Dr. Sama Banya
20 December 2012
I believe that President Ernest Bai Koroma is beginning to see the light. The indications are that this time round he is anxious to separate the grain from the chaff.
How many of those pretenders who crossed over to him from the opposition, and were said to be heroes in their districts and who were also sure to deliver whole chunks of the south and east to the APC, succeeded in scratching the surface of the SLPP?
Many of those traitors such as JBD were hailed as heroes and of great asset to the ruling party. The bought over journalists and praise singers who knew nothing about the real politic of the south and the east hailed their actions as coups against the SLPP.
Readers of this column may remember that throughout the run up to the recently held elections, I continued to remind anyone who cared to listen, that those men and women were made famous in their areas by the SLPP and not the other way round.
Many of those who crossed over to the APC were mere opportunists; people like Robin Faley, a common fellow who was hardly known in his native Njaluahun and yet the Awareness Times continues to refer to him as the strong man of Kailahun.
Was his performance anything to write home about?
If it were not for the kindness of John Benjamin and others to bring young men into the party fold, who would have thought of Robin Faley?
And yet fellows like him, Vonjo Ngobeh of Kailahun constituency one, whose only claim to publicity is for notoriety, did not really care whether the APC won or lost. They have achieved their objective and are now living in opulence
But it is fellows like Sam Macarthy and Brima Kamanda who ought to hang their heads in shame.
Macarthy returned from the United Kingdom boastful of his achievements abroad and how he would use his experience to develop his constituency.
But after four years, he showed no signs of any progress in his native Mandu. The people showed him the exit door. He took the party to court and a judge granted him an interlocutory injunction which is still in force.
The fellow next brought down a three bus load delegation to convince President Koroma that constituency five was the President’s.
Without being allowed to campaign, the SLPP’s Ansu Lansana beat the APC candidate hands down.
As for Benson Suwu in Kenema town, whom Ernest had appointed a junior minister and who boasted of being responsible for the APC’s high showing in Kenema district, the President and the APC couldn’t even win votes in his backyard of Nyandeyama.
In 1996 Brima Kaamanda and late Alex Koroma were members of Hassan Gbassey Kanu’s party, until the latter rejoined the APC. Both men then joined Karefa Smart’s UNPP until the demise of that party, before they came over to the SLPP.
On the death of S.B. Marrah as majority leader in Parliament, one of them lobbied to succeed Marah. And so when Kamanda did not win the nomination in his constituency after THREE TERMS, he took the party to court and was also granted an interlocutory injunction.
I hear that Alpha Timbo was on Tam Baryoh’s monologue programme over the weekend, making noise about the SLPP’s Executive Council’s decision to let Maada Bio and Kadi Sesay continue working with the executive until 2013.
Timbo objected vehemently until Banja Tejan-Sie deflated his ego by quoting an amendment to the party constitution, which allows both Maada and Kadi to continue. He walked away on his own after the meeting.
Is Timbo also thinking of taking the party to court?
What is wrong with these people? They say “YAI NOR DEY TOTE LOAD, BUT II SABI WHICH NAR HEBI ONE.” The eyes do not lift, but they could tell with accuracy which load is heavy.
A large number of APC members didn’t get symbols to stand for election, but what they did was to organize themselves into a group to ensure victory for their party.
Not our own fellows with their “Either me or no one else”.
Some of us are thinking of amendments to our constitution which would take care of the likes of such people. One is beginning to get tired with them.
Finally a word for JBD: Do not lose hope; Ernest may yet give you the portfolio of local government or send you as Ambassador somewhere.
To your credit people like you gave respectability to “CROSS CARPETING” which phrase has disappeared completely from the pages of For-di-People, Standard Times, African champion, new citizen newspapers, etc.
So Maada Bio did not go to Guinea to sign an agreement conceding defeat. The SLPP’s case against NEC, the APC and others is before the courts. One day it will come up.
In the meantime our people, especially our young people are still very angry with Christiana Thorpe, Miata French, Mattia and others. Other people are exposing Obasanjo, and Puawui being an old friend will reserve his opinion for now.
I am a Sierra Leonean and that’s all that matters. Our country is small and poor, one has to always bear in mind that because of the high illiteracy and intolerance in our society provocations always result in violence. Let us stop dividing the little that we have, use your position for the better of our country.
Let’s stop insulting each other. Almost all Sierra Leoneans have family members in one or the other tribes, so where is the trouble ….
The impression that I have of our news media in Sierra Leone is like this; who writes the best English, who can intimidate and insult better and party oriented.
Let me end by saying: There is more that unites us than just APC and SLPP, laugh!