By Umaru Fofana
“With the guns silenced, oil money and Chinese investment started to flow. New wealth granted… [the ruling party has] the means and the incentive to hold on to government and systematically entrench its members in every echelon of…life. [Their]…dominance stems from the complementary forces of ‘monopolistic politics’ and ‘monopolistic economics’…The oil revenues make it easy to buy support ...the benefits are substantial for those who adhere to and prove loyal to the party, but unavailable to those who are in opposition.”
The above is contained in the December 2012-January 2013 edition of “AFRICA IN FACT, the journal of good governance in Africa”. The 52-page issue deals with the issue of the conundrum opposition parties and their supporters find themselves in on the continent.
The journal continues: “The [ruling party’s] patronage network is pervasive, extending into the private sector, academia and the judiciary. Party loyalty is rewarded handsomely. Young people who do not join the [ruling party’s] youth wing struggle to qualify for study scholarships. Those who are not members of local party committees face barriers to…promotion and even employment…The [governing party] control of the media and its lavish campaign spending create an environment in which opposition parties struggle to gain traction…”
The quote you just read is actually about Angola. Angola, as described here, can pass for Sierra Leone. It pretty much reads like it and probably even worse. Worse I say because added to the monolithic approach of the ruling elite is the fact that the main opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party are in utter disarray. Despite the pretence and charade they make of efforts to heal their schisms they are still at each other’s throat. Rather tragically it is not based on any ideological difference. Rather, like those in power, vaulting ambition and greed are at the heart of it all.
One of the compounding reasons for the disloyalty to the people by the opposition SLPP is that the bickering within their party is both inside and outside of parliament. As one of only two political parties in the House, the SLPP have not impressed in challenging issues brought forward by government. And that latter fault is entirely the fault of the minority leader, Dr Bernadette Lahai. She has for some bizarre reasons changed from the opposition MP who used to hold the feet of the government to the fire in the interest of the people if only to have things done the proper way. That was when she was an ordinary MP. Ironically as majority leader she has lost the people-centred approach to the extent that her other colleague opposition MPs cannot challenge issues because protocol demands that once she speaks on an issue no other member of her party does.
Be that as it may, it is a dangerous development that may leave the party in further sixes and sevens if they press on with efforts aimed at unseating Dr Lahai as minority leader especially when such appears to be being done with the fallout of the recent party election in mind. I will return to that fallout momentarily. However, for sure she cannot be removed from her seat. Not even if she proves disloyal to her party. Yes she can by Section 77/k of the 1991 constitution, but the recent happening involving the then PMDC parliamentarian, Legacy Sankoh which was stifled by APC MPs, suggests otherwise. Or even the 1996 parliament between Dr John Karefa-Smart and 12 of his MPs which the then ruling SLPP party scuppered.
Besides, if the reason for wanting to unseat Bernadette Lahai is because of her apparent newfound closeness to and soft spot for the president and his government, the opposition SLPP should ask themselves as to who, between she and her likely successor Sidi Tunis, is more establishment-leaning. Tunis is a self-confessed “very good friend” of the president’s. We all know what that means, not least with more allegations emerging that the president doled out tens of thousands of dollars to different shades of groups in the run-up to the last election, and still does so to some groups.
Any concrete evidence or even concerns against Dr Lahai, relative to her action or inaction in the House, the party should be able to trigger its internal resolution mechanism to call her to order with a view to making her understand her limitations and what is expected of her as the leader of the opposition party in the House.
My concern over the real intention for the bid to remove Dr Lahai is that supporters of Julius Maada Bio and the current party Chairman, Chief Somana Kapen are hunting for those who did not support their candidate in the last congress. That removes the moral high ground from under the feet of the SLPP who have been accusing the governing APC, rightly so, of removing people in public offices deemed to be supporters of the opposition SLPP. So why fire back?
I have always emphasised the need for strong internal democracy within our country’s political parties. The lack thereof has the tendency of being transported into state governance. And the consequences are easily imagined. There are a lot of mistakes being made already by the present ruling party, largely because of its problematic internal democratic structure, for Sierra Leone to want to afford another such being entrenched in the other main political party.
I would have assumed that the current leadership of the SLPP should have called up a meeting of party MPs led by their leader in parliament, Dr Bernadette Lahai, with a view to addressing some core issues bedevilling the party, chiefly Lahai’s apparently unsatisfactory leadership style. But an internal rebellion that has seen some of them sign a petition to remove her will lead to more bloodletting in the party. Lahai is not alone. The outcome of the leadership election in Bo showed a party that was sharply divided almost right down the middle. That should sound as a warning for any party that is worth its salt to not want to split hairs any further or ferment further rebellion.
But Lahai should also appreciate the fact that whatever relevance she has today was because of her party. Yes she did extremely well for her efforts at getting a sound education. But she did not go beyond that, politics-speak, to give herself any serious political relevance for parliament or even beyond. Let’s not pretend because we all know how MPs are voted for in Sierra Leone. In the interest of her political career, her constituents, and the progress of the country, Dr Lahai has to rethink her strategy and do her work as minority leader as diligently as she used to.
Sierra Leone’s opposition must be re-railed in the interest of the masses. This cannot happen if the party’s position in parliament is not first dealt with. This cannot happen if the Bernadette Lahai question is not addressed with more care and caution.
(C) Politico 30/10/13
