By Mahmud Tim Kargbo Saturday, 27th April 2024 When we celebrate Independence Day on 27th April every year, we must not feel proud of the way in which Sierra Leone achieved her Independence. The story of how she attained Independence is not epic in itself, revolving around self centred people that lacked sacrifice for the nation and a passion for genuine positive change in the lives of all nationals. An example of their actions was to immediately designed a neocolonialist and imperialist plan to killed patriots within the independence team that disagreed with their extremely oppressive ideas of exploiting the majority after Independence to enrich themselves at the expense of the majority. Real patriots that were committed to the cause of effecting peaceful positive change after Independence were eliminated out of the so-called system. If the essence of being Independence and having political leaders means effecting peaceful positive change to impact the lives of the majority as per national resources and positively move their lives in a number of tangible ways; then it’s comfortable for rationally minded nationals to say Sierra Leone isn’t an Independence State. After the late President Kabbah, we have no true leader in Sierra Leone, but clean neocolonialist and imperialist local rogues parading around looted wealth at the expense of the already suffering majority. The only genuine Independence politicians and Sierra Leoneans at large can boast of is to have an intelligent economic development with a well fed, healthy and literate population. As it stands, with the exemption of late President Kabbah, our current and past SLPP and APC politicians are totally out of touch with this reality and concentrate in enriching themselves at the expense of the already suffering majority. SLPP and APC politicians failed to understand that leadership is not a selection basket where a leader can say I have done this so I must leave the rest. It’s a basket of scores of social problems which the leader did aware of and entered in to social agreement with the people that he’s going to tackle the major social challenges in the country. Where is the Independence and leadership in the SLPP and APC when the majority of their nationals continue to drown in the massive poverty they continue to inflict in their lives ? This isn’t about the President alone, it’s about each and everyone in social position of trust exhibiting his nationalistic sense of purpose by using his/her leadership qualities for the good of all nationals to gain true independence that will walk us all out of the current neocolonialist and imperialist well orchestrated abject poverty inflicted against the majority through their local agents. Sierra Leone is seriously suffering from leadership problem in all fronts. All people deserve freedom. Yet, freedom is not just political or for the selected few who have teamed up with neocolonialist and imperialist rogues to destroy the country. Real freedom is freedom from poverty, illiteracy, disease, addictions, environmental pollution, terror, crime, corruption and discrimination. Sierra Leone poverty is rooted in an unfair economic system designed by neocolonialist and imperialist masters and being efficiently executed by their local agents. Understanding Sierra Leone and understanding the whole context surrounding the crisis the country has been through before, in and after the eleven years civil war and Ebola; is crucial to decipher the problem of the country’s poverty. From the origins of colonisation to immediate neocolonialist and imperialist organised corruption, indirect tribal tensions, regional and ethnic issues, sycophancy, bootlicking, selective justice. All are the impact of poor leadership. Overall evidence suggests that the scale of poverty in Sierra Leone continue to worsen despite investments in poverty alleviation. In this analysis new approach to our SLPP, APC politicians and others in social positions of trust is suggested, based on lessons derived from past and current experience: since independence till date, it is clear that the majority of our political rulers are totally dishonest or are lacking a well equipped participatory and patriotic sustainable growth strategy in their DNAs based on poverty alleviation, with the mobilisation to sincerely tackle the poverty they continue to deliberately inflict in our people at it core.This is evidence in their actions to the people as the SLPP, APC and others in social positions of trust cannot genuinely assist in the design and implementation of salient strategies that will address the issues of the poverty they continue to create and sustain through their actions with the orders of their neocolonialist and imperialist masters. FROM INDEPENDENCE TO INTERDEPENDENCE. In Sierra Leone today, political freedom does not translate in to financial independence for the majority, but only for the selected few, the bootlickers and sycophants dancing around the rulership. The order of the day has changed to interdependence. Finding fake unity in diversity and moving together is the way ahead with the pretence that Sierra Leone is one. Political parties, economic injustice, regional divisions, greed and status divide us big time, but when the borders in our hearts melt, the entire Sierra Leone will attain real freedom- freedom from neocolonialist and imperialist orchestrated tensions, war, terror, man-made poverty, injustice, illiteracy, economic freedom and prejudices. We depend on others for almost everything. In the outside world, it is not possible to gain complete individual independence. But internally, we can feel a sense of independence, at the level of thoughts, feelings and emotions with correct leadership. Something Sierra Leone is truly lacking immediately after late President Kabbah’s government. To usher in a real freedom, we need to take a multi-pronged approach. All facets of our social, political and spiritual systems need to be addressed. GIVE THEM A DREAM It is important to raise the self- esteem of our youth. Of course, we need to empower them academically, financially and with the required exposure, but at the same time we have to give them a vision. Today, this is what is missing in the current SLPP and APC government. Youth empowerment must not only come from the “Yes Sir faction” of