Presidential candidate for the main opposition, All People’s Congress (APC) is currently under pressure from grassroot politicians owing to fear of compromise with the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP).
As the fear persists, Dr Samura Kamara’s image is being slowly soiled by allegations of secretly embarking on a ploy to have it easy with the embattled President Julius Maada Bio.
Grassroot politicians hold the view that Kamara, if not checked, might facilitate an easy pushover for Bio on the negotiation table when the Commonwealth mediators arrive in Sierra Leone.
Bio and Kamara are still considered as close friends as they served together in the defunct National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) of which the former was the head.
The relationship, built decades ago, is being strengthened even today as many say Kamara still sees Bio as his boss. Former Minister of Social Welfare, Dr Sylvia Blyden supported the view when she made it clear that Kamara’s inferiority cost APC’s victory in the 2018 election.
Kamara’s seeming inferiority complex has been crystalised by his quietness over many issues that have taken place within Sierra Leone’s political landscape. Apart from the misrule and killings which have taken place under Bio’s watch in the past five years, several features of bad governance have also surfaced in the post-election period which Kamara is completely silent about.
One of the biggest debates within the public is Bio’s address to world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) where he presented Sierra Leone as a land of milk and honey.
At the UNGA, President Bio informed the assembly that Sierra Leoneans enjoy an abundance of jobs, improved living standards, human rights, democracy and the rule of law among other facilities.
However, the socio-political and economic realities back home are a far cry from Bio’s claims as many Sierra Leoneans are jobless, human rights record badly dented, democracy and the rule of law thrown out of the window. Many Sierra Leoneans still go across the Mediterranean Sea and the Sahara deserts in search of low paid jobs abroad, and it is a big hassle for those who stay here as they live only on a hand-to-mouth survival.
Justice in the courtroom is still an expensive commodity bought only by the privileged few, and those who cannot afford the cost go without.
A dangerous human rights situation also prevails in Sierra Leone as protesters are still behind bars despite calls to restore their freedom. These Instances render Bio’s UNGA address meaningless for many Sierra Leoneans here and in the diaspora, and Samura Kamara is expected to challenge such issues with the strongest voice via social and conventional media.
Kamara who is widely seen winner of June, 2023 elections has a wide and strong political base through which he could debunk most of what many refer to as Bio’s falsehood at international conferences.
It is a widely held view that the more Bio’s falsehood goes unchallenged, the more Kamara comes under pressure as he has been urged to take on Bio and render the fictitious claims odious to all minds. As APC’s presidential candidate remains in deep slumber as situation is turning for the worst for the vulnerable APC supporters in less privileged communities across the country.
SLPP government does not use only false propaganda as its effective tool but also thuggery, harassment and political intimidation of APC supporters to have their way. The recent peaceful protest staged in Freetown and other parts of the country barely three weeks ago was brutally quelled down by heavy-handed police officers who reportedly killed six at Moyeba community in Freetown.
The six deceased crumbled under a hale of police marksmanship on mere finger pointing that the deceased took part in the protest. As a way of playing magic with numbers, Official sources put the casualty figure at two during a press briefing held at Police Headquaters in Freetown.
Intermittent waves of arrest were also made after the protest landing over 40 in police and prison cells, and they still remain there.
Appeals for bail have been turned down by judicial authorities, and it remains unclear when they detainees will come out.
Kamara’s voice, in such situation, is also needed to change the course of events. On the election eve, President Bio had promised Sierra Leoneans that he would never kill again, and that every Sierra Leonean has got back their freedom. Bio took the oath of restoring freedom and civil liberties at the opening of the political space ahead of June-24 elections, but many Sierra Leoneans were taken aback when the first gentleman swallowed his words.
He neither condemned nor brought the killers to justice, an omission that intensifies vilification of President owing to his naked complicity. As his actions go unchecked, President Bio also moves towards targeting one of the most vulnerable groups whose food comes from toiling and sweating in the hot-burning sun.
Women, particularly those on Abacha Street in Freetown, were primary targets by state security forces immediately after June-24 elections. Their tables, stalls as well as their wares were openly vandalised leaving them in financial ruins, and President Bio also failed to condemn the action.
As impunity takes foothold in Sierra Leone, the killers and the vandalisers are not restrained by any law or rule as they know that their action would go unpunished.
Armed Police, about a month ago, staged another crackdown on poor petty traders at whom they fired teargas canisters to drive them away from the streets.
It was an action that went beyond operations “Push Back’ and ‘Free Flow’ which were mild and temporal measures to remove the traders away from the streets.
The operations were launched so that women could stay on sidewalks which they have colonised for years. Hope for free streets have not shattered as the market centre at Salad Ground in Freetown nears completion.
The market project was begun by the past government of former President Ernest Bai Koroma, and was left close to finish.
Although the traders have returned to their stalls after the women threatened a nationwide protest, but fear that they would come under attack again looms.
As the threat continues, Kamara is again tightlipped over the harassment, a situation that prompts women to take the fight into their own hands accusing the presidential candidate of doing nothing to criticise Bio’s government.
Some women on Abacha Street even called on Samura Kamara and the old guards to hand over the party’s leadership to young folks so that action could be seen on the streets. The disadvantaged women wanted to see members of the reformist group, National Reformation Movement (NRM) to take over leadership of the party.
Kamara is not moved despite criticisms made against him by key members of the party as he seemingly knows the direction he is going. Kamara is still under fire although he retains command and control of a party whose members are curious about seeing tough action on the Bio regime.
Other key APC members however do not share such views of a radical move from the APC presidential candidate who, they said, was properly positioned or deeply entrenched in diplomacy.
They see engagement of the international community on Sierra Leone’s situation especially such inter-governmental institutions as the United Nations, European Union, United States Agency for International Development, Department For International Development, Commonwealth and others as the best way to go.
APC which has been rebranded over a decade by ex-President Koroma’s exemplary democratic leadership no longer use violence to settle issues of national importance but applies peace and diplomacy to situation of this nature.
Although he is not widely appreciated, Kamara’s move is bearing fruits as Bio faces tough time in his presidency. Traditional donors such as the United States, the United Kingdom and key development partners have withheld funds from Sierra Leone and travel bans imposed on government officials owing to election rigging.
These actions will be eased only when the real results are published. Bio is yet to comply and is under pressure from the international community to order his Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh to release the actual election result or face sanctions.
Konneh heads Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone, a body mandated by law to conduct and supervise election in Sierra Leone. The worst for Bio is underway as the International Criminal Court may indict him and his accomplices for human rights abuses, crimes against humanity and the subversion of the will of the people of Sierra Leone.
It is now up to APC grassroot politicians to either allow Samura Kamara press the diplomatic knob further or uses violence to overturn the outcome of June elections.