Alpha Amadu Jalloh: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 12 March 2025:
As always, it is another sad day in the history of Sierra Leone. After sixty years of the Public Order Act, which was imposed under the leadership of Sir Albert Margai in 1965, we find ourselves crying over spilled milk yet again.
Yesterday 11th March 2025, we witnessed another brutal assault on our civil liberties with the passage of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2024.
But one must ask: does Sierra Leone truly need such a law? Do we fit within the prerequisites of a nation that is under genuine terrorist threat? Or is this yet another tool crafted by those in power to suppress the voices of dissent?
Sierra Leone is not a country known for harboring terrorists. Instead, it is a nation plagued by corruption, economic mismanagement, and widespread poverty.
The real enemies of our people are not those who speak out, but those who plunder state resources with impunity.
Yet, instead of enacting stringent laws to go after corrupt politicians and hold them accountable for their crimes, our government is more interested in creating laws that criminalize the ordinary citizen.
It is now enough to merely ask a question to be labeled a terrorist. This, unfortunately, is the tragic state of our democracy.
For decades, Sierra Leoneans have suffered under a ruling class that prioritizes self-preservation over national progress. The cost of living is unbearable, jobs are scarce, and basic necessities such as healthcare and education remain luxuries for the majority.
Yet, rather than addressing these dire issues, the government and parliament only seem interested in formulating new ways to oppress the people. It is a vicious cycle of power consolidation, where every law passed serves to tighten the grip of the elite while the masses are left suffocating.
If there is any imminent danger in Sierra Leone, it is the systemic corruption and mismanagement of resources.
Billions of dollars in donor funds and revenue from our natural wealth disappear into private accounts, leaving the country in perpetual economic crisis.
Our hospitals are death traps, our roads are crumbling, and our schools lack the basic infrastructure to provide quality education. These are the pressing issues that require legislative action, yet those in power turn a blind eye. Instead, they craft draconian laws aimed at silencing anyone who dares to speak truth to power.
The introduction of the Counter-Terrorism Act is not about national security; it is about political security for those in power. It is a desperate attempt to muzzle opposition voices, independent journalists, and activists who expose government failures. It is another tool for repression, another whip to keep Sierra Leoneans in line.
But history has shown us that such tactics never last. The more a government suppresses its people, the closer it gets to its downfall.
Sierra Leoneans are fed up. They are tired of empty promises, tired of a system that continues to exploit them. The patience of the people is wearing thin, and the warning signs are all around us.
When people are pushed to the edge, they will eventually push back. The passage of this law may very well be the final straw.
We must ask ourselves: what happens when people have nothing left to lose? What happens when a government prioritizes its own security over the welfare of its citizens? The answer is simple – revolt.
Sierra Leoneans have endured so much, but history has shown that every oppressed people eventually rises. And when that day comes, no foreign government will come to our rescue, no international organization will intervene. It will be our responsibility, and it will be a rise born out of necessity.
This is a moment of reckoning for Sierra Leone. We cannot continue down this path of oppression. We must demand accountability from those in power.
Civil society, the media, religious leaders, and all citizens must come together to reject this law and any other law that seeks to strip away our fundamental rights. We must speak up while we still have the voice to do so.
The fight for democracy is never easy, but it is necessary. Sierra Leone deserves better. Our people deserve leaders who work for them, not against them. We deserve laws that protect us, not ones that criminalize our very existence.
If we do not stand up now, we may wake up one day in a country where fear is the only thing left.
It is time for Sierra Leoneans to rise and say enough is enough. Our silence has cost us too much already. We must reclaim our rights, our dignity, and our nation before it is too late.
Be the first to comment