Is 2012 the Salone Armageddon?

The United States of America was recently abuzz with television, radio, internet, and what have you commercials in the name of politics.  Political opponents accusing one another of witchcraft and  recommending another Salem witchcraft trial for their opponents. We saw century old faux pas of opposing candidates doctored and presented to us as something the opponent said yesterday.  How happy I am that election season is over.  Happier that as a Republican, my party gained momentum in the past elections. What a period it had been. (Photo:  Cillaty Daboh)

In Sierra Leone our last general elections, took place in 2007. Time indeed has moved too fast in Sierra Leone, especially when it comes to the dictates of the constitution which calls for legislative and presidential elections every five years.

The constitution however, did not dictate to us when campaigning for those elections will start. No wonder, therefore, the opposition and indeed the government started their campaign for 2012 immediately the elections results were announced in 2007.

And what a noise it has been since then.

Listening to each camp with bluffs of “we will win” and threats of “we will not accept elections results that are not credible”, I begin to wonder and fear if a country named Sierra Leone will be in existence after the 2012 elections. I know nowhere in Africa where defeated opponents have accepted results as credible. Our brothers and sisters in Guinea are currently under a State of Emergency because the defeated candidate did not think the elections results there are credible. People are wielding machetes and Gaza strip missiles stones.  As I write I am reading a news report where my sister Elizabeth Lavalie is still contending that the 2007 elections were rigged. 2012 will indeed be an interesting year for Salon.

While the SLPP is yet to choose between twenty three candidates vying to run against President Koroma and Charles Margai and maybe others in 2012, the SLPP presidential contenders have taken advantage of their party’s indecisiveness to ‘Kissinger’ to sell their message to their party faithful in the Diasporas. Here in Atlanta there has been a parade of them. Who will emerge as their flag bearer?

I have no say in that since I am not a member of the party. I’ll definitely have a say when they make their selections, hence the candidate will become a contender to lead my party. Sierra Leone. Till then, I have decided to stay out of their business but for the name Tom Nyuma.

The name, Tom Nyuma is not a name I’ll sit and think about even in my happiest of times. I have met the young man once in my life, at my cousin’s wedding in North Carolina. Like all my fellow citizens, I have respect for him, but not to the extent that he’ll be someone I had like to sit in a room with to discuss the weather.

Former president Kabah once told me that one of his frustrations with his fellow citizens is the PHDS (Pull Him/Her Down Syndrome).I cannot agree with him more. Some elements in the SLPP have just proven him right.

Evil, they say, triumph when good men and women see it happening and remain silent.

I therefore cannot be silent on the vindictive politics being played by some in the SLPP to destroy Tom Nyuma. I am fully aware that Tom Nyuma does not need me to defend him. He is capable of doing that himself. In fact, he has already started doing just that. Frankly speaking I see no reason for him do so.

This is not the first time the opposition is playing such a “bad heart” politics.

When president Koroma came to power, he stretched out an olive branch to his opponents. In his first trip abroad his delegation included members of the SLPP. The buzz word that came out of that arrangement especially about my good friend, Prince Harding, former Secretary-General of the SLPP and one time cabinet minister, was that Dr. Harding had betrayed the SLPP and was accused of being APC. Why was he labeled a traitor because he accepted the invitation of the president? A few days later, I read a news report in one of the SLPP leaning tabloids quoting the SLPP Secretary-General Mr. J.J. Saffa as threatening to ostracize any SLPP member who takes part in the APC government.

It seems that that drum of hate for anyone who is SLPP and says anything good about the president continues to be beaten unabated.

This time Tom Nyuma is the Tasmanian bull under the Palm tree. I’ll not be surprised at any barrage of accusations be leveled against me being APC.

I am not. But my chest is big enough to accept it in the interest of fair play and for my country. My party is Sierra Leone. And I only support anyone who means well for the country irrespective of party colors, region or tribe.

Recent reports from pro SLPP tabloids have accused Tom Nyuma of being a “sell out” to the APC.  His crime?  Praising the president for the good work he has done in his district where he is chairman and allegedly accepting a vehicle from the cousin of the president.

If the cousin of the president decides to give a gift to Tom Nyuma, is it a crime for Tom Nyuma to accept that ‘gift? Did Tom Nyuma deny that same ‘gift’ from an SLPP member? Does such a gift facilitate Tom’s work in the district?

The Kailahun district council is an SLPP one party council. It was like that before the APC came to power. If there is any politically matured person left in the leadership of the SLPP, he/she should be joining Tom Nyuma to praise the president for what he has done for their most loyal base; for reasons I cannot elaborate in this article.

I sympathize with the SLPP, because I know their condemnation of Tom Nyuma’s praise for the president is not from the heart but from the head.

Bluntly speaking they are ashamed that their opponent can do for their most loyal base what they failed to do while in power. A political party does not have to be in governance to do well for their constituents. Take Hamas in Palestine for example. The powers that be were sure they would not win an election but their work for their constituents while in opposition propelled them to victory in the elections. Let us not see our opponents as enemies. Salone is for us all!

I want to join Tom Nyuma in thanking the president for what he has done for Kailahun. I am not sure the people of Kailahun will refuse the health care, or will refuse to drive on good roads, just because they were built by a party they did not vote for. So please back off Tom Nyuma. All the young man wants is the best for his district.

By Cillaty Daboh, USA

Stay with Sierra Express Media, for your trusted place in news!

---

© 2010, https:. All rights reserved.