Osman Bikal Kamara: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 10 September 2020:
We at the National Reformation Movement (NRM) wish to inform the public that we have met with the APC leadership over the past one month to try to resolve the constitutional issues which form the centre of interest of our reformation efforts.
On July 1, 2020, the leadership of the NRM met with that of our party, the All People’s Congress, at the party’s headquarters, where both parties made commitment to the search for a negotiated settlement. In that meeting, which was summoned by the Facilitator, Dr. Ibrahim Bangura, both parties also made commitment to the observance of a rule that forbids the reporting to the public of information disclosed in the course of the negotiation.
In the early July of 2020, a few days after our meeting on July 1, we submitted three copies of our negotiating document to the Facilitator for onward submission to the party’s Chairman, Deputy Leader and Secretary General. These documents were indeed submitted for a response from the leadership of our party.
Since that submission of our negotiating demands, the process seems to have resulted in an absolute stalemate. The leadership has resorted to tactics that are not conducive to the resolution of the issues that forced the NRM to go, unavoidably, to court. It is as result of that stalemate, the party’s leadership’s violation of rule that forbids public disclosure of information, inter alia, that we have decided to bring the issue to the public.
On the very day we submitted our negotiating document, the leadership of our party violated the rule that forbids public disclosure of information, and our negotiating document was leaked to Adebayor, a gutter commentator and an establishment misinformation propagandist, who discussed some of its contents at length and went on to proclaim, in a ridiculous manner and louder than ever before, that the party’s leadership would not negotiate with the NRM.
On that same day, the NRM was on the receiving end of a barrage of invectives and imbecility from the gutter commentator.
It is becoming increasingly clear to us that the party’s leadership does not have the political will to resolve this matter on the table. Quite clearly, the party’s leadership came to the negotiating table with a double agenda: while appearing to be interested in a negotiated settlement, prominent party functionaries who said to be acting under the instructions of the party’s leadership are secretly engaging the plaintiffs and another actors to get them to stand prepared to withdraw the case from court before the resolution of disputes in the APC, just like they have done with the one plaintiff.
The fact is that the faithful plaintiffs within our fold are more than determined to see a logical conclusion of our case.
The leadership of the NRM, therefore, wishes to inform the manipulators, to whom negotiation means manipulation, that their unconventional negotiating tactics will serve them no useful purpose. The NRM is a disciplined, structured movement, and accordingly, the decision to withdraw the case from court does not lie in the exclusive hands of any plaintiff. To say it is impossible to reach any other agreement in the absence of a response to the negotiating document we submitted in the early July of 2020 is to understate our resolve.
The throwing up of one obstacle after another, the stonewalling towards our negotiating document, the persistent harassing of the plaintiffs and other NRM actors and the evident desire to manipulate them, the double agenda and the ongoing attempt by the our party’s leadership to renew their mandate in the guise of a convention, in violation of the court order and in utter disregard to the negotiations, make the call to negotiate looks like an Orwellian doublespeak and the search for a negotiated settlement all the more complex.
In conclusion, while we are still committed to a negotiated settlement, we wish to assure all comrade reformers, at home and abroad, that our commitment to the creation of conditions that guarantee equal participation and a level platforms for all comrades in the APC is unshakable.
As the party’s leadership goes about hatching one plan after another to manipulate the process, let them be reminded of the court order and our collective resolve to deliver the knockout jab on the dictatorial construction of our party’s internal politics. We went to court to correct the injustice and inequalities in our party, and these must be addressed BEFORE WE WITHDRAW THE CASE FROM COURT.
I must also, on behalf of the movement, extend our appreciation to the Facilitator, Dr. Ibrahim Bangura, for being very patient and professional in carrying out his task.
The NRM remains committed to the democratization of our party’s internal politics.
