Mahmud Tim Kargbo: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 7th June 2021:
Sierra Leone’s Minority Leader in Parliament Hon. Chernor Ramadan Maju Bah (Photo above) has called on ECOWAS to be proactive in Sierra Leone, instead of being reactive. Speaking to the regional body, Hon. Chernor RM Bah said he would like to see the development of opportunities for diverse groups of people to meet in small groups to learn about the thoughts, feelings, and concerns of one another in line with our country’s constitution; a kind of consciousness-raising group of 2002 that ended our eleven years civil war; or like the previous interfaith gatherings, where people of different religions get together in order to break down barriers and learn about each other to positively move the country forward during our bloody civil war.
A lot of people, myself included, no longer see these people in their lives who are from different ethnic groups coming together in the interest of the country.
Many do not see how we are going to be able to work together on important societal issues if we are unable to break down the prejudices and preconceptions that are held not only by bad politicians and their stooges, but stakeholders of different tribes throughout the country.
It is important to read books to educate ourselves, but we need to have relationships in order to learn at a deeper level.
We have read articles, heard audios and saw videos where politicians and other stakeholders are making inciting generalisations, speaking about them as if they are all or mostly tribalistic and/or ignorant about Sierra Leone’s history and issues of concern to the people of Sierra Leone.
Many hope that people from the North, South, East and West of the country can look at other people as individuals in the same country, just as they are wanting others to regard them, and not make assumptions about each other’s attitudes and beliefs and level of knowledge.
Many feel that we are in a situation where people are ready to jump on one another for not living up to a certain standard of awareness and/or for not knowing exactly the “correct” words to use in speaking about these issues.
It does not foster conversation and connection if one is concerned about being accused of “virtue signalling” or any of a number of other ways to label the words of political rivals who are trying to learn and connect. We are going to make mistakes.
Many hope that there can be ways to have open, honest, and respectful conversations that deepen understanding of one another and create connections instead of continuing what feels like a “standoff” at times, where longstanding polarisation is continued.
Making Sierra Leonean lives really matter involves ECOWAS looking deeply at the systemic and institutional oppression that is built into every aspect of Sierra Leone’s constitution. Sierra Leone is a nation founded on document that includes all nationals.
Sierra Leone is not a nation state founded on nepotism or regionalism. These deeply embedded ideas need to be addressed at fundamental levels as well as within Sierra Leone’s local communities and interpersonal relationships.
Sierra Leone also needs to face up to bad politicians, and the experiences of reproductive nepotism, tribalism, violence, corruption, and other forms of divisions among the people.
As a nation, we cannot address violence and other injustices in the systems around us without also addressing the most personal forms of violence that are perpetrated on nationals orchestrated by politicians.
To do this, we need to make sure that all voices are heard, and that Sierra Leoneans from every walk of life are at the table, along with a full array of representatives from every other ethnic group.
We need to take care to listen to the experiences and concerns from as wide a variety of people as possible (centred on the voices of responsible politicians, and other right-minded individuals) so that we don’t put small bandages on big problems and create more unintended consequences.
These full, robust conversations, although they may take more time, can lead us to re-imagining equitable communities where everyone can stand in their inherent value as human beings to move Sierra Leone forward in a number of positive ways.
There is a growing school of thought that believes, the two party system, and the way it is organised in the political landscape in Sierra leone, has brought us nothing but divisions based on tribal, ethnicity, regionalism, nepotism and above all else undermining development of our country. The leader of the minority, opposition Chernor Bah, in calling on ECOWAS to look at this issues and help us address the political problems that have arose over the years, shows we are now in a desperate situation that our country can no longer limp on, pretending we are united and a cohesive communities of a nation, working for the common good of all Sierra Leoneans. This call by Mr Bah, signals to me, we need to take stock of his message and reappraise ourselves as a nation and ask ourselves, is this the sort of country we want to call home?
Even the practice of corruption, is as a result of the tribalism, regional and party political differences in our country. We have stop seeing each other as one people, one country, and one Sierra leone. Instead we defined by our surnames. Jalloh, Bah, Taylor, Baker, Conteh, kamara, Sesay, you must be an APC supporter. On the other hand, Kai Kai, Dauda, Demby, Gbujama. And if Cory Booker the democrat US senator, and former US presidential candidates, who traced his roots to the Mende tribe of Sierra Leone, would have been tagged as SLPP supporter by virtue of tribal linage.
As a country, we need to move away from these divisions, and work for common good for our country. Alexander Hamilton called political parties a “Most fatal diseases” James Madison renounced the “violence of faction” And George Washington feared an overly successful party would create “frightful despotism.” And I think under Bio we’ve reached the latter. And we can see how that manifest itself under his government.
I think you are right Mr Bah; but don’t forget we are in Sierra Leone where most of us are victims of racism; religionism; etc. So why cant Sierra Leone become one nation; break all ethnic barriers and speak one language at school and at daily life; eg like our nationl language krio that will unite this nation as one. Is this possible? if not – why not.