What’s new about the ‘new’ APC?

In 2007 supporters of the All Peoples Congress (APC) party adopted the slogan of “A New APC” under a charismatic young leader Ernest Bai Koroma who honestly always looks as if he wouldn’t hurt a fly. (Photo: Dr. Sama Banya)

I struck a note of caution specifically to readers of this Puawui column that that notwithstanding life in Sierra Leone was better under the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) and that they must not allow the APC to spoil it for them. At that time the opposition propaganda machine was in high gear. It was operating even newspapers papers which were not specifically APC. They were aided and abated by some members of the international community who worked clandestinely under the guise of “regime change.” The chief proponent of the clique was the Special Representative in Sierra Leone of the United Nations Secretary General. In toe were the British High Commissioner and the United States Ambassador.  The British High Commission used the UK aid agency DEFID then headed by a Richard Hogg who was expert at subtle blackmailing of the government. The US Ambassador was to declare later in an address to a University Faculty that the SLPP blamed everyone for losing the election except themselves.

I repeated my warning on a few more occasions before polling I repeated the utterances my friend S I Koroma that “there were 99 ways by which to win elections.” I believe the people did listen; unfortunately I did not reckon with the tactics of the regime change people who had recruited an Italian Computer operator expert or Mafioso and a group of technicians specially recruited from Liberia. These people, along with Christiana Thorpe planned and executed the biggest election fraud that the country had ever experienced or is likely to in future.

And so it was that as soon as Christiana Thorpe had announced her hasty but uncoordinated figures which announced Ernest Bai Koroma as the winner and President, all hell broke. Soldiers and policemen in uniform were dancing in broad daylight; at the same time APC thugs descended on the SLPP headquarters on Wallace Johnson street. It was to be the first of a series of repeated attacks not only on that building but in places as far as Bo, Yele, Kabala and others places. The police did absolutely nothing; on the contrary the then Inspector-General of Police told the world over the BBC that the vandalism and looting were carried out by SLPP supporters as revenge for the party not settling their pay business.

Before the elections an opposition APC radio was already operating and pouring out anti SLPP venom right up to and after the polling. The police and the IMC did nothing to criticize, let alone to condemn the attacks of barbarism against the SLPP. Every time such incident occurred it was the SLPP supporters whom the police arrested and charged to court.

When it came to bye elections the APC had its mobile campaigners and impersonating voters whom they moved from place to place to intimidate opposition supporters and vote in their place. Matters got to head when the SLPP would no longer remain passive under such intimidation and brutality even continued even after a after a brokered peace. The ruling party and its supporting media are constantly screaming of the party’s achievements and how they presume that Ernest would have no opposition candidate come 2012. And yet they simply can’t risk leaving the electorate to demonstrate its appreciation for a job allegedly being well done. They must use thuggery and financial resources to coarse, cajole and bribe for support.

There is the additional exercise in self deception that Kono is now irrevocably APC. But again they dare not wait to taste the pudding except to introduce savagery. Just as the killer instinct is the carnivore so the instinct to violence lies just beneath the surface in the APC. The shameful, ugly and uncivilized incident last Saturday in which the SLPP convoy was attacked with damage to some vehicles and bodily harm to others is a reflection on the party leadership. What humans would paint premises even the premises of an opponent’s with human excreta? It was not for the first time either. And where were the police? It’s a good question but only the honourable Vice President chief Alhajie Sam Sumana must answer it. After all he hails from the district, he is the first gentleman of the district as well as being chairman of the Police council. What is so sacrosanct about Adamu and Foday govement whaff that the police dare not go near them just like leatherboot?

To the international community, all I will say is that your investment in the peace process in this country with particular reference to 2012 is going up in smoke.

These people will never change their way from violence, no, not even with my distinguished nephew’s disarming smile. New APC? We can forget it.

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