By Ibrahim Sheriff, Houston, Texas, USA
I am inclined to weigh in on the Sierra Leone People’s Party’s (SLPP) internal problems revolving on social media and other Sierra Leonean media and social spaces. Let me weigh in NOT as an operative of an independent radio station that I found and direct, and which is called Sherix Webradio, but as a Sierra Leonean who has the God-given right to freely participate in the affairs of the country.
From the conversations I see revolving on social media and other spaces, I am inclined to believe that those who see the SLPP as the weakest political party in Sierra Leone (though paradoxical) always use it as their soft-spot to enter into politics, or navigate their ways to the highest political office in Sierra Leone. And when they do so, those we consider as hardworking and die-hard party enthusiasts are quick to align themselves with sides that bring nothing tangible to the debate, or to the struggle; rather, such alignments open the doors of unending ramblings, arguments and further bolster very unproductive issues within the party – which ultimately continue to stifle its bounce back to political leadership in the country.
It is my perspective that many issues have culminated in the predicament SLPP finds itself in. There is the issue of the party’s lack of reputable elders who command respect and hence, who are looked upon as the guardians of the party’s core values – values such as mutual respect among members, honesty and fairness, transparency, financial probity and accountability, and treating all Sierra Leoneans as “One Country, One People”.
The party lacks the likes of the Mannah Kpakas, the S.B. Marahs, the G.K. Saffas, etc. This is probably so because each one of those whom the SLPP membership considers as elders has either publicly or clandestinely aligned themselves with former and current flag bearer aspirants. As a result, the party is left without a reputable and trustworthy person it must go to for solutions to its problems.
The next obvious issue is the problem created by the SLPP NEC Resolution 3 on December 6, 2012. There was no reason for this resolution. This resolution by itself, and the untraditional silence of the former flag bearer (around whose name and personality the resolution is centered) on the impacts of this resolution on the party’s progress can be blamed as a huge contributing factor to the party’s current embarrassing predicament.
Resolution 3, which declared that, though he lost the presidential election to the incumbent president, that Retired Brigadier General Julius Maada Bio continues to provide political leadership in the SLPP post the 2012 election is not only unconstitutional, but has also planted a dangerous seed of discord among the wider membership of the party. The national delegates’ conference of the party is the highest decision making body whose decision cannot and must not be overturned by any other internal organ or structure of the party.
Therefore, even the SLPP National Executive Council (NEC) comprising the National Officers of the party does not have the constitutional authority and mandate to overturn the decision of the National Delegates’ Conference of the party. SLPP NEC itself is an organ of the party that was elected by the National Delegates themselves. To the contrary, and in contravention of the party’s constitution, the SLPP NEC went ahead and introduced an untraditional motion on that fateful day in violation of and with disregard for the party’s constitution, overturning the decision of the National Delegates who form the only body that makes decision as to who is the legitimate flag bearer of the party, or who must be the political and administrative leaders of the party.
What emanated from that controversial passing of Resolution 3 has been an unending intra-party disunity which has also been a huge distraction from what the party must realistically focus on as a political agenda. And what is unbelievable is the amazing silence of the man the resolution protected – Retired Brigadier-General Julius Maada Bio. Until he does the honorable thing of denouncing the unconstitutionality of the infamous Resolution 3, it will be difficult for the party to unite and focus on a strategic goal.
When the former National Leader and Chairman of the SLPP, John Oponjo Benjamin was asked on Sherix Webradio about the same flag bearer issue which continues to plague the party’s chances, he stated that on his visit to London sometime in 2015, he visited the Conservative Party office in London and asked them the specific question about how they elect their flag bearer.
He said the Conservative Party has a very basic, but standardized approach to electing their flag bearer starting with an application form which must be filled out entirely by any intending aspirant. That such application form has questions and requirements that conduct the first phase of the test on aspirants. Once completed, aspirants are invited to a grilling interview with a panel of reputable, committed and dedicated party elders whose decisions are considered as fair, honest and unsentimental. Once an aspirant passes this phase of the leadership process, he/she is considered by the general party membership as qualified to contest at the party’s primary. SLPP lacks such a process.
