Multipartyism in Sierra Leone

To simply put it (for us the ‘laymen’), multipartyism is that (political) system lawfully involving more than one party in the running of a country.

If my memory serves me right, the political scientists (or who/whatever they may be called) say multipartyism, among others, entrenches accountability in the dealings of a government.

Do we need this?

Yes, we do.

Undoubtedly, accountability brings with it efficiency in a government’s dealings, among others. Those ‘good happenings’ are all bittersweet goodies or pills which can hardly be swallowed by the majority of Sierra Leoneans, leaders and followers alike, even though they are known to be the foundation upon which multipartyism can be built.

In my opinion, Sierra Leone was (questionably) at peace with itself during uniparty times, than these days of multipartysim. Party sentiments tend to be more reinforced than tribal or even religious sentiments in Sierra Leone. Some thoughts may argue that party sentiments are based on tribal lines, or more or less intertwined. In as much as this may be true, yet tribal sentiments exercise much flexibility. Among the mere six million people, some amount of miscibility can be observed among the various tribal or religious factions, as evidenced in the practice of inter-marriages, but a great amount of ‘partition distribution’ tends to occur, when talking/practicing politics in Sierra Leone.

It has brought so much division that those who practice this politics of division, don’t even realize, or to the least fail to realize, regardless of party affiliation, that we’re all talking about one and only one Sierra Leone.

In the name of party politics, people tend to draw physical boundaries along party lines, like exempting any venture or people not associated with a particular party from a related area in the country.

It is not uncommon in Sierra Leone for a member of one party to swear to his God to undermine the efforts of another party in nation building, simply because s/he doesn’t want that party to gain credit. In such an instance, the party may lose that credit, but the country, of which this individual is an entity, loses even more.

People, unfortunately placed in a particular position, have used their office to frustrate the effort of other citizens in helping all, for reasons better understood when interpreted in the party politics context.

This just shows that our style of multipartyism puts party ahead of country.

In the end, only the animals (nonhuman) and plants stand by, on the periphery and watch (of course in tears), as the country slowly (if fortunate) sinks.

The good side of multipartyism may be heavier than its bad side, but how feasible is this practice in Sierra Leone? Sierra Leone suffers not from the inherent disadvantages of multipartyism alone, but in addition, from the misinterpretation of its practice.

The aim of every people is to live a better life, whether long or short. So if multipartyism has just succeeded in dividing us, and fully knowing that, divided we fall, WHY THEN PRACTICE IT?

By: Ibrahim B. Kai-Samba (Bob K)

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