Thinking Bintumani III

As I think on the theme of the Bintumani 3 conference – PEACE AND NATIONAL COHESION, I asked myself “What would be the narrative after the conference?” I came to the conclusion that the solutions proffered by some of the speakers towards national peace and cohesion would not take effect or be realized if we, as a nation, don’t have a vision.

A nation without a vision has no future irrespective of how rich it might be in marine and mineral resources.

A vision would pull us forward and motivate and empower us to win against all odds. We need to have a vision as a nation as that is the first step if we must see and enjoy the prosperity we yearn for. The Bible says “Where there is no vision the people perish…” When we have a vision for the land we pledge our love and loyalty to, we would know what to do; as a nation – daily, monthly, and yearly. With a vision for our nation, we would know what to do with the proceeds from our natural resources; we would be able to prioritize things and allocate resources adequately.

How do we want to see #Sierra #Leone in the next 50 years?

All the good things we see and admire about other nations are products of the mind. As a man thinks so is he, the Bible says. The peace, unity, love, and prosperity of our nation must begin in our minds. We can’t achieve anything great as a nation without a vision. We need to “de-idolize” our minds from political ideologies and remove from our eyes the scales of political party allegiance, tribalism, regionalism, and all other “lisms”; so, we could see the interest of Sierra Leone only.

Our national pledge must not be counted as by-word, but rather words which come from our innermost man; and are in agreement with what is within and what we say! We vow to serve her faithfully at all times. We promise to defend her honour and good name and always work for her unity, peace, freedom, and prosperity; and put her interests above all else…

Have we lived up to this?

Our leaders have failed to keep to their pledges they made to the land that we love, Sierra Leone. They are busy seeking their political and self interests. But from the beginning, it was not meant to be so! Some of our leaders boycotted the all important Bintumani 3 conference. These are people who do not have the country at heart; whose political and self interests, which they think should supersede the welfare of the country refused to attend a conference geared towards facilitating national peace and cohesion. What a shame! And yet, they want to “lead” a nation they don’t have at heart… Education should change people for the better but that has not been the case of many of our learned politicians.

“Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.” These words by Mark Twain should resonate with all Sierra Leoneans, as it is only through one’s loyalty to his country would cause him sleepless nights and to work hard to ensure the prosperity of his country.

Friedrich Nietzsche once said “A politician divides mankind into two classes: tools and enemies.”

It is imperative that we work earnestly to unite our people and blurred the lines of political and regional divide. Those leaders who seek to cause mayhem, to disturb the peace of the nation through the manipulation of innocent Sierra Leoneans to rain terror on others and inciting ethnic and regional tensions would not go unpunished.

What would be the narrative after Bintumani 3.