Reflections on the June 24 polls
We are happy to be back with our Saturday Editorials. During the elections, we decided to suspend the publication of the editorials because we wanted to avoid a situation where such hard-hitting analysis and opinions could be politicised. Now that the dust has settled (has it really?), we can start off with a reflection on […]
The manifestos that don’t manifest: Interrogating commitment to gender and climate change
Few weeks to the June elections, the two leading political parties for the June 24 elections, the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the All People’s Congress (APC) have finally published their long-awaited manifestos. While this is welcoming news, the documents ) fall short of the detail and rigour expected of a national political party […]
Politicians must talk and do the peace
It is easy to sign a pledge. It is easy to talk about peace. The difficult part is to do peace and as hard as it is, the political leaders are capable of delivering it if they want to. It is just sad that they need reminding every time there are elections and the conversation is always about preventing violence. We need to grow up.
Bio’s land giveaways: a landed populism
President Julius Maada Bio’s government has taken an interesting approach to land distribution in the Western Area. The government has been raffling state-owned land, with the latest round targeting commercial motorbike and rickshaw operators (Okada and Keke riders). A thousand of them will receive land from the State. Civil servants and journalists benefited from the […]
Why manifestos matter
The ordinary Sierra Leonean does not need to be reminded that their economy is in shambles, the currency is in a freefall and that their healthcare, water and electricity services are undependable. They live it, and they know it. What they do not know is how their aspirants and leaders plan to fix the problems. That is why manifestos matter.