16 August 2012
The marginalisation of the creoles in Sierra Leone by successive governments is an issue most politicians in the country are fully aware of, but few are prepared and willing to openly discuss.
Since Sierra Leone gained independence in 1961, many creoles believe that their powerbase and political strength in Freetown – the capital city, have systematically been eroded and taken away by politicians, whose sole objective was to change the balance of power in the capital as they embark on the path to social and political engineering.
There is widespread perception among the creoles that the uncontrolled urban sprawl, overcrowding, environmental blight and economic decline that characterises the city is a product of a failed migration policy implemented by politicians.
Freetown is a city designed to house a population of no more than 100,000. Today it is grossly over-populated with a population of over 2 million and counting.
The city’s infrastructures – water supply, roads, electricity, drainage, housing, education, healthcare, have experienced decline not fitting of a modern city. To what extent is the marginalisation of the creoles contributing to this catastrophic decline?
A debate – a real and honest debate has begun. Questions are being asked as to how the city got to the appalling condition it is today and how this unsustainable trend can be reversed.
Continue reading →
The signs continue to surface almost on a weekly basis: the government of President Ernest Bai Koroma is beginning to feel the heat, as the main opposition SLPP’s presidential candidate – Retired Brigadier Julius Maada Bio, continues to breathe down their leader’s neck.