Signed: Osman Bikal Kamara, Secretary General, NRM. Tel +23278712179
Once upon a time in Freetown there were SLPP supporters who didn’t really know what the symbol of their party was,and what it stood for; Again I remember asking a few of them on a makeshift roadside bar at lumley to tell me what the letters
“SLPP” meant and they were all totally at a loss for words;And then one of those dummies said the weirdest thing: “It was secret name given to us by Milton Margai,no one else should know what it stands for” he proudly declared,while another inebriated halfwit standing next to him stupidly applauded.(lol)
And then I asked them; “Where did you guys go to school?” And they all said in unison,”BO SCHOOL” And it was then that I noticed that they resembled ‘Count Dracula’, all of their teeth had been strangely sharpened and chiseled making them appear far more dangerous than brand new knives.(lol) And then came out the snuff bottle, a filthy little thing in a pouch that they carried in their pockets at all times. Well dressed addicts, all of them took turns sniffing and then handed the snotty bottle dripping with mucus to me and I laughed saying; “Indomitable lion do not sniff,snort or inhale illicit substances – that’s not how we roll; that’s not just our style”
And then one of them saw the sticker on the front end of my car that reads; “There is a Rising Sun that never sets – Look for it and in it find Hope and Bliss”; and he said; “Perhaps you should consider joining us” And I replied as I drove off, “Join a bunch of losers and end up being a miserable failure? Naaaaah” I am reaching for the stars of Heaven – I’m going all the way up! And – zooooom! I was gone,Left coughing them in the dust!(lol)
My personal opinion has been CONSISTENT in this glorious forum that the All People’s Congress Party has been transformed to the “Adebayor People’s Congress Party”,( APC) and some mentally deranged APC supporters will misconstrue CONSISTENCY for “MONOTONOUS CHARACTER”. The good thing is, it shows my consistent message is having an effect based on the fact that some of their dreams of the “Rising Sun will Rise again” has been shattered because they are now living in complete darkness, Gazing at a Star. Sooner rather than later, some of them will follow the footsteps of the “tribalist” who I believe can’t handle the psychological pressure anymore so have decided to retire in a catholic monastery as a “prayer warrior” for his “Big fool Chief” hoping the lifetime chairman of the APC will SELECT him as the 2023 Presidential candidate.
Back to the real subject- The message from the NRM is not only Powerful, but very SIMPLE AND CLEAR. REAL DEMOCRACY means to completely remove the word “SELECTION and replacing it with ELECTION”. They are also not going anywhere because they are lifetime members of the APC party and all they need is REFORM. The narcissistic Lifetime leader and Chairman of the destructive APC Party lacks basic COMMON SENSE, and so far he thinks that he has been successful in distracting the New Direction government by sacrificing the lives of some of our youths to “make our country ungovernable”.
My only advice for the lifetime leader is “THE WIND OF CHANGE IS BLOWING” and it’s unstoppable. The security apparatus is no longer under your control. As late President Ronald Reagan commanded the communist dictatorship during the Cold War, the Democratic young generation within the APC (NRM) is simply asking you to “TEAR DOWN THIS WALL”.
The selection clause if used properly has its own advantages. African politics and Sierra Leone in particular is based on tribe and region. If democracy is akin to numbers, factoring that with tribal or regional politics, the APC and the SLPP would always have tribal Or regional leaders. The selection clause negate that. The selection clause can ensure if used properly that a Kono, Krio or even a Mende man can become the leader of the APC. Similarly, it can ensure that a Themne, Limba, Kono or Kuranko man succeed in becoming the leader of the SLPP. I think that the NRM should look at the merits and demerits of the two systems and come up with something in the middle.
I don’t give a damn to the democratization of the APC or any political party. Where in the world do they have a democratic political party? Let them give me an example. Bottom line, the NRM seems to be coming irrelevant in the political equation without a political variable and are desperate for a deal with the APC. God alone knows what they want.
The NRM should know that a democratic political party does not exist. Do they want the APC party to be the first democratic political party in the world? Please APC leadership, FIRE anyone who does not want to play by your rules and HIRE anyone you feel will play by your rules. You can hire and fire at will. Period! God bless our former Commander in Chief of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces and APC party leader Dr Ernest Bai Koroma and help the NRM with their deal making.
In the first instance, this article is badly written probably because there is no substance in it. It is just another publicity stunt by an insignificant fringe of the APC party. In any legal document, or important issue, it is imperative to outline clearly the dates in which events took place. According to the NRM, their ‘leadership’ had a meeting with the leadership of the APC at the party’s headquarters on the 1st of July 2020. Then the NRM submitted three copies of their negotiating DEMANDS to their facilitator (Dr Ibrahim Bangura) “for onward submission to the party’s Chairman, Deputy Leader and Secretary General”. When were these demands submitted? In most political processes there are time lapses and protocols to adhere to.
