Protest actions in Sierra Leone are not good for Sierra Leoneans.

It mostly affects most Sierra Leoneans who sell a day to get a living. Since Sierra Leone is very poor as compared to other countries in the sub-region, selling is predominately the source of income for many people.

Majority of the city dwellers depend on every day buying and selling for sustenance. The hand-to-mouths earners are in the majority in Sierra Leone. Government workers are not as many as the have-nots who depend on selling smaller type of businesses. Workers and big business people might not be happy whenever offices and shops are closed due to protests in the country.

But the groups of petty sellers who own smaller businesses are particularly being affected by the country’s demonstrations.

“If I don’t sell a day, we don’t eat at home, so I don’t listen to any protest call by outsiders abroad who claim to help situation in Sierra Leone,” remarks a woman trader at Shell New Road, Freetown.

The current situation being referred to by the woman about Sierra Leone is such that it is difficult for majority of the poor. There is rising inflation on basic commodities and prices on materials which are making the living for Sierra Leoneans absolutely unbearable.

But it now goes beyond that as politics have recently taken a centre stage over people’s concerns. The general elections are just one week to happen. Sierra Leoneans will go to the polls June 24 this year.

The prices on foodstuffs are going up in the country. For example, the cost on a bag of Sierra Leone’s staple food, rice, has risen up to almost Le 700,000.

While all these happen, politicians in the ruling government are worried to secure a second five- year mandate in office. SLPP’s government has shifted its attention to ongoing campaigns and rallies across the country to persuade voters.

And the opposition coalition government, composing seven political parties, headed by APC is also travelling to one district to another to convince the electorates to vote them in.

The opposition is crying foul ahead of the polls. And it has drawn the attention of international elections observers over what they referred to electoral commission’s refusal to divulge and share voter’s registration data.

But the opposition moves calling for a public sit-down strike largely fuelled by anti-government social media commentators abroad have resulted to huge suffering on poor Sierra Leoneans.

“Do you think I would get a transport to upcountry,” asked a man on June 12 protest.

Monday’s June 12 sit-down ‘demo’ was believed to be a country wide as streets were empty and vehicles were not many on the streets and at parking grounds.

However, though the protests succeed, the have-nots Sierra Leoneans could have suffered more than the politicians and big business people.

Plenty don’t have cookery to buy as sellers don’t sell. Whenever such situation arises, the few who venture to sell on protests days or holidays would increase the price on a plate on cooked rice. Another group of hand-to-mouths sellers don’t often get money to buy food or meet other needs for home use.

On Monday June 12, many shops were closed at the main business center, PZ and Abacha Street.

Most traders don’t come to town to sell owing to growing fears and panic.

Those who refuse to sell or do their normal thing to get a living thing daily will face hunger and starvation.

Because these traders and other  hand-to-mouth earners in urban cities all over the country in places like  ( Bo city, Kenema, Kono, Makeni, Feetown, Magburaka, Kambia, Kabala) would need to sell a day to get a living.

But since they don’t sell they may not get profits from sales to enable them cook at home or buy things and keep.

And if the protests continue as planned or rumoured, a lot of Sierra Leonean poor traders will continue to suffer daily as they don’t get their usual little profits to buy food or meet other domestic needs.

It also means they may be home hungry during voting day and after polling day because they may have lost out a couple of days-selling before elections will have arrived.

And since everyone in Sierra Leone fears potential violence at elections periods especially on polling day and a week that follow when elections results are expected to announce, it is good that one sells now to save little that one gets before voting commences.

If you don’t sell a day, who do you think will suffer more, politician or you?