By: Abdulai Mansaray.
Just when you think that the world at large, and Sierra Leone in
particular is facing the ravages of an invisible enemy the Corona Virus, our
nation is plunged on the precipice of self destruction; a clear affirmation of
our penchant for attracting chaos. It looks like the slow but insidious rise in
COVID cases in our community is not troubling enough to scare the living
daylights out of us. COVID carries its own scepticism; but that discussion is
for another day. Faced with such a common enemy, the last thing you would
expect is the seeming disintegration of law and order.
One would expect all Sierra Leoneans to put aside all our
differences to fight this common enemy. Unlike our politicians, we cannot
accuse the COVID 19 of tribalism, nepotism, or favouritism Covid 19 is an
enabler of equal opportunities. This should be one of the rare times to
unashamedly put our collective patriotism, and to some extent our jingoism to
use. But that is too easy for us as a nation. If truth be said,
President Maada Bio did extend the hand of cooperation, with Paolo Conteh as
the face of the opposition APC party; in the joint effort to fight this common
enemy.
Bio may have banked on Paolo’s experience of the fight
against Ebola; irrespective of the associated controversies. If anything,
Maada Bio crossed the Rubicon, reached out to his competition (which may have
irked some SLPP members), and asked for a common approach, for the common good,
in our hour of common need.
The outcome of that invitation, that hand of friendship, that call
for national approach for a national problem, is now an open secret. So, when
the law of the land of the land was evoked, as others saw took it to mean a
signal for our country to endure further violence, hardship, and wanton
destruction. Before you read further, dispose of your political party
persuasions and just reflect for a minute; not as SLPP, APC, Mende, Temne,
Loko, Muslim, Christian, Jessi or homebased, but as a SIERRA LEONEAN.
Those who preach violence from the armchairs of relative comfort
in countries where the rule of law is of the essence, to prey on the
gullibility of the plebeian psyche will do well to remind themselves that
history has a cunning way of repeating itself. If anyone, especially some of us
in the diaspora feel that inciting our folks back home to cause mayhem is the
answer to our problems, should think again.
Who stands to gain from all this? Step back into 2012, when
the then opposition SLPP lost the elections to the APC party. Maada took
a catalogue of accusations of rigged elections, violence and unfair elections
to protest the election result to the High Court and lost, AGAIN. He
slipped out of the country to UK where he continued his studies and to plan the
comeback of his party. Did you hear of phrases like “make the country
ungovernable”? You can’t deny that there was no afterbirth of violence in the
immediate aftermath of the results.
Did anyone hear SLPP calling for civil disobedience? Did anyone
hear the SLPP preach insurgence? Did anyone hear the SLPP call for violence,
public protests, burning of institutions etc? Instead, the SLPP became a docile
and near comatose imitation of an opposition party. With no opposition in
sight, the SLPP resorted to boycotting parliamentary sittings and debates as
their best form of affirmative action.
If we are honest to ourselves, we all witnessed former President
Koroma take the scalpel to the very foundations of our constitution. He sacked
the democratically elected Vice President Sam Sumana. Thankfully, Ernest never
muzzled the press. But here is a shortlist of those who were invited to take
tea at the CID headquarters during his reign: Aminata Phidelia, Jonathan Leigh,
Bai Bai sesay, Samuel Fly Gandi, Brima Labor Fofana, Arthwa Amaddi, Foday
Jalloh, Pastor Mohamed Sesay, Kashor Holland Cole, and the then national
treasure Tam Bayo, for daring to speak up. When Kandeh Yumkella had the
audacity to introduce a third political party in the mix, he was almost
disqualified from participating in our national elections.
That is not exonerating Bio or making him a saint. Blowing off another's candle, won't make yours shine
brighter.”
