Freetown, 4th February, 2026 – Pageant organizer, model management expert, and image consultant Hawa Turay has issued a passionate appeal for Sierra Leoneans to put the country above party politics, warning that partisan divisions are worsening the nation’s economic and social struggles.
She was sharing her thoughts on her social media space. Turay lamented that politics has overshadowed genuine national concerns. “Politics don pwel Salone, and honestly, I agree 100%,” she said, stressing that hardship in Sierra Leone transcends party lines.
Weeks earlier, Turay had posted on social media that “Salone na damn hard kontri,” a remark she says was quickly politicized. “That alone shows the problem. When someone like me, who is doing relatively better than most, says this, it should be obvious that this is not just about personal struggle. It’s about our national reality,” she explained.
Turay criticized the culture of party loyalty that, in her view, blinds citizens to the country’s challenges. “The saddest part is seeing someone who can barely afford one good meal a day still defending the wrong simply because of party loyalty. But let’s be clear: suffering has no party colour,” she noted.
Rejecting claims that her comments were politically motivated, Turay insisted she has never aligned herself with any party. “I have never publicly supported any political party, and I have never openly bashed another. My interest is development. So, because you think someone is APC or SLPP, they should suffer in silence? Is that really how far we’ve reduced ourselves?”
She further highlighted the impact of political bias on employment and opportunity. “Qualified people are not getting jobs simply because they don’t belong to the ‘right’ political side. Talent is ignored, merit is sidelined, and the country keeps paying the price,” Turay said.
Turay, whose work focuses on empowering young people, said she hears daily stories of hardship and despair. “My work centres around young people, and every day I hear stories that are painful and deeply discouraging. The future should not feel this hopeless,” she emphasized.
She concluded with a renewed call for reform: “Once again: Salone na damn hard kontri. And if it’s hard for someone like me, imagine how much harder it is for the ordinary Sierra Leonean. We must do better.”
