Africa 24 Politics
The opposition in Sierra Leone is still inactive and passive.
Since 2018 when Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) took over from the All People’s Congress Party, the many opposition groups are unable to put up a strong force against the sitting government, thereby playing a very critical role on shaping matters concerning the nation and the people of Sierra Leone.
The President Julius Maada Bio and his senior comrades are feared more by the opposition government, according to many critics.
While APC was struggling to pull over its head in court matters, other opposition parties were silent on issues affecting the greater majority of the public. The opposition cannot to talk about the hyper-inflation which ever since put prices higher on foodstuffs, on goods and on commodities.
Hardly would a poor man or citizen got to hear an opposition politician on radio highlighting the every daily struggles Sierra Leoneans are going under the weight of the inflation and commodity increase in the country.
As soon as the new government took over in 2018, the months that followed came with intense hardship as prices on goods started soaring.
A bag of rice which is currently is sold about 1 million Leones (old currency) as of October 2024 jumped in 2019-2020 to about Le 300,000 quickly rising above Le200, 000, the price the APC government had left it.
The new government brought the new currency in circulation in the market with the aim to slowing down the inflation but the strategy backfires as prices remain to have gone up even higher.
As the poor citizens are caught in the web of hardship and suffering, the opposition is nowhere on Planet Earth to advocate for the suffering masses.
What many people, almost every day, are hearing on radio and on television stations and are reading from newspapers are the unprofessional conducts of politicians who go about their “normal business” of speaking mildly in tone or appearing to speak in simple tone against the passing of some Bills in Parliament.
It is something many Sierra Leoneans have come to understand as politicians mere tactics shown in public to deceive the public.
They prevent to play a critical role in the well or in most public fora on debates.
“I have stopped listening to SLBC (Sierra Leone Broadcasting Cooperation) because the government and the opposition MPs are only there in the Well for themselves. They are not there for the poor masses who they should be advocating on their behalf, ” this response forms the general remarks that you would get to hear from a most critical Sierra Leonean in Freetown and in other capitals in Sierra Leone.
Personal interests by politicians especially by the opposition have taken over party interests.
Instead of fighting for a comeback in governance, the opposition is advancing the interests of the ruling government.
Since 2018, the sitting government has been getting every Bill or everything on the earth done in their favour.
In most times they force to pass out very controversial bills in order to seek global recognition, such as passing of The Repeal of the Death Penalty in 2021.
Sometimes, many informants we have spoken to have said, the sitting might be bribing their way easily to get things done and in doing this they seem to have selected politicians from the opposition side whom they could easily fish out to advance their agenda.
For example, most citizens have followed up on debates by politicians especially in the law house but which never been critical enough.
“The opposition dey sell game,” in Krio dialect, says a man at a Chinese black coffee shop (locally known as ataya base).
Meaning in English “the opposition is on a sellout.”
The man went on further, “we appreciate the little fight being put up earlier by the coalition of about the 17 political parties before elections in June 23, 2023. But before then and now the opposition is very inactive and passive.”
“Look how the Toll Gates fees have been increased on us, the MPs cannot stamp out the proposed law signed to further inflate the toll gate charges on vehicles that have caused transport fares to shoot up again. This is causing more suffering to us who don’t work or have good businesses.”
“The opposition should be blamed for most of the things we have been undergoing under this failed government of Bio.”