Sierra Leone Telegraph: 12 September 2022:
A shocking leaked video showing one of the Ruling SLPP party grandees – Alie Kabba, advocating for the use of undemocratic and illegal tactics during this period of voter registration to ensure that his party stays in power after general and presidential elections next year, beggars belief.
After years of accusation of acting as one of the key actors behind Foday Sankoh’s Rebel movement that brought untold suffering to the people of Sierra Leone during the country’s decade long war, many in Sierra Leone had given Alie Kabba the benefit of doubt to become one of the top politicians in the SLPP party, if not in the country.
For many of Alie Kabba’s supporters who regard him as a liberal democrat that champions democratic freedoms, listening to his anti-democratic diatribe in that video will bring shivers to their spine.
Critics say that this video clip of Ali Kabba, former Foreign Affairs Minister, former UN Representative for Sierra Leone, and SLPP campaign manager for the 2018 elections talking about the need for the SLPP party to rig the voter registration process, is nothing short of dangerous criminality.
The Sierra Leone Telegraph attempted to contact Alie kabba for his reaction and views about the video without success.
You can watch the video here:
A leopard never changes its spots. Once a criminal, always a criminal. A man like Ali Kabba, associated with the killing machine of Foday Sancoh, can only be described as devoid of any human feelings, particularly empathy. History is full of his kind, who are ready to sacrifice human life on a large scale as long as it yields the desired result.
Ali Kabba knows, or should know, that any attempt to undermine the political process in the country to illegitimately or illegally allow SLPP to maintain their grip on power can only sow the seeds of yet another conflict, whose repercussions may be too gruesome to contemplate. This time, the sea of blood which SLPP have created by summary executions all over the place will drown the entire SLPP oligarchy. It’s sad and unfortunate to write in these terms, but Ali Kabba and others who think like him should be forced to face stark realities because of their phenomenal selfishness and lack of basic patriotism.
Ali Kabba may be stupid but he is not mentally retarded, he knows that his party is in trouble at the polls, that’s why he has trouble concealing the need for it to spread all its deformed tentacles to ensure that the registration of voters is aligned with its obnoxious intentions. It is not lost to him either that Earnest Koroma forgot to bury NGC after foolishly believing that he had killed it in 2018. Now NGC operates in the two known worlds – physical and spiritual. Which of the two is vulnerable to attack as voters are now paying more attention to the leadership of Drs Bright and Yomkella ?A conundrum for Ali Kabba,
Yei Manga says “If Mr Kabba is hard saying that the essence of the voter registration is to avoid a run-off, I do not see how that can be interpreted as a crime”. Across the democratic world, especially those aspiring to be truly democratic states, the registration of citizens for election purposes is mostly viewed as a civil responsibility rather than political. Consequentially, the percentage of citizens who vote at elections is mostly much more lower than those who indeed registered, not to mention the total population.
In semi-democratic states like Sierra Leone however, our corrupt political leaders are always working around the clock to dilute and defraud the democratic process for personal political gains. Various road blocks and disenfranchising methods to subdue and deter citizens participations, specifically from opposition strongholds have been in place from the onset. This explains why reports of first time voters being rejected predominantly in opposition strongholds, in addition to the deliberate allocation of ill prepared and nonfunctioning registration equipments to those areas.
More worrisome is what undemocratic politicians like Alie Kabbah, haves plans in the making. In 2007 elections, a swathe of Kailahun district polling centers were invalidated for over voting. This simply means the number of votes counted surpassed those that registered in those areas. So with Alie Kabbah having that in mind, he is now set to step ahead of the game. His statement said it all. To avoid run off, inflate the number of would be voters in their stronghold, while those in opposition areas are deflated. Come election day, a counter argument is in place for ballot stuffing, since the work is in the making as we speak.
“SLPP Presidential aspirant Alie Kabba’s criminality exposed?” – Sierra leone telegraph.
I do not know if there are other segments to this video that we the readers here are not privy to. Although the title of the article is in a form of a question, the accompany video listed as part 4 does not reveal any nefarious action or saying from Mr. Kabba to suggest that he is saying something or planning something or organising something that is illegal. Few days ago there was a press release from the electoral commission encouraging politicians to go t to their wards and encourage the electorate to participate in the voter registration exercise
If Mr Kabba is hard saying that the essence of the voter registration is to avoid a run-off, I do not see how that can be interpreted as a crime. But as I said, there might be other segments to this video that some of us are not privy to. If there is I think it should be turn over to the relevant authorities so that an example can be set on him as it is a crime to tamper or cause the registration of person not eligible to register or double registration
This is another fight by Alie Kabbah by other means .The proof of his democratic credential or perceived believe in a peaceful democratic process is not only undermined by his diatribes on this video, but is hard for any Sierra Leonean to defend him not only for his association with the RUF during our country’s darkest history , aided and abated by the likes of Liberia’s former dictator Charles Tayor , Blaise Campahore of Bukina Fasso , and former Libya’s dictator Col.Gaddaffi .During the RUF years , fifty thousands of our fellow Sierra Leoeans were murdered in cold blood , and countless others were subjected to the most brutal atrocities man is capable of inflicting on his fellow man.The effects of which are still with us today .The recent cost of living demonstration in Freetown and other parts of the country is a timely reminder we might have silence the guns ,but we haven’t won the peace yet .What Alie Kabbah and his ilk is doing, since he and his henchmen in the RUF failed to achieved their initials aim of taking over the government through the barrels of the gun , he has now recalibrated his strategy to undermine our democratic process , so the party he now supports will rigged he next election by using the inept Sierra Leonean national Electoral commission .Political violence has been the mainstay of all those that involved or collaborated with Foday Sankoh and his psychopathic supporters that terrorised Sierra Leoenans for eleven years brutal civil wars.The Alie Kabbahs are the real enemies of the state of Sierra Leone .They have nothing to offer our country but misery , divisions and under development .The economic challenges and the security threats facing our country cast a huge shadow over ex-combatants lives .The Bio government have been a sluggish in making the necessary reforms to enhanced our peace process , instead is playing blind and deaf to the changes need in our country .Alie Kabbah has no part in the national political discourse .
‘Our beloved country does not need a former rebel leader to rule our country. Why did he make the choice being a rebel with Foday Sankoh to attain power. No no!’
You have said it all, Mr Bangura. That is indeed the true measure of President Bio, his party and government. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. The Rebel-Sobel tandem of yesteryears is very much alive and explains why Kabba and Bio are no strange political bedfellows. As far as the two are concerned, remaining in power by whatever means is all that counts. There are no holds barred. Daylight electoral robbery in the shape of a bogus census and an egregiously flawed voter registration exercise, is the strategy for now. If and when that fails, violence will be the next step up. I feel like weeping for our country.
Ali kaaba is not fit to rule our beloved country, according to his rebel past. Our beloved country does not need a former rebel leader to rule our country. Why did he make the choice being a rebel with Foday Sankoh to attain power. No no!