By James Tamba Lebbie
The die has been cast with just about 45 days to polling day and the political battle line has been drawn in the sand. And I will imagine a sense of mixed feelings among supporters of the ruling party, opposition party faithful and the small but critical independent voting public as word spread round that incumbent president Ernest Bai Koroma had finally settled for his current vice president as his running mate for the 17 November 2012 polls.
Like the proverbial cat with seven lives, Vice President Samuel Sam-Sumana has survived the numerous times he has been rendered a political corpse, especially in the wake of the recent several corruption scandals that almost engulfed him. But without sounding apologetic, this endorsement, which can best be characterized as a triumph of political expediency over decency, is in the best interest of the APC, but which has no doubt, also brought to the fore a number of vexed issues for public consumption which may alienate the neutralists and make them feel hot under the collar.
On their scale of preference, President Ernest Bai Koroma and his APC party are more concerned about winning a second term than the perception of right-thinking Sierra Leoneans and the International community about the credibility and character of the man who will again become the country's second-in-command should they win in November. In other words, in their calculation, the chances of winning a second term is greater for the president – and by extension the APC – if they stick with the devil they already know than taking a risk on some obscure or outdated personality that is devoid of a political constituency. So the decision to continue with VP Sam-Sumana is in
the best interest of President Koroma and his party in the prevailing circumstance regardless of whether or not the party’s choice (and I’m inclined to emphasize on the party’s choice, and probably not the president's) is nonsensical and absurd to others.
And the picture is clear for all who care to see: first, let us accept – even if for the sake of argument – that some of the factors that helped bring Ernest Bai Koroma to power in 2007 are almost non-existent today. For instance, there is a realization that the political chances of the PMDC, which creation was at the expense of the now opposition Sierra Leone Peoples’ Party (SLPP), has steadily diminished because those supporters who in 2007 swelled the ranks of the PMDC have returned to their traditional party base, the SLPP. Against this backdrop, the president’s alliance with Charles Francis Margai, the unpredictable and idiosyncratic leader of the PMDC has almost collapsed with no sign of fence-mending before the polls. Amidst this uncertainty, the president’s attempt at sponsoring a dissident from the PMDC has also proved to be a dismal failure. The conduct of Mohamed Bangura, the talkative and politically immature leader of the United Democratic Party (UDM) has, if anything, cost the APC rather than enhanced its political fortunes.
Further, Sam-Sumana’s endorsement has put Kono District (home of both the Vice President and First Lady) once again on the political map as a potential battleground and flashpoint for the November polls, like it did in the 2008 local government election. To fully grasp the importance of Kono District to the APC, let us remind ourselves that
“Koroma APC” defeated “Berewa SLPP” by almost 161,000 votes, which is close to the provisional figure of registered voters in Kono District, which stands at 153,310 voters according to 26 March, 2012 provisional register.
And let us not forget also that while the SLPP secured seven of the eight parliamentary seats in Kono in the 2007 Parliamentary elections, it managed to win only two of the 27 wards in the local council elections in the following year. Of course election violence and massive political intimidation allegedly by thugs of the Vice President played a part in determining the outcome of the polls in Kono, according to many observers. But with the APC in power for five years, a lot has changed in terms of political allegiance although this is not to suggest in any way, shape or form that Kono belongs to the APC.
And with a resurgent opposition, SLPP whose southern leader combined with its northern running mate is posing a real threat to the chances of President Koroma’s second term bid, the APC has no option but to endorse VP Sam-Sumana from the short list of the ever-increasing names of candidates for the running-mate position.
Meanwhile, although there are many within the APC that are clearly disappointed with the endorsement of the vice president, it is not certain whether there will be any major fallout. I’m inclined to believe they will mobilise in the face of a potent threat of an opposition party returning to power than decide to tear the party apart. And in a country where in the past political agenda and the character of those vying for political power make little difference in determining the decisions of the voters, the decision to endorse Sam-Sumana could go without political consequences for the ruling APC. It’s a calculated political risk for APC and only time will tell whether the decision was the lesser evil among their few available options.
On the seamy side of Koroma's choice of Sam-Sumana, the move has apparently revealed the hypocritical character of the president and the façade about his megaphone rhetoric on the fight against corruption. While he promised the world that there would be “no sacred cows” in his government, the country has witnessed a steady institutionalization of corruption under his watch with several high placed government and state officials including the Vice President, receiving only a slap on their wrist or going scot-free for alleged corruption offences. The Al-Jazeera documentary on timber logging in the country, which showed the vice president in a compromised position and the bogus ferry deal are cases in point.
In addition, the move also reveals that the APC party is more interested in winning elections than practising decent and ethical politics as well as maintaining a decent image for the country especially overseas. Otherwise, how can one explain the rationale for choosing a candidate whose image is already muddy with a string of corruption allegations?
Forget about whether he is guilty or not, which could not be established under our jurisdiction because of both the compromised character of the country’s anti-graft body and the pliable nature of our courts. The fact that the name of the vice president kept coming up in and associated with shady dealings in drugs, timber and diamond and which has brought the office of the vice presidency and the entire image of the country into disrepute is enough reason to
relieve him of his duties when the chance presented itself such as NOW.
As for the International Community, they are now in a position to decipher whether they will take this government and president seriously. And while members of the opposition SLPP would have loved to see the back of Vice President Sam-Sumana, thereby creating a relatively easy opportunity to retake the swing district of Kono, members of the Victor Foh faction of the APC will continue to pray that a major corruption scandal involving the vice president does not erupt ahead of the November polls, which could potentially rock the boat. They are anxious and in a very tense mood too.
(c) Politico 2 October
