TRACE: When a Government Loses Control

By Ibrahim Joenal Sesay

Hi folks, how are things doing? Well, TRACE knows this isn’t the type of question citizens want respond to anyhow! But it makes sense to at least give an answer to it. This is so because TRACE is one of few citizens wanting to see Sierra Leone; a country once flowing with milk and honey, move up and on unrestrained.

Hmmmm... and as TRACE was driving passed Congo Cross few days ago, there was this Traffic Light he used to call “blink, blink”  surprisingly in operation. Even though a surprise, he was quick to give kudos to government and no doubt said to friend aside him: “that’s how it should be en!”

But you know what? TRACE unlike country’s politicians, who certainly may not want him say his opinion to oddities observed, was concerned with the timing of the now working ‘street light’- he means time adjustment of the GREEN (or Go signal), YELLOW (or ready to Go or Stop alert signal) and of course the RED (or Stop signal) respectively.

TRACE is of the belief that part payments must have been made but very little sensitization made to communities concerned vis-à-vis colour signals produced by the installed traffic light. Need not talk ot national sensitization though.

TRACE hopes more Traffic Lights will be installed on city’s street and not just Congo Cross or the yet to function one at Youyi Building.

To my topic proper:

Things no longer look the same Sierra Leone at all. Of course, expectations of most Sierra Leoneans seem dashed away. When obviously the ruling All People’s Congress (APC) came to power in 2007, they were hailed as country’s ‘Moses’ but ah ya, all hell went loose when things begin turning out otherwise.

When recently TRACE was driving along streets of Freetown, the song of one of world’s famous Reggae musicians, Joseph Hills (or Culture) came to mind, and it is:

“Time Is Getting Harder”

“We can once seek Rasta with peace

Corner, corner these are these

Harder, harder these are these

Ooh! That door ooh! Jah talk

Each and every day time is getting harder

Some of them holla, some a bawl

Each and every day time is getting harder

Some of them holla, some a bawl

They can’t get no food to eat

Can’t get no clothes to wear

Nowhere to lay their weary head

They go to bed with once and they wake up with give me some of them holla, some a bawl

Working man want this, working man want that

Lazy man him want it just the same

We got to make effort, to get a one necessities, Lord

Some of them holla, some a bawl

You forward to the market

To make a small purchase

Every item rise up sky high

The longer you live the more you got to pay, Lord

Some of them holla, some a bawl

People are dying, little babies are crying

There care is no sympathy

So think about the greedy

They leave nothing for the needy

Some of them holla, some a bawl

What about taxation, caught up in creation

Some of them holla, some a bawl

You call for it then, you’ll surely get it

Be careful what you are praying for

Dirty clothes they wear

Dirty clothes is the system

No money in some pocket

Some depend on girlfriends

Some depend on boyfriends”

This to TRACE has made him come to the realization as why the song keeps swinging through his ears. And has seen him spend time meditate on it, then apply it within context of Sierra Leone.

The shocker anyhow is government’s announcement of a new price of petroleum products hours when the 2017 budget was tabled before Parliament for discussion and of course approval.

From a democratic point of view, a budget is adopted by Parliament after a thorough debate even before it is made law. But in Sierra Leone the case is completely different.

This no doubt has Millions of Sierra Leoneans engage the social media as they together determine to come out Monday 14^th to peacefully stage a nationwide protest on what they had described “as astronomical increment of fuel” by the powers that be.

Their planned demonstration came as a result of, of course, the sudden and uncalled for increase of the prices of petroleum products from Le 3,750 to Le 6,000, which many consider as ‘;inflicting suffering on the lives people ‘.

The situation has left drivers with no option but to increase the price of transportation too.

Yes, government has announced a price tag of Le 1,300 as transport fare from Lumley to the city center and from the city center to Jui Bus Station, whereas Wellington to East End Police is Le 2,600.

TRACE has moved around the city shortly after the announcement of price for transportation was made public.

My people and What TRACE saw was that drivers have taken to themselves imposing their own price instead of the government agreed one.

There are some drivers who are demanding Le 1,500 and others Le 2,000 from passengers plying within Freetown.

TRACE was thinking of those commuters from Waterloo, Hastings and Jui, how much they would be paying too?

This is a clear indication that people no longer listen to government because they see them as failures.

One begins to wonder why all these measures had not been put all these years but only now when they have barely two years in power.

Now the burden is on the heads of citizens. The government has waited until things get out of hands then they cast the lot on the poor people.

Most promises by government have not been kept. They have been seen as not serving the people they seek to serve but themselves.

It is like they are insensitive to the cries of the people. Everyday things are getting worse. The people are even finding it difficult to eke out a living.

Now the people have taken upon themselves to come with their own price because their government can no longer serve them effectively.

They have been oppressed on fuel and even their right to express themselves have been taken away.

This is how a failed government can react to its citizens because they are trying to dig one hole and cover the other.  

TRACE’s heart and mind are with his people, if all others have failed; count on TRACE and team, to stand by you. With oneness Sierra Leone will change for the better…