At the Eid Mubarak celebrations marking the end of the Muslim Holy month Ramadan and fasting, President Julius Maada Bio made a request for people to pray for the president and by default the country.
This call is worthy of this commentary as it is our moral and spiritual duties as people or citizens to pray for the success of their president and by so doing pray for the success of his plans for the country.
All politics aside, Bio is not the president of the failed governing Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP). He is rather the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone. And no matter how you view his 2023 controversial presidential elections victory, even the 2018 vote, Bio is still Head of State, the Fountain of Honour and the Commander-In-Chief of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces. Now, it is our belief as Christians and Muslims that it is God Almighty that ordains the governments hence he wants Julius Maada Bio right where he is as president. Whether this is for Bio’s glory or his ultimate downfall is entirely up to God. But it is our moral and spiritual duties to pray for the success of our heads of state and his plans for the country.
When did members of the opposition last prayed for God to give the president the wisdom, knowledge and understanding to run our government successfully? It is an ideal that after the rigmarole, accusations, counteraccusations and vitriol of the electioneering phase that members of the losing side will rally behind the president to ensure that his plans and policies for the country work because we know that plans belong to man but the reply of the tongue comes from God. Therefore, for a people that believe in God prayer for the president and the country should form part of our daily lives.
It must be assumed that no president or presidential hopeful comes to the fore to fail his people in a land where peace and justice are deficits where polarisation of every good path the order of the day. Presidents and presidential aspirants have visions of being the George Washington or Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela of their countries. They hope to be celebrated for their enduring legacies. Since leadership is a collective effort that requires all hands on deck from both the winning and opposition party sides of the political divide, we cannot afford to sit on the fence lambasting the president and the government while we do nothing to assist him amidst growing challenges. When did you last pray for the president’s health and his family life?
This does not however negate criticism, which is a hallmark of democracy. However, criticism must be well stated with facts, not reaching thereby causing embarrassment for the president and people.
As God’s representative on earth there are lots of Biblical references with regards respect for a leader. In the Old Testament, Moses, seeing that the people made it a habit of complaining against his leadership reminded the Israelites that resisting leaders is equivalent to resisting God. As God’s representative to head his country, the president is regarded as god and men are expected to work for him as if working for the Lord.
Although Saul was trying to have him killed, David refused to make use of the opportunities he had to strike first, reminding his followers that no one should lay a hand on God’s anointed.
Lastly, Apostle Paul instructs Christians to offer prayers, petitions, intercessions, and thanksgivings for kings and all in authority. The purpose of these prayers is to ensure a peaceful, quiet, and godly life for believers, and they are described as good and acceptable to God. The theological basis for this request is that God desires all people to be saved and come to the truth, including leaders. These prayers recognise that leaders have the power to influence the spread of the gospel and the daily life of citizens.
It is therefore the duty of every citizen from the ruling party and opposition parties to offer prayers for President Bio to succeed. Praying against his good plans and policies, making a mountain out of a molehill just for the sake of causing divisions and spreading false narratives all in the hope of winning political gravy points is not what the Lord expects of a people dedicated to peace and justice.
As father of the nation, respect for the president and praying for his regime to come up with good plans and law is non-negotiable; he is deserving of our respect and admiration and support. Now, any child in any home that foolishly wishes or prays for his father to fail is naïve to say the least. It is the son or child that will end up suffering should his father fail to make a success of the home economy.
Now that we are about to enter another electioneering cycle, from the primaries to the ‘Big Enchilada’; that is, the 2028 presidential elections, every effort must be made to remember respect for the president whenever his name is mentioned. Whatever is said about the president must be backed with proof; no one should be encouraged to make unsubstantiated claims against the person of the president. As our Fountain of Honour he is deserving of our prayers for his plans to move Sierra Leone forward, which is our collective duty after elections.
Lonta!
