Dr Doma: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 3 November 2024:
In Sierra Leone, we’re sadly used to seeing some strange things in our institutions, but the recent concluded National Cyber Awareness Schools Debate 2024 took things to a new level.
This event, which should have celebrated young talent, turned into a confusing mess.
In a shocking result, a team won with just 26.6% of the votes, while 73.4% didn’t support them. So much for “the majority rules”
In most debates, the team with the best arguments and strongest points should win.
But here, we watched a messed-up outcome that left us all wondering if votes and fairness even matter anymore in Sierra Leone.
This isn’t just a one-time problem; it exposes bigger issues in our country.
Take the example of our Auditor General (Photo above) and her deputy — both were removed from their jobs for simply doing their work honestly. It seems we’re replacing fairness with convenience, and we push out people who do things right. Now, this same thinking has trickled down to a school debate.
The debate organizers might say they did their best or that the results are fine. But it’s hard to believe that, when 73.4% of people didn’t support the winning team.
Are they really going to tell students this was fair? That the majority voice doesn’t count?
It’s sending a strange message to students — that the loudest voice can ignore the rules, even if it doesn’t make sense.
Look at Albert Academy, a team that clearly earned recognition but was ignored. Why? Were they too good or simply inconvenient?
This debate has turned into a mess, where winning isn’t about who performed best, but about who gets the final say.
Now, our students are left wondering if they can really trust the systems that are supposed to be fair.
They’re learning that “fairness” might just be a word, and that winning doesn’t always mean being the best.
This isn’t just about one debate; it’s a warning about how things work — or don’t work — in Sierra Leone.
Our young people are paying close attention, and they’re seeing all of this happening. They’re learning that institutions don’t always play by the rules.
If we want a better future, we need to expect more from the people and systems that shape it.
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