Dear Readers,
As citizens grapple with the high cost of living, many have equally remained uncomfortable with how a section of the independent media and civil society have gone mute over our receding democracy. This reaction may lead the administration to believe that it can now get away with anything. True, there have been some successes, but there have been some alarming retrogressions. We witnessed a carefully choreographed plot to remove an uncompromising Auditor General. A few muffled voices are being raised regarding how a new cybercrime law threatens free speech. The decriminalisation of the 1965 Public Order Act may be a case of jumping from the frying pan to the fire. The charging of Blacker for critical comments he allegedly made saddened us. All of these raise the question about the state of our democracy.
It has indeed been a while. No doubt you missed your favourite source for factual, impartial, objective and balanced reports and analysis on governance, human rights, the economy, sports, entertainment, events, etc.
Well, we are back!! Yes, we are back with an action-packed edition….one that brings you to the edges of your seats. So, sit tight as we take you on a cogent analysis of the President’s State of the Nation address delivered at the State Opening of the Fifth Parliament of Sierra Leone on Tuesday 10th May 2022. Did the fifty-page speech tilt your opinion in favour of the President or move you in the direction of the opposition as we head to 2023? While the cacophonies and jeering from both sides in the Well of Parliament was abundant testimony of how polarized we have become as a nation, we cannot lose sight of the fact that the President’s speech (after four years in power) deserves much more attention. We sought the opinions of stakeholders in politics and civil society to bring balance to the issues raised by the President in the very crucial state of the nation address.
For the first time in four years, Former President Ernest Bai Koroma opens up in an exclusive interview with Sierraeye on his several activities within the sub-region, Africa and elsewhere. There are fascinating responses from the former President, whose initial decision to remain leader of his political party had brought far more controversy until he later maintained his desire to retire from active politics and focus on his role as an African statesman – excelling as an elections observer, peace mediator, governance, security and environmental advocate. The former President was also clear on his views about domestic politics, especially as they relate to his embattled All Peoples Congress.
This edition also brings compelling stories of human rights, the law, and the economy to our esteemed readers. If the story of a woman who lost her child in a police cell will not send chills down your spine, the outcome of the brutal manhandling of a female IPAM student and her colleagues by the police would definitely infuriate.
Our exclusive interview with one of Sierra Leone’s most celebrated musical talents and many more shall make this magazine one of your most exciting reads in a while.
Enjoy!!
May 2022