The SLPP's internal electoral process hinges more on the funds it raises from aspirants. The question to ask is whether those funds have benefited the party in any way, because it remains financially down to the lowest ebb. It is because of these loopholes within the SLPP’s internal electoral management process that the party sees names which have been challenged for never registering with the party; or for violating the party’s core values; and the list continues to grow.
Of course, the lack of effective leadership in the party also contributes tremendously to its seeming demise. The elections that brought the current administration to power were marred by violence, confusion and allegations of electoral malpractice which saw the party in courts for years – and now stifling its progress beyond that court case.
The current party leadership has failed to reorganize the party, make it focus on the realistic political agenda, push the parliamentarians in opposition to stand on moral and ethical issues which the national electorate can see as justification for re-electing the party to power.
Instead, even though the incumbent party and government have created series of reasons for a soft come back for the opposition SLPP, it has failed to take up the opportunity and hence the incumbent is getting away with a lot of things. When it comes to pragmatic politics, let us give it to the APC. They have been able to plunge the SLPP parliamentarians into so many miscalculations that many now refer to them as the “mumu parliamentarians”.
So what does the party need to do to bounce back to power? Well, to every disadvantage is an advantage. SLPP is on record for providing good governance and for upholding democratic values. It is a party with the best human resources. These are facts, though hard to be accepted by some Sierra Leoneans. However, the problem the party grapples with is replacing complacency with the sense of urgency, bureaucracy with pragmatism, reverting the party from its new Liberalism to its productive concept of modest Conservatism.
To mitigate the increasing propensity of the SLPP internal problems, the party must start with telling truth to the leaders, and the leaders in return must accept their mistakes, apologize and promise never to repeat those mistakes, and then embark on feasible strategies that put the party back on track.
Second, the party must institute realistic internal electoral processes that ensure the upholding of the party’s core values of modest conservatism, respect for members and elders, financial probity and accountability, and resolving conflicts through mediation and acceptance.
Third, the party must never attempt to be ungrateful to hardworking members – especially those who have tangibles to show. The party must watch the national electoral map without sentiment and emotion, or the feeling of attachment or entitlement.
Members must never put themselves above the party – even when they are hailed by their bases, they must lead by example, and do what is right for the furtherance of progress in the party.
The party must embark on strategies that will put in place an ultimate flag bearer who stands the chance of winning the national election.
Fourth, party members who had taken the party to court must get those cases out of the courts and get the honors they deserve, and for the sake of the party’s progress.
Finally, it is undeniable that former presidential ticket for the party, Retired Brigadier-General Julius Maada Bio still commands a huge admiration and support in the South-eastern parts of Sierra Leone. However, the story is sharply different in the North-west. Many will say if Maada is given the second chance, he will win the presidency. Others say, once Maada is given the presidential ticket for the SLPP, that decision will kill the party’s chances for another 10 years.
Without sentiments, one must look at the reason behind the belief from the perspective of the last 2011 voter register of Sierra Leone. According to that Voter Registration record, twice the number of voters registered in the North-west than in the South-east.
Therefore, even if Maada wins a landslide in the Southeast, an opposition candidate with strong North-western votes stands the chance to clinch the national election, and hence, SLPP reclines back to the opposition. I don’t think any SLPP candidate wants the party to recline back to that position – for another possibly 10 years.
So, what must happen? It is my perspective that the Retired Brigadier-General must take a moral high-ground, and do an honorable thing by first, denouncing violence in the party, and calling on all of his South-eastern supporters to rally behind the party’s North-western candidate, who is a member of the party, who has a track-record the party can use as a national campaign benchmark, who has no record to defend, and who stands the chance of massively dividing the North-western votes.
In this case, while the Retired Brigadier-General holds the strategic position of Vice Presidential ticket, the party will be sure of carrying the entire South-eastern votes and huge votes from the North-west. That is a plausible strategy that many think works.
(C) Politico 30/07/15
