New Year’s Day is usually a time for reflection and resolutions. In 2007 you
gave me the mandate to push your resolutions through for a better Sierra Leone.
Four years on, my record of transformational achievements is very visible for us
to reflect on and strengthen our resolutions for 2012.
In 2007, we firmed up our resolutions for development into an Agenda for Change.
We resolved to bring back electricity to Freetown and we have done it; we
promised to take electricity to every district headquarter town and we are doing
it; we committed ourselves to building roads everywhere,
turning farms into enterprises that will benefit farmers and the nation,
transforming the health sector, reviewing and improving the educational system,
fighting corruption, promoting a more effective public sector management system,
attracting investment and creating thousands of jobs. Everywhere you go today
you will see our resolutions at work and our promises being fulfilled.
These are achievements for every Sierra Leonean. The highway to Bo and Kenema is
for every Sierra Leonean irrespective of political party; the Road to Pamlap is
for every citizen irrespective of age; the roads in Bo, Kenema, Makeni,
Kailahun, Port Loko, Kono, Moyamba, and Pujehun are for
everybody irrespective of ethnic group. The water supply systems we are
constructing and rehabilitating in district headquarter towns are for everyone.
Services provided by the Free Healthcare Initiative are for the mothers and
children of every region. We are establishing agricultural
business units in every chiefdom and we are providing agricultural inputs to
farmers in every district. We made a resolution to be a government of nationwide
services; a government of infrastructure and a government of implementation. And
we have acted on our resolution.
Fellow Sierra Leoneans, our country is undergoing its greatest transformation
since independence. Forecasts for our country becoming an oil-producing nation
are great, we may soon become the largest per capita producer of iron ore in the
world; we have landed the fibre optic cable, we
are attracting huge investments in agriculture. Sierra Leoneans should take
charge of this transformation; citizens of this great nation must be the drivers
of this change.
I know we can rise up to the challenge, I believe in the capacity of Sierra
Leoneans to do what they have resolved to do. In 1996, we decided to reject men
of violence, and we did it; in 2007 we decided to establish a government of
action, and we did it. I believe the overwhelming majority of
the citizens of this country in every region and every political party are
peaceful, law abiding and development oriented. I believe in the vision of
Sierra Leone as an innovative, forward-looking donor nation in the next few
decades.
Fellow Sierra Leoneans, on this very first day of 2012, I am reiterating my
resolution to make this country live up to its destiny of greatness. We will
continue along the path of progress and development. We will continue to build
the roads. We will keep on increasing electricity supply, we will go on with
turning farms into businesses, and we will continue to implement the free health
care initiative. We will go on with rebranding this country. We will continue to
win accolades for our dedication to development and democracy. We will continue
to lead reforms at the United
Nations. We will go on sharing the blessings of peace by sending peacemakers to
trouble spots in the world. We will move on with attracting investments,
improving the business climate, creating jobs and maintaining law and order. We
will continue to fight corruption. We will continue to protect the environment
and bring to book those who violate our environmental laws; we will continue to
prosecute those who are involved in electoral violence; we will continue to
stand up for the common man and woman. We will not be distracted; we will not
turn back; the only option is to move forward with unrelenting zeal.
Let me also use this occasion to congratulate the youths of this country for
their great contributions to the development of Sierra Leone. Youths are our
partners in transformation, the pillars of our actions and the mainstay of our
aspirations for a better Sierra Leone. We salute your resilience and your
talents as musicians, teachers, traders, students, religious youths, office
workers, riders and drivers. We applaud your skills and energy as operatives of
tele and video centers, your mastering
of the use and repair of mobile phones and electronic games. We are heartened by
your passionate but peaceful support of football clubs. We are with you in your
celebrations of youth. Together we are transforming this nation. Together we
will overcome the challenges posed by a few youths
taking chances with violence and drugs. Together we will continue along the path
of democracy and sustainable development.
Later this year we shall be organizing presidential, parliamentary and local
government elections. We must ensure that peace prevails. We must continue to
repudiate violence. We must continue to reject political campaigns based on
intimidation, ethnic sentiments and retrogression. Never again must this country
surrender itself to the violent, the law breaker and the extremist. The
government that I lead will not tolerate plots or acts to push this country
towards violence.
Registration of voters for the elections will start later this month. I call
upon all of us to make it a New Year resolution to register. Registration
enables us to exercise our rights to vote and be voted for; it shows that we are
ready to participate in the governance of the country, and it is one of the most
profound of the responsibilities of citizens. Come out in your millions to
register and send out a clear message that ballots, rather than bullets must
prevail.
We have set up the Sierra Leone Conference on Transformation and Development to
facilitate the process of bringing out all the ideas about how we are going to
achieve this vision of our country becoming a middle-income country in 25 years
and an advanced donor nation within 50 years. Make it one of your New Year
resolutions to be part of this movement for a better Sierra Leone. I ask all of
you to act on our collective resolutions for peace, democracy, and sustainable
development. Bring on
your ideas and best practices; make the resolution now, and rededicate your
actions to the realization of our best aspirations.
I hereby declare the week beginning 16th January as a week of prayer for Peace,
Prosperity and the great transformation of our beloved country Sierra Leone. The
Muslims will end their week of prayer on Friday the 20th and the Christians on
Sunday the 22nd.
Once again, I congratulate the citizens of this country for the great strides we
are making to build a better Sierra Leone.
