people but by a relentless pursuit of self-aggrandizement, nepotism, and kleptocracy. The sad irony is that while the people of Sierra Leone struggle to make ends meet, Bio is busy collecting awards for leadership he has never truly demonstrated.
Let us talk about the real situation in Sierra Leone. On what grounds does the US Foreign Policy Association see fit to award Bio for “Exemplary Leadership”? Is it because of the declining economy that has left countless Sierra Leoneans in abject poverty? Is it the ongoing corruption that has riddled every corner of his administration, from the issuance of passports to public procurement?
Or, perhaps it is because of his blatant disregard for the principles of democracy, where political opponents are silenced, elections are manipulated, and state resources are drained for personal gain?
To claim that Bio has demonstrated “exemplary leadership” is to mock the plight of ordinary Sierra Leoneans. The streets of Freetown and beyond are filled with citizens who have been abandoned by the very government that is supposed to protect and uplift them. Hospitals are underfunded, the educational system is in shambles, and the basic infrastructure necessary for a functioning state is crumbling.
Meanwhile, Bio travels abroad to receive yet another medal for achievements that exist only in the imagination of his sycophants and foreign enablers.
And what of his so-called “progressive initiatives”?
The latest farce, dubbed “Feed Salone,” is supposedly aimed at addressing food security. But like many of Bio’s initiatives, it appears to be a cover for yet another scheme that benefits only the president and his inner circle.
Ordinary Sierra Leoneans are not seeing any of the food or resources promised. Instead, we see a bloated government feeding itself from the national coffers, while the rest of us are left to fend for ourselves in an increasingly hostile economic environment.
This is not leadership; it is plunder. And yet, the Americans have the audacity to award him a medal, further emboldening his administration’s grip on power. Do the Americans even bother to evaluate the situation on the ground before handing out these awards? Do they understand that, under Bio’s leadership, Sierra Leone has become a kleptocracy, where power is concentrated in the hands of a few, and the welfare of the people is completely ignored?
In my previous writings, I have often pointed out the troubling double standards of the West, particularly the United States. They claim to champion the cause of democracy, human rights, and good governance, but too often their actions tell a different story.
By rewarding a leader like Bio, who has consistently failed his people, the US is showing its true colours: It is less concerned with the well-being of Sierra Leoneans and more interested in maintaining relationships with corrupt regimes that can serve its strategic interests.
Look at the African leaders who are truly making a difference, and ask yourselves: Where are their awards? Paul Kagame of Rwanda has transformed his country from a post-genocide wasteland into a thriving nation with one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa. He even had the boldness to ask the US to stop sending second-hand clothes to Rwanda, opting instead for policies that support local industries.
Or, take President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, who used local taxes to fund a modern railway system without relying on foreign donors. These are leaders who deserve recognition for their genuine, transformative leadership.
Yet, the international community overlooks these examples, preferring to celebrate leaders like Bio, who have done nothing but entrench poverty and corruption. This award is not only undeserved, but it also fuels a dangerous narrative that leaders can fail their people and still receive international validation. It sends the message that as long as a leader pays lip service to Western interests, their domestic failures will be overlooked.
Sierra Leone does not need more awards for its corrupt leaders; it needs real change. We need leaders who are committed to the welfare of the people, not their personal enrichment. We need leaders who will put an end to the cycle of poverty, corruption, and underdevelopment that has plagued our country for far too long.
To the international community, particularly the United States and the European Union: Stop provoking our poverty. Stop enabling the very systems that keep us poor and oppressed. If you truly care about democracy, human rights, and development in Sierra Leone, then stop giving legitimacy to leaders like Bio, who have done nothing to earn it. Your double standards are not only frustrating they are inhumane. It is time to stand with the people of Sierra Leone, not with the kleptocrats who have failed us.
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