By Ezekiel Nabieu
Sierra Leone has the tendency of reverting to its abhorrent one – party status depending on the weaknesses of the opposition parties led by the grand old Sierra Leone People’s Party. It is curious that the All People’s Congress (APC) that was the cause of our 11-year civil war according to rebel leader, Foday Sankoh could still be in governance. Alas the SLPP is becoming a jumble of incongruous elements falling over one other. Hapless citizens who want to have a stake in the country’s political affairs have little alternative to joining the lesser of two evils. Otherwise they would affiliate with outfits that are in fact political sects passing for political parties. Some of them are really husks with no real souls within.
The APC is in governance today largely due to the unique magnanimity of late President Tejan Kabbah. He accorded the APC indulgences that an Ernest Koroma could not have given. Few people knew until his death that his mother was a southerner. For reasons best known to himself he had to make a choice of favoring either of his parents regions. Accosted on his party loyalty he would counter that “I am not president of SLPP but Sierra Leone.” And he stuck to his position even during 2007 elections when he did not budge to give a moral boost to his anointed successor, Solomon Berewa, whom he did not accompany on his campaign tours. The rest is history.
It has happened that the SLPP that had its birthplace in the Northern Province, Kambia to be precise, is now being claimed by Bo city as its birthplace. The tables were turned over since the presidency of the late Dr. Siaka Stevens. Unfortunately the party is now highly regionalized and tribalized with its main strength in the Southern and Eastern provinces.
Party divisions are things inseparable from free government according to Edmond Burke but he did not add that these divisions should be along tribal and regional lines. During the 2007 elections in spite of the incumbency of the SLPP the elections were “won” by the APC thanks to the then Electoral Commissioner of the National Electoral Commission capped off by the illustrious but bewitched Charles Margai. The situation was not helped by the same Tejan Kabbah who in his unbidden “report card” to the late Colonel Gadaffi spoke of two ship loads of rice which swayed many citizens who would have voted for the SLPP.
Fast forward, Maada Bio seems to believe in the maxim: “if at first you don’t succeed try, try, try, again.” If president-elect Buhari of Nigeria can succeed in his fourth attempt why not him? He had his first shot as a civilian head of state with the late Tejan Kabbah and co and he is still in the race still slugging on relentlessly. Great is his faithfulness and love for his party and country. But whether the citizenry as a whole can demonstrate reciprocal love for him is another cup of tea. That’s a man who could have been another Yayah Jammeh and banned parties if he had the guts in his brain. That opportunity slipped by and can never be regained. As if higher education is a sine qua non to woo voters in this predominantly illiterate country, Maada Bio is still pursuing higher post graduate studies.
Incidentally Ernest Koroma a first degree holder had an edge over others like Dr. Abdulai Conteh & Dr. Abdul Karim Koroma etc. President Obama did lots of community work during which he ingratiated himself with various communities which redounded to his popularity.
In any case there is need for a president who can distance himself from hoi polloi in terms of education which is why Maada Bio is measuring up. In spite of his democratic credentials the tide of public opinion seems to have turned against him fuelled by his possible reactionary moves against the present leadership. He has arguably been the most popular SLPP flag bearer especially in southern Sierra Leone from where he hails.
Narcissism or what?
Like what happens in national parties there is such hurly – burly over the leadership of the SLPP that one is apt to feel that there is something esoteric to gain in it. Moreover the numbers turning up shows that they have lost confidence in their former flag bearer thereby dwindling his chances. This is because every contender takes a slice off his supporters. If it is not narcissism that is goading every other person with the necessary financial means to contend for the leadership what else can it be? Said John Locke.
“The great question which, in all ages, has disturbed mankind and brought on them the greatest part of those mischief’s which have ruined cities, depopulated countries and disordered the peace of the world has been not whether there be power in the world, nor whence it came but who should have it.”
The Dreaded Candidate
Citizens who spend long years in the diaspora have not necessarily proved to be the best leaders available. It can hardly be gainsaid that if Charles Margai had won the leadership of the SLPP instead of Tejan Kabbah the party would have been in power today. Like I said earlier United Nations standards were adopted and the opposition was given all the facilitation to entrench itself. Can Kandeh Yumkella convince us that he will distance himself from the elitist policies of Tejan Kabbah? Will his education in the south serve as a counter-balance for his birth in the North? These questions will be pondered by the electorate. Once bitten twice shy. But does it serve any useful purpose to prevent a candidate from contesting the flagbearership of the party on technical grounds just because he is likely to win? Are formulators of this exclusion policy not inadvertently creating another Charles Margai defection scenario? Will Kandeh Yumkella not be pushed into the open arms of the APC thereby taking his KKY movement with him and causing a huge loss for the SLPP? The best policy here is to allow the man to stand and lose without morbid fears.
It will be recalled that it was the votes of the people in the south and east that tipped the scales in favor of the APC in the last elections and not those of Sam Sumana’s supporters. No blame for the North and West. If the SLPP loses the next elections owing to parochial interests it will certainly continue to be in the political wilderness for an unconscionably long time. These thoughts are worth mulling over. Verb Sap.
© Politico 30/04/15
