In Sierra Leone, SLPP damage control, Usman Boie Kamara is an icon

My take on the recent muted visit made by a cross-section of the SLPP executive, including former President Tejan Kabbah and his wife, to Usman Boie Kamara, one of the capable but deprived SLPP presidential candidates, is nothing but a shameless sham. If the said visit, which was made before Usman Boie’s complete resignation from the SLPP, was to smoke a peace pipe with him after he had been shunned by the party he loved so much, it shows how much hypocritical, ungrateful and tribalistic this ancient party, which still behaves like a suckling child, can be.  (Photo: Alhaji Usman Boie Kamara)

This has forced me to ask the following questions: Where were Tejan-Kabbah and his wife, who are now on their knees begging Boie Kamara – where were they when the SLPP was creating all this incurable mess for itself? Where were they when the party ostracized those strong and capable presidential candidates on tribal grounds and chose weak and discreditable Maada Bio for being a Mende? Why does the SLPP executive always fail to execute early intervention in matters that always smear their already smeared reputation?

In Counselling and Conflict Management, there is always the process of what we call “Early Intervention”, which, as the name implies, is simply a quick and timely rescue of a situation to avoid an unforeseen mess. The SLPP have not grasped this idea of early intervention. Therefore, I would recommend that, Maada Bio and his SLPP go to a professional therapist for counselling in order to enable them changes their attitude and behaviour, especially their emotional behaviour. I would also like to suggest that they should seek the service of a Conflict management professional in order to also enable them know how to manage or handle their part issues properly, particularly the issue of triblism.

Former President Kabbah sat quietly by when the so-called SLPP executive members were messing up the party during the process of choosing a suitable presidential candidate to rival President Koroma for the November elections. He waited until things had already fallen apart before he decided to join the band of people cajoling those who left the party to come back. It was rather too late; the NPRC/SLPP cabal had already chosen their own Mende candidate who carries an excess baggage of controversial issues on his shoulders, including violence, corruption and the brutal murder of 29 innocent Sierra Leoneans. It is like locking the door of the stable when the horse had already bolted!

Truly speaking, whether the naïve tribal and regional supporters of the SLPP (who can safely be described as blind Enemies of Progress) think they are doing good to the one-time well respected political party in the country or not, it would have been at their own advantage to choose Usman Boie Kamara as a presidential challenger to President Koroma in the contest for State House.

I am quite sure the SLPP would have stood a chance of unseating the APC in the coming elections. Or even if they would not have won, a run-off would have been possible. But as the situation stands, the question of a run-off election between APC and SLPP can no longer be imagined because the SLPP has messed up its chances, simply because its members can’t divorce tribalism and regional sentiments from modern politics. They have already written their own obituary with indelible ink, come November 2012.

Sierra Leone today is a changing society and Sierra Leoneans are changing rapidly for the better. Those who think they can still practice politics with age-old tribal sentiments will ever remain to stand still while the country keeps moving forward. The good side of it all is that we have a government that is a Working Bee. President Koroma and his government spend so much time working to develop the country after the war and after it had been messed up by the long years of SLPP misrule that the APC government has no time for itself. That’s what we call patriotism.

The sad thing is that when a human being is blinded by an incurable sentiment, he becomes so dangerous that he does not see good in even things that are good. The SLPP see no good in all the good things that the government is doing for the country and they saw no good in other presidential candidates who were not Mende. Those party stalwarts who were not Mende but were blindly following the party finally opened their eyes to see through SLPP trickery and were quick to resign. It is like gaining wisdom at the right time.

Unfortunately for the SLPP, their choice of candidate was the wrong one irrespective of Maada Bio being a Mende because he has not yet attained the seat of government and has started lying to the world about the 700-kilometre road he claimed to have been constructed by his party and denied any laudable construction done by President Koroma. The sad thing is that he only disgraced himself to the rest of Sierra Leoneans and the international community because they are all aware of what and how much President Koroma’s government is doing today to bring Sierra Leone back on its feet.

