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Senior citizen and longtime supporter Joseph Sannoh has expressed disappointment with President Julius Maada Bio, accusing the president of abandoning his hardcore grassroots supporters in favor of new allies.
Speaking candidly in an interview with Liberty Online, Sannoh said he remains satisfied with the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) as a political institution but drew a distinction between the party and what he called “President Bio’s regime.” He strongly stated that he is not satisfied with the president’s current administration.
“If I say I am satisfied with President Bio’s regime while seeing how some of those who suffered for the party are being treated, I would be a big hypocrite,” Sannoh said.
He criticized the current state of affairs, using a local adage to illustrate his point: “Before President Bio took power, he said, ‘Monkey nor go wok, baboo eat,’ meaning those who work will be the ones to enjoy. Now it is the ones that did not work who are enjoying ‘monkey don wok, baboo dae eat.’ This is something the Bio regime should quickly resolve.”
Sannoh stressed that friendship and loyalty should include old allies and that neglecting longtime supporters in favor of new ones is unwise. “There is life after retirement, and after retirement, who will be the ones you want to sit down with?” he said.
He urged the president to recognize and reward those who suffered alongside him, particularly those who supported him before he was considered presidential material.
“As a victim, I am not happy with President Bio’s current regime and cabinet. I am not afraid to say it openly, because I have not been given a platform to express this. Many others like me are afraid to speak, but I feel compelled to do so,” Sannoh added.
He concluded by sending a direct message to the president, urging that those who suffered and were abused for his rise to power must be acknowledged. “The ones who suffered for him have been forgotten,” Sannoh said.
