RANDOM MUSING - A POINT OF VIEW:
" The Early Morning Dew Has Passed Away At Noon"
Raymond Dele Awoonor-Gordon
17 June 2010
Yes. The swarm of wasps has descended to haunt
us. There is now a crushing sense of déjà vu. The
resolute and forthright realm that I, for one
thought beckoned, has given way to the politics of
emotion. The hunter has become afraid of his gun.
Just when we thought we had banished the ghost of
political rascality and entered a new era, we get
clobbered with what must be one of the most
ill-advised and ill-timed political judgement. We
are about to negotiate a major intersection very
badly but those driving believe it is classy
manoeuvres.
But temptation is always the father of distortion. It
is obvious that to save its face, the government
will not retract its steps; even though it knows
that the swirl and spin of its decision on the
impending move against the NPRC; or to put it more
bluntly, against some perceived opponents, will
reverberate long after the numbskulls pushing for
the cock-up would have departed.
Deep down it knows that this indeed, is the start of a
vicious circle. It is a rough road to truth. But
really, the best thing about the future is that it
comes only one day at a time. That is why it always
comes. The families of those killed or incarcerated
deserve to seek justice and truth.
However, I do not believe that it should be for
political expediency or at the expense of the rest
of the nation. If indeed justice is the goal, then
the minute politics is introduced, they should seek
their succour elsewhere.
The past cannot be changed but dealing with history is
a very difficult terrain and this is why even
countries like the UK tread carefully with issues
like the Bloody Sunday or even the Iraq inquiry.
Civilised countries carry out independent
investigation.
For the sake of argument, why has this issue taken
such prominence all of a sudden? Why is it three
years down the lifespan of this government that it
realise that the issue is so essential to our very
survival that every available financial and human
resources must be diverted from a better life for
the people into unravelling the ‘truth’? Yet, a
vital body like the Youth Commission, to deal with
the burden and dilemma of our ‘future’ is still in
the realm of the imagination and the easel of our
artists.
Why are other cases also crying out for justice not
included? For example, Aminata Fornah has campaigned
ceaselessly for the truth to be told about her late
father yet this does not warrant any intervention or
succour? Is it because she is not in the corridors
of power? Why now? Etc, etc, etc.
Argue as much as possible.
Slaughter the ineffective opposition SLPP and even the
defunct NPRC as much as you want. Turn anybody that
has been in power into the scapegoat and let all
those wringing their arms with glee and grinning
like Cheshire cats, kid themselves that they are on
to a winner and getting their pound of flesh.
In fact let them rejoice in advance that once the
trial by proxy gets underway mouths would be shut
forever. But believe me that is missing the point.
Because this is about more than getting justice for
a few aggrieved. This is about setting a very, very
dangerous precedent.
As it is, the trifecta socio-political issues have
been (1) polarised and politicised (2) the key
actors have been criminalised even before the start
of the exercise and (3) in a move that casts shadow
over the transparency of the probe, some of the
major players in government have given a clue as to
what the judgement would be and the general
direction of the investigation even before the
commission in charge is set up.
And then just imagine this. Another twenty years or so
and power has changed hands. What happens then if
the new hungry hyenas then decide that the cocaine
saga was a dent and the trial a sham with the wrong
persons made scapegoats?
What happens if they decide that errors like the
Income Electrix mismanagement; to which the present
government has admitted its error in black and
white, was not a mistake but a web of fraud by this
same set of people today who are not afraid to tread
where even angels fear to go?
This adamant step will come back one day to haunt
those turning deaf ears to the voice of reason to
let sleeping dogs lie and bygone be bygone. One of
the easiest things to do in this world is to find
excuses for whatever action or inaction that we
take.
In fact if I were to be Maada Bio, I would stay and
fight my corner. And considering that he says he
loves the country so much as to want to rule it; to
give the masses a better future, let him show his
credentials and ‘die’ a martyr by being persecuted.
Let him put his money where his mouth is. Let him
dare the ‘saints’ that are marching into ‘Zion’.
No matter what people like the UN Secretary General,
who is not conversant with the socio-cultural and
political DNA of Sierra Leone is quoted as saying
(was he given the true picture in the first place?),
a politically motivated and obviously ‘phoney’
search for truth and justice in this hour, ignores
the very ingredient it seeks to unearth and is a
disastrous return to the very mistakes of the past
that we wish to leave behind.
It will only raise more questions than answers since
the finger of blame itself falls on the antics of
the APC-led joke of a government headed by Momoh and
which ultimately gave birth to the emergence and
perceived shenanigans of the delinquent NPRC.
Therefore, combining the killer instinct of a paid
assassin with the torture mechanism of a psychopath
in dealing with the issue; almost two decades on, is
a sad commentary on the brave new world of
level-playing field under the banner of Attitudinal
Change. It says the worm has wasted no time in
turning.
Sadly, instead of being the embodiment of stoicism in
the pressure cooker of our national malaise and much
adversity, President Koroma has once again allowed
the egalitarian spirit of vindictiveness that runs
through the blood of some of those around him or to
whom he is indebted, to rear its head.
Although there had been hints that the present
generation of power wielders were reared on the
political milk of their forefathers, I had thought
that the wind of change promised and sometimes
displayed by the President - EBK, had incinerated
the last vestiges of the damning index of ‘dirty’
politics and blinkered views.
Actions such as being displayed by the government is
why the world’s most valuable individual prize,
specially for political leaders in Africa, is not
being awarded for the second year running. African
leaders are often tempted to want to hang on to
power at all costs by annihilating those seen as
threats or by implementing strategies that will
perpetuate their hold.
The government as it is, is trapped in a parochial
navel-gazing set-up that it ought to have outgrown
by now and some officials in and around governance
are fading disciples of the struggle for change. So,
instead of the lockjaw determination of a pit bull,
the regime is being enveloped by a sudden flurry of
graft and lack of vision.
As the nation sinks deeper into economic and social
disorder, those scheming to cover up our motion
without locomotion, appear contented because the
anarchic environment is conducive to plunder and
predation; while behind the mirth, something
chilling is going on and we remain in denial of the
realities on the ground.
Where did we miss it? Our drivers keep telling us they
have the destination in mind but the passengers only
hear the hum of the bus’ engine but cannot perceive
substantial motion. Our bleeding economic cut
continues to fester and we remain perpetually
stranded at the bus stop of under-development. These
are to me, the issues of the day and we shall return
to them next.
Raymond Dele Awoonor-Gordon
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