By Osman Benk Sankoh
It is visibly visible. You can smell it. You can even feel it in the air spreading like tear-gas meant to disperse a raucous crowd at the centre of town. And like a typical war-game, the key actors have dug in very deep in their trenches. They have refused to raise the white flag and what they have left us with is the deep rooted animosity that has clearly exhibited itself even though the elections are still a distance away.
I may be wrong but I have not yet seen or heard of an instance in which the father of the nation, President Ernest Bai Koroma has called the SLPP Presidential Aspirant to congratulate him on his election as his party’s choice to contest the November 17 polls. In the same vein, Maada Bio himself has seen no reason to reach out to the President to present himself as the guy that will pose a serious challenge to him come the presidential election. Yes, United Democratic Party’s (UDM) Mohamed Bangura may be the darling of H.E but has that same privilege being extended to Charles Margai or the other contenders? Have we forgotten that Charles Margai, it was, in 2007 that single handedly dealt a nasty blow to the SLPP and literally handed on a silver platter, Koroma the keys to State House after he had failed in his first bid in 2002? Then, the newly wedded couple (i.e, Koroma and Margai) started on a nice footing but the honeymoon was cut short and today, a divorce seems to have been sealed and settled between the two. I don’t bank on rumors but they are rife and indications are that H.E does not even have the number of Bio on his cell phone let alone has he extended an invite to the latter for a ‘drink up’ at State House or the Presidential villa at Hill Station. This, to me, speaks volume of the tension those at the top are brewing. This, clearly, has unfortunately filtered down to the ordinary supporters or sympathizers of the political divide and it is frightening to say the least.
And what this seeming clear-cut division between the leadership of the various political parties have left in us is to cement our hold on our perceived thinking that if you are APC , then you are no good for this country and vice versa if you are SLPP or PMDC . Come to think of it, Koroma as father of the nation, on the eve of our 50th Independence anniversary suggested a national conference to come up with a development roadmap for the next 25- 50 years for this country. Good as this idea was and for once, giving Sierra Leoneans the unique opportunity of coming together devoid of political differences to chart the way forward, the opposition , namely SLPP and PMDC kicked against it and failed to participate in its proceedings.
This is obviously not the kind of Sierra Leone we want to see and definitely, not the kind of wrong direction we want our leaders to lead us to but unfortunately, even in our Parliament, this is what obtains. Parliamentarians support or oppose primarily based on political convenience or, if you will, party lines. Are there any instances of an opposition Member of Parliament teaming up with his or her opposite number in the ruling party side in the House to table any legislation for enactment? Don’t tell me it is sacrilegious if our constitution is not faulty in fact. For me, it is this politics of intolerance that has continuously being exhibited overtly or covertly by the political divide simply because of their political coloration which, most often than not, is backed by ethnic or regional cleavages that I have issues with.
Make no mistake, the elections will be held in November and they will be won either by President Koroma or Maada Bio or even Charles Margai or in fact , any other contender . These gentlemen, I believe have this country at heart. They all mean well for this nation although their differences lie in the political parties that they belong to or where they come from or even the language they speak.
However, this is not the impression that they have left in our minds; the electorates. The whistle has not yet been blown for campaigning to start but what we have been witnessing is the silly season of politics that normally comes when elections are on our doorsteps. It is so bad that like in Kenya, there are now calls from the government for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to extend its claws of justice to this country ahead of the make or break elections.
Whether the latter comes or not, there is much we as Sierra Leoneans need to learn from each other without waiting for extra tutorials from foreigners who were probably not anywhere around when rebels descended on this nation and wrecked havoc and mayhem on us devoid of our political cleavages or ethnic backgrounds .
But have I lost hope? No! I think we can do better. The leadership of the SLPP, APC, PMDC and even the NDA need to tone down the rhetoric of hate and divisiveness. Let them for once set the stage for all and sundry to first of all think we are Sierra Leoneans before our various partisan beliefs or ethnic or regional ideals. They should set the agenda for reaching out to each other. The APC government should be willing to extend a hand of friendship to the opposition. They may not necessarily be brought into the fore of the day-to-day running of the state but it is no crime to consult or even engage them on some of the inner workings of government. For the opposition, the idea of being spoilers may only spell doom for this nation. They can criticize but these should be constructive and they should be willing to proffer an alternative. Sadly, I am talking about Sierra Leone barely nine months to the next elections and things are just heating up
President Ernest Bai Koroma, Julius Maada Bio, Charles Francis Margai and Mohamed Bangura among others owe it to us as a people of this nation to ensure that our elections pass off peacefully devoid of the bitterness and acrimony that have already being exhibited. They need to clearly demonstrate to us that they can sit down together for a cup of coffee or tea and talk about the welfare of this nation. What should even stop them going together to the National stadium in their green white and blue track suits to watch Leone Stars at a Nations Cup qualifier, I just don’t know.
Maybe, somebody needs to tell the President to reach out to his opponents. Can Dr. Abass Bundu whisper to Maada Bio that Koroma and his APC are not his sworn enemies? Maybe Charles Margai needs to forget about his ‘Plan B’ while Mohamed Bangura needs to recharge his battery for a much more constructive dialogue on what the future holds for this country with or without the APC, SLPP or PMDC now that the case of Schulenburg seems to have been laid to rest.
Now, tell me, is this too much to ask of our leaders?
