By Alpha Abu
Former Vice President Dr Albert Joe Demby has died. News of his death was first shared on social media on Saturday 20th March 2021. Dr Demby a medical practitioner by profession came from relative political obscurity to be chosen in 1996 as running mate by the late president Dr Ahmad Tejan Kabba in the wake of the first multi- party elections in Sierra Leone in nearly 30 years.
Before that Dr Demby spent a greater part of his life providing medical services to communities in Kenema.
His sudden ascent into the Vice Presidency caught many by surprise. And even when called to serve in the second most powerful public office, he was never the attention seeker, or his innate gentle character provided the reason for that. Some saw his modest and graceful demeanour in complete contrast to that of a natural or firebrand kind of a politician needed especially at a time the nation was being torn apart by a very divisive, devastating and bloody civil war. And it was believed he never fully adjusted to the rigours and demands of his office at the time.
Dr Demby would be dropped from the position in favour of Solomon Berewa in the in Kabbah’s successful bid for a second term in the 2002. He was then assigned the responsibility of overseeing the various aspects of the country’s post-conflict recovery efforts. When SLPP lost the 2007 elections Dr Demby simply disappeared from public view, living quietly in Bo city.
Still smarting from its defeat in the controversial election, the SLPP soon became embroiled in an acrimonious intra-party leadership feud that went into the 2012 elections which it also lost under even more contentious circumstances.
The polarization in the SLPP widened in the run-up to the 2018 elections and Dr Demby re-emerged with growing speculation that he was siding with the camp that favoured Dr Kandeh Yumkella to lead the SLPP. Yumkella would later leave the SLPP to form the National Grand Coalition. When the most popular candidate Julius Maada Bio swept aside the other eleven, in a wave of overwhelming grassroots party support, Demby had already firmly pitched tents with Dr Yumkella. At a press briefing at Sierra Lighthouse hotel in 2017 to announce his new NGC party, Dr Demby in a dramatic and symbolic demonstration, dropped his SLPP membership card on the table and openly proclaimed his allegiance to the NGC.
Since Bio won the 2018 polls, not much had been heard of Dr Demby apart from a few appearances at official events.
Copyright © 2021 Politico Online (22/03/21)