It seems the NRM are in desperation; and they are taking advantage of a dysfunctional government and a twisted Judiciary to hold the APC in ransom. It is also absurd on the part of the NRM to bring a fictitious character, in ‘Adebayor’, in context. Who is Adebayor, and what influence has he got over the impending outcome of the negotiations? The NRM assumes the APC “… party’s leadership came to the negotiating table with a double agenda: while appearing to be interested in a negotiated settlement, prominent party functionaries who said to be acting under the instructions of the party’s leadership are secretly engaging the plaintiffs and another actors to get them to stand prepared to withdraw the case from the court before the resolution of disputes in the APC, just like they have done with the one plaintiff”. To say the least, this is very confusing. When was the case brought to the court, and which case are they referring to?
Seemingly, the NRM is crying wolf. At a time when the masses are wallowing in abject poverty, as a result of a warped and inconsiderate government, the least the APC should entertain is a set of clowns and no-hopers that call themselves, NRM. There is no perfectly democratic party in the world. The NRM should operate and abide within the confines of the set of democratic principles of the APC – or else they should disassociate themselves and form their own party. The NRM is becoming a liability to the APC, and must be booted out as soon as possible.
I certainly do not trust anyone aspiring to run for public office dressed in RED BERET HAT. To me your dressing sends a clear silent message to the public, of your values and let’s be honest the person you claim to be. I am not a member of the APC, but someone who is keen to evaluate the type of people who run for public office. The people I would like to see take our country forward, should take their job seriously and know what they are doing or talking about. It cannot be right to see thuggish elements aspiring for public office. Because with this Bio government, we are going through that phase at the moment.
People running for public office should not be be preaching violence, tribalism, nepotism, North-South divide or as this red beret suggests rabble rousers. The APC party is in danger of making itself irrelevant. This infighting stands to benefit no one but president Bio and his government. You may never know, the APC party might have being infiltrated by their opponents. And their opponents will come in all disguises. It is about time the APC leadership gets a grip and take sthe necessary actions and introduce democratic accountability. They have to open their tent wide, to accommodate all shades of opinions. This party infighting is the very corrosive division that has been transplanted to the wide public. The division we see today in our country , starts with grassroot party activists. We need an effective opposition in Sierra Leone. Otherwise our country will never develop.
We stand with you all the way. We all have to stand up to this inheritance signature in the party and strive to reform the processes and way forward.
It seems to me the NRM doesn’t have the slightest idea on how to get things amicably and legitimately done – blackmailing the legendary APC,slinging mud,creating frontiers and perimeters for the purposes of engaging on a smear campaign,and using out-rightly repulsive scare tactics against indomitable lions just will not suffice – we’ve seen that and more coming from rabid frothing wolves that survive on drinking the blood of enemies – Yup,been there done that and came out of that heartbreaking backstabbing and double-dealing unscathed like gallant Spartan soldiers that went to war against merciless barbarian tribes and returned to their peaceful homes without a broken bone or single scratch on their skins.
Been there done that! Enemies abound now more than ever,Sleepless Watchmen the APC have now become!Lord knows in critical desperate times like these if you snooze you lose;And if it is indeed true that a man’s enemies are the men of his own household,who is it among you that will allow aloofness and lack of vigilance to leave the doors of your treasure vaults wide open while you lay down fast asleep like a hummingbird in its cozy nest.
The NRM should not try to overplay or dictate the terms of negotiation as is happening now;If the APC’s “Modus operandi”is not conducive to solving their problems and grievances,it quite easy – move on and do your own damn thing just like Dr Yumkella and his team of loyalists have already done.Geez!
All the fuss over nothing!
Seems like the old folks within the APC are yet to come to terms with the actual prescriptions of a democratic institutions. While I happen to have no stake in deciding what should happen within the APC, it’s abundantly clear the party’s elders insistence on maintaining the ‘selection clause’, as opposed to allowing the democratic exercise of party stakeholders electing their leaders, surely does not augur well for a democratic dispensation such as ours.
The APC elders need to embrace their own shadows and allow the much overdue reforms to take hold. Yes, the elders will always be needed and will continue to play a vital role in the day to day affairs of the party. However, the energetic, vibrant, intelligent, brave youths must be allowed to serve as the catalyst that will propel the party to higher heights.
It’s unfortunate the official opposition that should be holding the government to task is at odds with itself. It is this vacuum that to some degree is contributing to misinformation that are being spewed by social media commentators. It appears APC supporters are not getting any information from their party. As a result, some – not all, are turning to social media commentators.