NDA speaks over tribal claims
All is not rosy within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). It emerged from the onset that ethnic dominance – in this case ‘fullahnism’ or fullahnising the authority of the party will not augur without a wholesome setback. Not longing for explanations this time, the party is inset with test cases in the build-up to it maturation.
Following the party’s establishment in 1996, NDA has had no real time than now it has begun receiving donor aid as support from PPRC and UNIPSIL.
It seems also that lot of volunteers of the party in the years gone by have been waiting for the party to gain fruits, like political funding to display pleasurable interest, which in their thoughts and considerations are rights they must pursue and not ones to beg or lobby for.
It is equal in thoughts and by observation that there have been elm-roses in the party in disguise that never have political interests but rather materialists who nurture the party for maturation and wait to feast on it fruits in return.
Now it seems clear that the NDA is putting on a brave fight with a civic argument, in the first place to say they have a right, as citizens to establish political institutions and accord such institutions freedoms of association and assembly.
In a chat with the NDA General Secretary, Mohamed S. Jalloh, he said his party, NDA has an open call criteria for interested persons to signup for membership and are not busy promoting tribal union in any guise of tribalism. “We’re not unionists and not privy to tribes, class, personality, religion, region, sex and character of persons who come to sign up for our membership”, he says. “We’ve never passed a rule that only Fullahs are eligible for membership, and those accusing us of Fullahnising the NDA are just being unjust and fairly dishonest with themselves. They are flaming nothing but the fire of genocide,” he states.
Mohamed S. Jalloh said their executive positions are voted for in a National Delegates’ Conference and their elective majority is not contrived of their rights to rational judgments to decide on a choice of candidacy.
Now the scold park to shield the party has got skeletons in some cupboards. The issue of autocracy came up with allegations banded about the party’s constitution. Some members saying the party’s constitution is not available to them for perusal, a claim the General Secretary denied is untrue. The mouth held question is that the NDA constitution is said to have wielded much power to the leader that he can veto decisions at will without voting a quorum for such decisions. The symbiosis there is that the party is showing concerns to secure its position as they progress, while the total sanity needed in the party is inclusive justice that determines both spirit of tolerance and intra-party democracy.
The Secretary General disclosed to me that they have scenarios whereby certain decisions he called ‘democratic’ are taken requires the views of their general membership. He cited example in the build up to the 2007 Presidential elections run-off, when the party hierarchy have to consult views of the general members and consented to form an alliance with the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP).
He holds clarity by saying he allowed other members with opposing views to shift their decisions in order to rein supreme their democratic values in the party.
Meanwhile, the six members who recently expressed contra-views in a Press Conference held at SLAJ headquarters, on 56 Campbell Street, Freetown have been suspended according to an official release from the NDA secretariat dated February 7, over claims that the six individuals took onus of self authority to convene a Press Conference that was not authorized by the party’s secretariat. The six who include Chernor Maju Bah, outgoing Deputy National Chair of NDA, Albert Abou, outgoing National Organizing Secretary, NDA, Alpha Issa Bah, outgoing Public Relations Officer, NDA, Philip Temgbeh, Alex Kaikai and Amadu L. Bah reportedly exposed to the public that their party is being run with tribal antics among other allegations.
The six stated in a Press Release dated February 3, and I quote paragraph 4 and 5 thereof: “However, in the past few months, the above mentioned people have attempted to link and align our beloved party with another political party, which is in contravention of the NDA core values. They have also attempted to inject tribalism within the party by forming cabal of Fullah operatives within the party…..”
The NDA secretariat has accused in response the six opposing members of having ulterior motives to slander their image and that they understood that Chernor Maju Bah has defected to aspire for a candidacy symbol in the ruling All People’s Congress, Alpha Issa Bah, I’m told has had membership dues deficit and has been inactive in the party since coming from their last Delegates’ Conference in Kabala in 2007.
The party’s National and International Coordinator, Abdul Razak Bah described the six as dissidents, saying they have scores of issues to settle with them in a court of law. He said the dissident are masterminding genocide plots against their party which contravenes the All Political Parties Code of conduct and the United Nations Charter on resolutions against the promotion of violence that may emanate from ethnic incitement.
By Abu Bakarr Sulaiman Tarawally
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