SLPP Should Stop The Infighting

 …And Concentrate On the Economy

The New Direction Government has been plunged into internal fighting and wrangling since the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) took up office in April,2018.The party, which should provide the avenue for steering the state ship, has been hugely divided along camps with each side holding vested personal interests.

It is very clear that they have secured the mandate of the people in the 2018 elections, which victory came about as a result of the reckless management of the country’s state resources and rampant violations of the constitution by the previous regime.It is against this backdrop that stakes are very high within the populace in terms of delivering the necessary goodies.

The internal fighting and ‘campism,’ among party big guns, has continued to affect the morale within the general membership of the party. The grass root of the party is highly concerned that the leadership echelons have not been able to manage the crisis and move forward with national development. President Bio, on his part, has been accused of not favoring the old folks of his party, which has led him to bring in new brains and diasporans whose records are untainted as far as the political landscape is concerned. He is very optimistic that it is only these sets of people (Diasporans and the youths) that will deliver on his ambitious plans and programs.

The President, who is very much worried over fulfilling his campaign promises amidst a very battered economy, has called for calm and patience among his party stalwarts. He noted that he will not be able to please everybody but he will ensure he positions the country so that every Sierra Leonean will achieve his potential. Much is currently not happening within party circles, largely due to the fact that senior party executives in the SLPP are holding very senior government positions and are abandoning their party functions.

One would not detach the fact that party activities and government functions should go side by side. But what has obtained in the SLPP in recent times is that, the issues that will galvanize and strengthenthe party to win the 2023 elections are being abandoned.The camps within the party are so rife that the one with the greater power have used it to suppress others less powerful.Many, who have sacrificed in one way or the other for the party to come to power, are now suffering. They don’t have jobs largely because of the camp they belonged prior to the party wining the elections in March.

Can the moral guarantors of the party intervene now and bring sanity to the party? One would definitely not expect President Bio, who is largely preoccupied with fixing the devastated economy, to focus on party issues. A resounding success by President Bio will translate into laurels for the party in the 2023 elections. This is why the moral guarantors of the party should step in now and resolve whatever issues that are currently plaguing the party. The Elders Council, or whatever party structure, should not wait for the damage to deepen. Everything is now in their favour to play the game. Posterity will hold them responsible if they fail to execute their sacred functions of maintaining unity in the party.

It is our honest position that President Bio will be ready to listen to whatever concerns raised with him against such interventions by the moral guarantors. He has amassed a very strong team with international record and clout to deliver on the various sectors of the Sierra Leone economy and hence he and his team deserve the unflinching support of his party, since his immediate constituency is all well meaning Sierra Leoneans. To stab him from the back, in his own backyard, is suicidal for the party. Things seem rosy in the surface but there are problems which should not be overlooked. 2023 is just around the corner.