The funny but serious side of it all is that the SLPP writers, who write trash under fictitious names, accompanied by fictitious doctorate degrees to fool the gullible society, are as petty in mind and argument as their presidential candidate is. The recent one is the bloke who wrote on the Temne leadership issue. It was the same exposure of the tribalism of the SLPP; they can’t say or write anything that does not arouse tribal sentiments. Their ploy is to taint the character of the Temne people as they have tainted theirs, even though they know very well that the Temnes do not know others by tribe but as fellow Sierra Leoneans,

Temnes are good mixers who hardly speak their language in the presence of those who do not understand the language; because of their good and jovial nature, they can live anywhere in Sierra Leone and wherever they live, they call home if they are not discriminated and harassed; they believe in good and Godly leadership, a leadership with a quality character, a development-oriented, peaceful and progressive leadership.

What Temnes don’t like are people who know others not by name but by tribe or region; they don’t trust a person who lies to them today because they know that the person will lie tomorrow; they don’t trust people or political leaders who separate Sierra Leoneans by tribe or region because they (Temnes) are very adventurous people who like to move around and live in every part of Sierra Leone where they can find their living. They are friendly and very accommodating and they follow leaders whose characters are impeccable. Therefore the Temnes are not foolish enough to allow tribalistic politicians or crafty and grumpy writers to use their Temne tribe as a ladder to attain political heights. It is an empty dream!

One would therefore not be surprised to know why the Temnes will hardly support the SLPP; I am pretty sure they will if the SLPP changes its character from the diabolic tribal and regional character to an all-embracing one. When that will happen in the history of Sierra Leone is another big question written in bold letters.

One could observe that by all indications, the members of the Sierra Leone People’s Problem (SLPP), as it was referred to in a recent article I read, are desperately trying to repair their sinking boat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean as they are hit by the All People’s Congress (APC) tornado that is ready to sweep clean the entire votes in the country in November 2012. In their folly, they have rejected Usman Boie Kamara, the only person that would have been  capable of rescuing them from total destruction. Now he has been wise enough to come home to the APC, where he is accepted not by his tribe but as a Sierra Leonean fighting for progress for his country.

Through my assessment, as already indicated above, Usman Boie would have been SLPP’s Man of the People, a man who commands a lot of respect in the country as opposed to Maada Bio, who has messed his character nationally and internationally. But it was rather too late when SLPP went with their heads bowed in shame to ask for reconciliation with the man who they said was not fit to be the SLPP presidential candidate. They knew Usman Boie has a mammoth following and were trying to use him to support their presidential candidate and throw him away in the end.

I will still continue to launch my appeal to all peaceful and development-oriented Sierra Leoneans to continue opposing fellow Sierra Leoneans who are enemies of the state, enemies of progress, and enemies of the hard-earned peace in the country. In view of that, I encourage all patriotic journalists, the Independent Media Commission (IMC), National Electoral Commission (NEC), Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC), the Bar Association, Teachers Union,  religious groups, civil societies,  human rights organizations, Labour Congress, women’s groups, youth organizations, musicians and other artists, traders associations, market women’s associations, student unions, disabled organizations, cassette sellers associations, booksellers associations, photographers associations, newspaper vendors, etc. to rise up and oppose the promoters of tribalism, violence,  regionalism,  hatred and dishonesty,  especially the turn-coat politicians and the devil- incarnate political chameleons in the country before it is too late.

PLEASE, PLEASE MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, THIS IS THE TIME TO PROTECT OUR COUNTRY; THERE IS NO OTHER TIME MORE SUITABLE THAN NOW. WE SHOULD NOT WAIT UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS BEFORE WE BEGIN TO SHOUT. NOW IS THE RIGHT TIME TO SHOUT ALOUD TO SAVE OUR MOTHERLAND FROM ANOTHER CATASTROPHIC WAR. BULLETS FROM AK-47 RIFLES AND OTHER DANGEROUS WEAPONS DON’T DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN A JOURNALIST, AN SLPP OR APC SUPPORTER; EVERYBODY IS A TARGET IRRESPECTIVE OF WHAT TRIBE YOU BELONG TO, WHAT REGION YOU COME FROM, OR WHAT POLITICAL PARTY YOU SUPPORT. WE SHOULD THEREFORE WEAR THE COAT OF WISDOM BEFORE DESTRUCTION COMES.

WHEN GOD SAYS YES, WHO WILL SAY NO?

By Tony Bee, Sydney, Australia

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