The current SLPP administration is in a frenzy about two (2) new ferries that have lately arrived on the shoreline of Freetown, claiming that they are solely responsible for the much-needed retirement of the previous ferries that transported passengers between the capital – Freetown and Lungi. But, before we go any farther, let’s talk about how the Ferries came to be. This was the outcome of an agreement between the government of Sierra Leone and a Turkish corporation called Negmar Denizcilik Yactirim A.S. through its subsidiary in Sierra Leone called Negmar Shipping and Investment Company. The agreement that brought these Turkish investors to Sierra Leone was inked last year, and it granted the Turkish company a 25-year concession to control, manage, and operate ferry services in Sierra Leone. Last year, the deal went into effect.
However, the SLPP administration is widely renowned for its cheap politics, as they have failed to deliver on all fronts to the people what they had promised in their manifesto. The incumbent SLPP administration is no stranger to this, having participated in different smear tactics to give the general public the perception that they are running the country in conformity with what they promised us. They have a tendency to bestow upon themselves plaudits that do not belong to them. The administration has been playing hide-and-seek for far too long, as seen by its assertions regarding the aforementioned Turkish boats. This is because they claim to be the ones who brought the ferries to Sierra Leone in order to alleviate transportation restrictions for Sierra Leoneans who commute between Freetown and Lungi. All of this proves what civil society organizations and opposition parties have been saying for the past four (4) years: this government’s intention is not to improve the lives of our people, but rather to enrich themselves and then go around spreading lies about developments that are the result of foreign intervention and not entirely their (the government’s) own initiatives.
