Like Koroma, Like Stevens

“But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand”. That is according to Ezekiel 33:6

The saying “Like Ernest Koroma, Like Siaka Stevens” is becoming irrefutably true day by day as we see the developmental strides made by the latter. It is quite true that Stevens was the father and architect of development in Sierra Leone.

It was he who constructed the National Stadium. It was he who constructed Youyi Building which hosts most of the ministries. It was he who constructed many of the roads. His legacies are many. Stevens was a very nice gentleman. He was generous and helpful to many people. On the flip said he was a dictator. I will come to that momentarily.

I see President Koroma too as a nice gentleman. He is generous and helpful to anyone who approaches him for assistance.  At least so it is said. But the Bible says he still lacks one more thing (Mark.10:21) and that is what I wish to dwell on by the end of this series.

However, I would first of all want to draw the attention of leaders to the last words of King David for their meditation and digestion.  He was the second and one of the most powerful and successful Kings in the United Kingdom of Israel.  He said…the Rock of Israel spoke to me:  “He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.  And he shall be like the light of the morning without clouds, like the tender grass springing out of the earth, by clear shining after rain” (2^nd Samuel 23:2-4).

Based on this I ask, do most African Leaders have the fear of God?  Are they just in dealing with their fellow men or subjects? Are they corrupt-free, selfless, and without greed? Do they shine like the morning sun without clouds?  Or are their ways transparent before God and man?

Ezekiel 33:6 (quoted above) considers the pastor, teacher, evangelist, prophet and the apostle, the five-fold ministries to be a watchman to praise, rebuke and warn where necessary so that the world would be a better place to live. And any man of God who fails to stand for the truth or tell authorities or society their misdeeds they will die in sin and their sins will be on the head of the watchman.

But if the watchman blows his trumpet and warns them about their sins or their wickedness, and they do not hear or listen, if they die in their sins, their blood will be on their own heads.  That is why as a man of God I feel touched to throw some light on the political impasse within the APC in Kono especially regarding the Vice President.

If we are to run down memory lane, starting with the oldest party, the Sierra Leone People’s Party (S.L.P.P.) the founding father was Dr. Sir Milton Margai, who went on to become the first Prime Minister of Sierra Leone. He took over governance from the British government and gained independence for the country in 1961.  However, age was not in his favour because he did not live long enough to enjoy the fruits of his labour although he was no spring chicken. He died in 1964 aged 68 years.  But before his death, he had earmarked Dr. John Karefa-Smart to take over the mantle of leadership of the country. In fact, he had so much trust in Karefa-Smart that he appointed him to lead the committee that went to Lancaster House to negotiate for the country’s independence.

Dr. Margai was a man full of wisdom, integrity and nationalism. However, despite having preferred Karefa-Smart as his successor, after his demise some SLPP party stalwarts belonging to the same region and ethnicity as Margai felt the leadership must go to his younger brother.

Consequently, Sir Albert Margai, and not Dr Karefa-Smart succeeded him. The change brought about animosity within the party leading to him quitting the SLPP joining ranks with Siaka Stevens and his then opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party.  You may argue that that was the start of tribalism in Sierra Leonean politics.

In 1967, General Elections were held.  The SLPP lost to the APC and Siaka Stevens who was a former trade unionist. For almost thirty years the SLPP were in political oblivion.

Following the military coup that accompanied those general elections and stalled the transition, Stevens took over the nation’s leadership in 1968 as Prime Minister, and in 1971 the country became a republic and Stevens its first president.

Stevens appointed Dr. Karefa-Smart as Minister of Foreign Affairs for a while, but he always considered him as a threat because of his high educational achievement.  The friendship between the two later became bitter when Stevens accused Karefa-Smart of treason. He was arrested and tried but was not found guilty. He later went into exile.

But it was sad, however, that when President Stevens wanted to step down, his Vice Presidents I and II, who had worked diligently and sincerely with him all throughout his leadership journey, he dumped them, only to bring a new player in major general Joseph Saidu Momoh who was complete political novice. His leadership proved a colossal disappointment and things took a nosedive. From economic decadence to lawlessness and bad governance. The attendant effect was political unrest which resulted in the rebel war. If only Stevens’ vice president 1, S.I. Koroma had taken over we could have averted the loss of so many life and property occasioned by the war. That led to the military coup of the National Provisional Ruling Council.

Even though the nation was yearning for political transformation and jubilantly hailed the young soldiers, they were later disappointed. The youthful exuberance of the soldiers and the compromised old guards that joined them wrecked the boat. The number two man, Capt. S.A.J. Musa, who was a very formidable pillar and bulldozer of the revolution, was a tyrant. He was later sacked and replaced with Capt. Julius Maada Bio.

Bio could well be remembered as a traitor who overthrew his boss, Capt. Valentine Strasser in a palace coup and took over. There was a call for a return to civilian rule. Elections followed with Ahmad Tejan Kabbah and the SLPP in charge. In his two terms he had two different vice presidents after he dropped Dr Albert Joe Demby in 2002. His then Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Solomon Berewa became his Vice President and later his anointed successor as president. But it was not to be as he lost at the polls.

It is no hidden fact that since President Stevens rejected his Vice Presidents and brought into a complete novice, the APC was thrown into oblivion for fifteen years. I suspect Koroma will do exactly the same thing by ditching his Vice President. If he does, he would have done as much towards undoing the APC and the country as Siaka Stevens did. Wait until you get to read Part Two next week.