The Last Lecture I delivered on some of my WhatsApp groups had to do with ‘the Importance of Critical Thinking’ in everyday life. I stressed the need to be realistic, accurate and reliable. It matters. These are the things that guarantee validity and authenticity, among other things.
That said, I wish to briefly make a case on why it matters for every eligible Sierra Leonean to get registered. I am sure that we all may be aware that eligibility is a major criterion in this exercise. I have read content that supposes and or alleged that there are people that attempt to beat the system. You are not eighteen (18) and you also know that you’d not be eighteen (even in June 2023), clearly and truly, this registration should not be your priority. Voter registration means you should be 18 and over or better still, you should be 18 by June 2023 and beyond. These realistic notions have to be understood. We should not allow prejudicial traits to overshadow what we do…
But let me skip that narrative just for a while and it is my hope that we all may have understood this. Let’s talk about those of us that are already 18 and over. Must we be compelled to register? Maybe it is not news that rights go with responsibilities. We are citizens for crying out loud. Motivational speakers will ask people to be the change. Assuming I’m seating in those seats just for a while and for the purposes of this brief article, we should have the urge to do what’s right as a country and as a people. It does matter. If we say we’d not register because of the challenges we face in the process, we might as well be doing more harm to ourselves and our country.
I have heard reports of registration challenges etc. From systems down to inadequate materials etc. I note and know that Government should have done more and should still do more to improve standards. I also think that more centres and gadgets should have been provided. This comes with huge costs, but for convenience and rigidity, this would not have been a mad and or bad mechanism. This is something we do once in a while. Doing it right is the least we could do, but to us the people, the challenges should not stop us. If no one else will make Sierra Leone for us, we have to act now!
So, when I say we’re to use critical thinking and to register, I am attempting to suggest that in this Voter Registration Exercise, we should allow ourselves to see more of the positives than the negatives. When we would have registered, we may have had the chance to better amend things in future. If we do not register, it may as well have allowed some subconscious affirmation of not wanting to bother about anything. The sacrifices are of importance. Let’s do this and the love of self and country.
Using Critical Thinking: Sierra Leoneans – the Need to Register…
In my discourses about Critical Thinking, I have closely followed the scholarly explanations that opined that ‘the most immediate benefit derived from the study of logic is the skill needed to construct a sound argument and to evaluate the arguments of others.’ In such an instance, soundness talks about validity, actuality and reality. So and for the voter registration, let us come out in our numbers. Sierra Leone needs us all. We are the change. We must therefore do what works best for this beloved motherland.
