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Even if it is not now a worldwide political fashion for sitting Heads of State to be given a second term by their electorates, President Ernest Bai Koroma deserves a second term for many reasons. This is because he is a man of actions not words; a man who is doing what his people desire for themselves and country.
Except for those who are either blind or are chronically partisan, but even his bitterest critics will agree with me that President Ernest Bai Koroma’s Agenda for Change is the right formula that will change this land that we all love for the better. For the very first time in more than fifteen years in this country’s history, Sierra Leone as a country has been able to generate funds locally to take care of capital intensive projects. Under President Koroma, taxes are not collected and put into the pockets of individuals but are put to the use of the common good. Some of the road projects funded from domestic sources include the Lumley-Tokeh Road, the widening of Wilkinson Road, Kenema-Pendembu Road, the reconstruction of streets in Freetown and district headquarter towns. The developments that are now taking place under the leadership of President Ernest Bai Koroma are so many that it might be now very difficult for someone to count them all. As the President once noted in one of his speeches while commissioning the Bo-Masiaka highway, Sierra Leone is now a construction site. From Bo to Kenema to Kailahun; from Freetown to Makeni, and from Port Loko To Kambia, one could see a lot of developments taking place. These are developments that were not seen before now. These are developments which most Sierra Leoneans had thought could never happen but have been made to happen under President Koroma. One of the reasons why President Ernest Bai Koroma should be given a second chance to complete all the projects he has started is because he is a man of his words. When he came to power he said he would light up the entire Freetown in the first hundred days of his administration. He did that. He said he would have zero tolerance on corruption. He did that by strengthening the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) with more prosecutorial powers to go after the corrupt in our society. Most of the things he said he would do in his first three years in power he has either started doing them or is about to complete them. Everywhere one goes now in Sierra Leone , the country indeed looks like a construction site. Things are happening at a rapid pace because the President is not someone “who sleeps in his wing”. Agriculture, education, and health are no longer what they were about fourteen years ago as projects towards the attainment of the President’s Agenda for Change are seen moving with the aim of improving the lives of ordinary Sierra Leoneans. Even outside Sierra Leone , President Koroma’s colleagues and the international and donor communities have faith and confidence in his economic policies, and they would want to continue doing business with this country if the current President is around for the second time. So why should some Sierra Leoneans think of changing a winning team? Recently, Tony Blair told the British Sun newspaper that President Koroma is an “exceptional leader” who is leading Sierra Leone to a brighter future. He did not stop at that he also said, “Until five years ago, Sierra Leone’s capital was almost literally in darkness, but the [present] government can proudly say that they made the lights go on for the people of Freetown and connected them up to the national grid…today, with the country’s President Koroma now in charge, Sierra Leone is looking toward a brighter and more prosperous future…” This just shows the mood of some influential world leaders towards working with Sierra Leone if President Koroma is the one in charge. Now fellow Sierra Leoneans if we want this country to be a better place for ourselves and children, then President Koroma needs to be joined by every Sierra Leonean to make a turnaround of this country. He has the capability, determination, integrity, and stamina to make positive things happen within short periods of time. So just think how Sierra Leone will look like after ten years of a Koroma Presidency. From what I have stated above, current President Ernest Bai Koroma needs to be given a second term so that he will continue reconstructing the roads, improve on the Bumbuna hydro project; improve on his Tractorization policy so that agriculture will improve in this country; improve on his free health care service delivery for pregnant women, lactating mothers and Under Five children, and other items on his Agenda for Change. |