By Sheik Bakarr Kamara
It is that time of year again. Latest by this time next year, the Sierra Leone People’s Party will return to the polls to elect zonal level officials who will consequently in turn elect constituency officials. They will in turn elect district officials and those elected at district level will elect regional officials. In truth, anyone nurturing standard bearer ambitions knows that the campaign proper is already in full swing. The more delegates you have on your side at all levels of the party’s superstructure, the greater your chances are of sweeping the polls come the standard bearer convention proper.
That regional and ethnic considerations greatly influence the selection of the eventual standard bearer is an understatement. Already, a lot of names are being bandied around. They range from as motley a collection as Brigadier Bio, Ing Andrew Keili, unionist Alpha Timbo, businessman John Benjamin and of recent as activist Alie Kabba whose only claim to fame in Sierra Leone is that he was part of the fabled 1977 student activists who nearly overthrew Siaka Stevens’ administration.
After President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, south-easterners for very good reason only expected a south-eastern candidate to succeed the old man in line with the party’s unwritten rule. President Kabbah obliged and Berewa was duly elected the party’s standard bearer. At the polls in 2007, Berewa lost largely, many party supporters still believe, because the elections were determined not by Sierra Leoneans but by donors in line with their regime-change agenda. That is for another day. If you were the sitting Vice President and Chairman of the Police Council and you were unable to protect your votes that’s really your own funeral.
Come 20012, south easterners wanted another bite at the cherry. This time round however, cracks appeared in the once impregnable south-eastern monolith. The easterners argued with some justification in my view, that the party had never honoured their region with a chance of leading the party to the presidency. But when push came to shove and the party suddenly realised at the eleventh hour that the unassuming dark horse - Usu Boie was about to steal the crown from under their noses, they closed ranks, and the lot fell on Brigadier Bio because, many say, of John Benjamin’s last ditch intervention. Bio led the party to the polls and lost.
The above says a lot about the SLPP. As a party, it cannot afford to be tribal. Founded largely by northern chiefs, it remains without undoubtedly the country’s only real national party. As I write, the party executive’s key positions - the Chairman/Leader and Secretary General are held by northerners. President Kabbah, a northerner, led the party and country for 11 years. Show me a southeasterner who has ever led the APC either as head of party or as a presidential candidate.
Region or ethnic considerations aside, the SLPP – perhaps because of its strong democratic traditions – has always found lots of reasons to create effective competition for those opting to lead it. Allegations about loyalty to the party, or the lack of it, abound. Many in the party, for example, have questioned the decision by their House Minority leader, Dr Bernadette Lahai for openly supporting the APC’s choice for a Speaker of the House. That it took a court decision to save Bernadette’s neck as Minority leader speaks volumes about her loyalty to the party – perceptibly or in reality. Unpopular even among her own constituents many claim, her coziness with the current powers that be can only further insulate her from the party faithful.
Maada Bio, the party’s much trumpeted 2012 standard bearer is said to have been more concerned with feathering his nest than actually fighting for the party at the polls. Many also accuse him of reticence and inaction after the polls at which he claims to have been cheated.
John Benjamin who is credited to have revived the party after 2007 is said to be nurturing presidential ambitions. This many say comes a bit too late in the day. Write him off at your peril though. He definitely does not have what it takes to win a national poll but could however well be a potential king maker.
The affable Ing Andrew Keili has a lot going for him. He possesses critical and strategic skills which can, coupled with his integrity, be crucial to nation building. Many see him as pacifist who could be key in the party’s reconciliation process. Many think however that his too long a sojourn in the private sector deprives him of the much-needed public sector experience required for top state governance. The role of running mate could well be an excellent learning curve for the bespectacled engineer.
Alpha Timbo, the prickly former trade unionist is a potential strong contender. His reasonable showing at the last convention is a pointer to his vote-pulling potential. He may not have what it takes to garner enough votes to emerge as standard bearer, but his loyalty and relative prickliness in the face of perceived APC intimidation make him a key asset to the party. A swashbuckler, he can only complement who ever emerges as the party’s standard bearer.
The party’s greatest leadership conundrum lies in the person of its gelignite former leader- Maada Bio. Many concede he is popular within the party. That popularity however, many others believe, he has largely squandered as he has demonstrably always put self before party. His leadership has marked the most lawless period in the party’s illustrious history. Ironically, his much vaunted dare devilry which could have been an asset particularly in the face of what many party faithful see as APC’s bullish and unorthodox attitude, is fast becoming the party’s undoing.
Many accuse him of stepping on too many toes. His innate bravado which could have been usefully directed at his opponents in the APC, they say, has been used to emasculate his own party. He could provide formidable competition in the standard bearer race, but does not have what it takes to effectively challenge the APC at the national polls. His issues dating back to his NPRC junta days will not help.
This leaves us with peripatetic Kandeh Yumkella. Highly educated and formidably well connected, many see him as the SLPP’s best hope to deliver State House. In his recent official visit, he did enough in his current circumstances to assure his many followers of his ambitions to lead the party. He comes from a background of probity. Furthermore, his intellect, his untainted global stewardship, his unparalleled humility and enormous material contribution to nation building especially in the area of energy, underscores his rock solid leadership credentials. If he can return home early enough, provide the leadership that the party badly craves in this its most trying of times, make the relevant alliances with the party’s myriad capable hands, State House could well be in sight sooner than later for Sierra Leone’s oldest political party.
© Politico 25/11/14
