There is a maxim that: “As long as you are alive you will never end to hear or see surprises.” So whatever happens in this kingdom will not come as a surprise to the oldest bird, more especially the empty promises our politicians and their political parties make in their manifestoes or during their campaign trails.

Don’t ask the Parrot if the present green administration has fulfilled the promises it made after almost eight years because you already know the answer, expect otherwise you want to be hypocrite.

Being a fervent reader and one who is conversant or acquainted with most of the political parties’ manifestoes in this republic, knows those manifestoes are only good for the shelves because they are not or will never be implemented.

To give credence to what Bra Parrot is saying, he painstaking peruse through the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) manifesto to see the number of promises they made and how much have been fulfilled so far. Incredibly though, not much have been achieved.

But like earlier stated, the bird is not surprised at all because such has become a commonplace in this nation. LIES, LIES and more LIES are the only benefit citizens used to get from their governors in return for their votes. 

One of the things the SLPP promised which almost silenced even their critics in approval was that, any teacher that has served for a period of (10) ten years in the teaching field, three of his/her children will be automatically qualified for University scholarships which the government will shoulder the responsibility.

In the same Manifesto, the Palm Tree also promised to build a school in every chiefdom headquarters and also a training college in all the districts across the country but all those promises said to have remain a mere illusion.

Bra Parrot cannot believe his eyes and cannot control his laughter when he saw on social media that for a teacher to qualify for the programme, he/she MUST produce a DNA certificate to show that he/she is the real father or mother of those children, instead of sticking to the initial promise.

But wait ooh! Nor to money don don? Me laf de hat sef. But ya nar Salone gbain usai all man kin jus do any tin dem want.

Having gathered the information, the wise bird starts to put one and one together, the cost of DNA per child and consideration the deplorable economic conditions some of teachers who have served in the classroom for decades will mean. It’s a complete mockery.

The bird was able to contact few teachers in his community, all of whom expressed disappointment over what they described as the government’s flimsy excuse intended not only to disqualify potential beneficiaries but to abandon the programme in its entirety.

 “This is really ridiculous,” they charged.

In fact, one senior teacher (name withheld) for security reasons also referred to the programme as the ‘fakest’ of all fakes on planet earth, but expressed gratitude to God that he was able to pay for all his children at the University.

Other teachers said elections are just around the corner and that they are waiting for sugar coated politicians to go and meet them again, vowing that if they will be still alive, that will be their own turn to avenge.

Thank God the wise bird is not a teacher but a journalist. Through his hard work, he was able to pay for his own children otherwise they also certainly would have been other victims.