Julius Maada Bio: The New Direction

The ever-enduring and self-comforting spirit of SLPP (Sierra Leone People’s Party) will again doom this Elite Party in the would-be General Elections in 2017/18. It is all but loud and clear that SLPP, especially under the stewardship of Julius Maada Bio, will never learn its lessons. It is no hidden secret that winning elections in the Third World starts with national census, followed by voter registration. In between that, however, there has to be endless efforts to win over Chiefdom Paramount Chiefs. This is the start of gaining the numbers that actually count for winning elections of whatever nature. This is even more compelling when it has to do with what is generally accepted as the diehard caucuses of contending political parties. You have to control your own end or you are doomed when others make in-roads into your stronghold.
 
In Sierra Leone, the Southern and Eastern caucuses are generally known as the SLPP strongholds while the Northern caucus is the no-go zone exclusively dedicated to APC Party. The Western Area is a region always up for grabs by who outsmarts the other(s). In the 2012 elections, APC desecrated the Southern and Eastern caucuses in the so-called APC in-road into SLPP stronghold. Prior to the elections, so much was said and written about this in-road but little was done by the then SLPP Party leadership to blunt out the APC in-road. SLPP relied and still continues to rely on noisy youths (the so-called Bio’s Eyes) who use strength instead of knowledge to map out successful strategies for winning a political course. To our least imagination, APC scored startling votes in the Southern and Eastern caucuses in that election and we all wondered how. Whistleblowers leaked out so much on the game-changing strategies in the election but no concrete action was taken in that direction. SLPP sat like a lost child in the wilderness naively wishing for a mystical rescue. Such was the fate of SLPP in the just concluded 2012 elections and such will exactly be the fate of SLPP again in the would-be 2017/18 elections.
 
After the reckless loss to APC, SLPP (the Party of endless endurance and self-comfort) came up with many false scenarios to comfort its diehard followers. First, it was petitioning the elections in the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone under the APC Government. The petition case was never put together within the time span stipulated by the laws of Sierra Leone, giving APC the legal basis to throw out the case as nonsense. Next, was the rumor of power-sharing, as we later learned that that too was another soft strategy to cool off a frustrated crowd. Then was the Bio’s Special-Copter Flight to Conakry (SCFC), which indeed sealed up everything else in favor of APC. That Package of SCFC peace pursued by Bio was craftily well loaded with massive handshakes. Bio, the top leadership and the respected elders of SLPP (including Pa Belewa) all got beautiful shares of that epic generosity by APC. The SCFC peace trip took whatever steam that remained in the struggle and the story completely changed a “done deal for 2017/18.”

Indeed, the game became a done deal, the people were stunningly betrayed and the millions of SLPP diehards across the country today live in that shadow of mystery. All we heard next was that the Merciful Father of the Nation (His Excellency Dr. Earnest Bai Koroma) will do all it takes to secede power to Bio in the 2017/18 elections. So all SLPP needed again was to maintain Bio as the Flagbearer of the SLPP Party.
 
Bio has ever since been touted as the Saint of the SLPP Party. The Bio’s Eyes are everywhere using excessive noise and brute strength to quieten anyone who dare say otherwise. Dr. Earnest Bai Koroma failed in his first attempt but then succeeded in his second to be the President of Sierra Leone and so shall it be with Bio. This is the governing political gospel of the Bio camp and come what may, Bio must be the SLPP flagbearer in 2017/18.

SLPP must resolutely reject any alternative philosophy if it is to win the next elections. But has Charles F. Margai not tried several times and failed in every case? What can we say about Dr. John Karefa-Smart who tried until death without ever succeeding? What is so special about Bio that the fate of these diligent gentlemen can never befall him in his ‘must-win’ political ambition?
 
APC has firmly embarked on rewriting the national constitution and conducting general census before the 2017/18 elections. APC will also have to choose the Electoral Commissioner and provide security for the elections. The good thing is that SLPP is not bothered by what shape and form any of these will take and it will impact the 2017/18 elections. The “Paopa” camp is having a great time with Bio so long as their divine will of having Bio as the flagbearer of the SLPP Party is done. Whether SLPP wins the elections or not is a different story to this “Paopa” camp. Now even before the constitution is written or a census done, APC is busy taking over the so-called SLPP stronghold.
 
On the directive of President Dr. Koroma, Ambassador Foh deserted his post and was in town for a special mission, to make in-roads in the SLPP stronghold in the Southeast. Foh was appointed as the President’s special eye to oversee the Paramount Chief elections in Jimmy Bagbo Chiefdom, Bo District. In this heartland of Bo with the strongest SLPP sensation, Foh was given Le 1.5 billion to buy over the 1500 eligible Chiefdom Councilor votes in the election. This implies that each Councilor was allotted Le 1.0 million to have an APC Paramount Chief elected. This news was so much excitement to the Councilors that they told Foh that they in fact needed only Le 0.5 million per Councilor to get the will of the APC done in the election. That was the done deal and that was indeed how APC’s current Paramount Chief of Jimmy Bagbo Chiefdom won the recent election. So Victor Foh not only made away with Le 750 million deep in his pocket, but also easily got the vote to have APC incumbent elected into the Chiefship of his Jimmy Bagbo Chiefdom.
 
One then wonders why APC is spending so much for just a Chiefdom-level election. We are all aware of what happened in the last elections and we are now under no illusions that a similar thing will happen on a greater magnitude in the 2017/18 elections. APC is desperate for the Chiefdoms in the SLPP strongholds so that the census and voter lists can be inflated in its favor in these regions. Now, what could this be other than a stern warning against all proponents that it is a done deal that Koroma will hand over power to Bio come 2017/18? SLPP must wake up now or it will again be doomed under its ever-enduring and self-comforting spirit of unrealistic political calculations. These same irrational calculations made SLPP to rule in disguise for APC throughout the 11 years period from 1996 to 2007 under the late President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah. We hope that “a word for a wise” is sufficient.

God Bless Sierra Leone!
By Sulay B. Conteh