All these happened after Ernest had desperately tried and failed
for “more time”, “injury time”, “third term” etc. right in front of our eyes to
extend his reign. Where were all those calling for violence today, during the
decapitation of our constitution? In the eyes of the likes of Sylvia
Blyden and her ilk, Ernest Koroma could do no wrong. He was the messiah; the
saviour and “world Best”. While he SLPP was wired to a political life support
machine, they ask their supporters to wreak violence in the street, or make the
country ungovernable? Don’t answer that, we’ll come to that. I am beginning to
like the phrase “Make America Great Again”.
It is slightly over two years since Maada took office; but we will
be failing in our duty if we bury our heads in the sand and fail to admit
that this New Direction has seen the cost of living threaten air traffic, the
standard of living hurtling towards “bomeh” or “don Bay” proportions and
the foreign exchange rate is now a kite at the mercy of the wind
direction.
We can all agree that the outgone APC party dealt a bad card to
the incoming SLLP party, thanks to corruption. But how long will this narrative
hold, if Bio cannot improve the arrest the situation? In spite of some
positive strides by Bio’s government to address the problems, we can safely
admit that a lot more needs to be done. Yesterday may not be ours to
recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.
Those who wish, pray and work towards a failed Bio government,
should remember that if Bio fails, you, me, Minkailu, Momoh, Sorie, Mamadu,
Eku, Mariatu, Josephine and all of us fail. Even the children unborn and our
freedom fighters who fought for our recently celebrated 59th independence
birthday would have failed. With the APC
and SLPP at each other’s throat, we know that it
is the grass that suffers when two elephants fight; and the grass here is you
and me; the man on the street.
So, is violence the answer to our problems? With our recent past,
do we need any further lessons on violence? Take a look at all armed and
violent uprisings, interregna, civil wars, political insurrections, freedom
fighting and coups d’états, and tell me when did violence solve the problem?
From Nelson Mandela, John Garang, Jonas Savimbi, Charles Taylor and our very
own Foday Sankoh have all ended with a round table conference for a solution.
Even our civil war had the Lomé agreement, etc. When has violence solved any
political crisis?
Elections are not a beauty contest, but an exercise for tolerance.
When APC members call for violence against the Bio government, do they really
know what it means for their re-election prospects, if any? Do these same
people know that violence was the only weapon that kept the APC in power for so
long under Pa Sheki? The late Pa Sheki maintained a one-party state under
the hammer of “orwai, orsai”. Does anyone want to return to those dark days?
The SLPP came to power thanks largely to a relatively free, fair
and peaceful democratic election. In most cases, elections are won chiefly
because most people vote against somebody rather than for somebody. The
majority’s vote for the SLPP, among other reasons including the self
destruction of the APC, was a protest against the corruption laden APC.
Do you think the SLPP would have won in 2018, if the elections were violent,
not free, or fair? Why do you think the SLPP was driven to near extinction
during the reign of Pa Sheki? Under Pa Sheki’s government, the people who cast the votes decided nothing, and
those who counted the votes decided everything. So, with some APC
members calling for violence, are they by implication, unconsciously calling
for their own political wilderness?
Let us now assume, for discussion sake
that in the absence of a free, fair and peaceful elections, will the APC win
come 2023? Has any opposition party won during elections that have been
conducted under violent conditions? When has a sitting government in
Africa been removed from power through violent elections? With that said, will
it not be in the interest of the APC, to pray for, promote, ensure and work
towards a free, fair and peaceful elections come 2023; if it is to stand any
change of returning to power? Just like “tolongbo nor go sidom ya, angry borku
o”, we now have “de game don big”, “de game don babala”. There are those who
feel that “yesterday betteh pass tiday”. If that’s the case, will it not be in
the interest of the APC for the people to decide like they did in 2018? But
will they do so if the elections are conducted with violence? Violence is not
the answer. It has never been and will never be. BECAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR.
Lest you rush to judgments, I am not accusing
anyone of rigging elections. I am just soliloquising from experience; en
eh.
Done forget to wash your
hands, sneeze wisely and turn the lights off when you leave the room.
Comments
Post a Comment