BY FELIX KHONTE
It is said that Nature uses complex hinges of complicity to determine human behaviors in order to expose their unwarranted capabilities of deceitfulness, greed and untrustworthiness. In the process, their chosen careers get dented as a result of accumulated series of bad decisions they might have undertaken over a period of time!
But the fundamental truth here is: “That you can never know when a seemingly accurate and good decision may prove to be the prospect of later years.” To get all your ambitions correlated and flowing towards your objectives, confirm the real disposition of your outstanding responsibilities that are naturally embedded in your true personality, which you can positively contribute to nation building.
Great politicians, who become famous and successful in their political undertakings, do not make errors that will ultimately hunt them after wards; at the same time, could lead to their personalities being tied-up in precarious circumstances. A close look at most of the successful politicians in the world today indicates that; they never at one time waved their sense of reasoning for the right and just cause in their political overtures. Their objective of getting what truly belonged to them was their primary concern at all cost, instead of betraying their consciences and humanity.
These people are very mindful to avoid uncalled for arguments, but whenever a negative attitude is expressed, they oppose it with positive and unbiased facts based on realities on the ground. As long as their convictions are on the right path, they can stand up to any challenges with optimistic results. But if they allow their consciences to be dragged to the mud because of bad decisions they make along the way, their political aspirations will be crushed and thrown into the dustbin of history.
One of the basic factors of human experience is to succeed in what your mental attitude indicates for your future challenges. If you begin to think negatively, then you will get a negative result because by your thoughts, you create a negative atmosphere which is equally hospitable to negative reactions. On the contrary, if you think positively, you create a positive atmosphere which is also hospitable to positive reactions for your life long aspirations.
Everybody else in these classes of negative thinkers in our society can be nullified because they have become partakers of today’s most pervasive problems that are nearly leading this nation to depression and discouragement. Their diabolical maneuverings, chiefly masterminded by the paralytic executive of the opposition All Peoples Congress Party APC, together with their God-father who is on exile in Abuja, in conjunction with the ruling party, to slaughter our hard won democracy is insurmountable and out of context.
Recent developments in our nation’s political brouhaha have suddenly brought to light many intrusive disturbances of corruptive political manipulations that are seemingly and obviously not good for our fledgling democracy. The recent pronouncements by the Chief Minister, Dr. David Sengeh, the man who represented the SLPP government into the Tripartite Agreements, that Dr. Samura Kamara has been replaced by Dr. Kelfala Marah is illusionary and chaotic in nature. These Agreements are the brain child of the presidential candidate, Dr. Samura Kamara as he paved the way for the dialogue to be undertaken with the blessings of the international community.
By all indications, all pertinent documents containing the 80 recommendations, plus the 4 or 5 contentious issues have been presented to President Bio at State House in the presence of the APC presidential candidate, and duly signed by the two contenders for the presidency. These actions were witnessed by our moral guarantors, who are also signatories to the agreements for National Unity. The recommendations further states that all the contents therein are to be actionable and implementable.
As it is now, there are no longer negotiations going on between the government and the presidential flag-bearer, as they are already in the implementation stages of the agreements. For the unprogressive and low-minded corrupt executives of the opposition to try and change the goal post after the end of the match is totally and entirely nonsensical and unthinkable. Such actions and decisions could end up into very devastating consequences for the party’s future if not resolved amicably.
“But that is the end result of when people get depressed by self-inflicted adverse circumstances of their handy-work, they are likely to become more uneasy in their natural dispositions, coupled with complete loss of peace of mind; –man’s most faithful friend– callously magnifying their state of mindset; and in the process, they behave like clowns in the theatre of unmerited and discredited Holly Wood Actors.”
The clandestine activities of former president Ernest Koroma since 2018 have long been observed into this “theatre of dramatists of destructive tendencies” against the party that brought him to power for two consecutive terms unhindered. His long silence when the conversations of bad governance, gross human rights abuses, the killings with impunity across the country, more especially in his home town of Makeni, are interpreted to be in complicity with the aggressor. He had all the powers to tell president Bio that his sledge hammer actions towards his citizens, were becoming alarming and too much to cope with; in the interest of peace and national cohesion.
After stepping down as president of Sierra Leone, Ernest Koroma served as Chairman of Elections Monitoring Body across the African Continent. A position he handled with flying colors, and was greatly admired for his astute leadership role in the discharge of his duties. The most difficult and contentious elections were the one in Zambia, where the incumbent, Edgar Lungu, who served for just one term and lost to the opposition candidate, Hakainde Hichilema. Former president Koroma used his persuasive skills to prevail upon the loser to accept the result in the interest of peace, as that was the people’s mandate.
It is said that there are things in human nature that awakens the opinions which people have for one another as either negative or positive. This adage of negativity can best be suited to former president Ernest Koroma, a man who chaired very crucial elections in the continent, and came out very successful, but could not solve the elections stalemate in his home country sounds incredible and unbelievable! He is also accused of masterminding the emergence of Bio into the 2018 elections, a man who has been banned from holding presidential ambitions because of his activities during the NPRC days.
The practice of believing and putting your trust in people who you think will not disappoint you, and end up dampening your expectations is as suicidal as the death row! Nobody in his right senses could have thought of the way Ernest Koroma disappointed his hand-picked candidate, Dr. Samura Kamara at the convention in Makeni. In the ensuing elections of 2018, he handed over the victory of his candidate to Bio, referring to it as “Regime Change,” when that clause is not in our 1991 constitution. Afterwards, he came out boldly and apologized to his party supporters, promising them that he would make sure he brings the party back to power in 2023.
Deeply implanted thought patterns; and negative thinking habits, will endeavor to assert themselves as long as the human mind is bent on destroying the success of other people. It was with this intention in his mind, that Ernest surreptitiously chose his most trusted lieutenants to do his bidding in grand style. He became very instrumental at the 2022 APC National Delegates Conference by choosing Alhaji Minkailu Mansaray as Chairman, (who doubled himself as the CEO of a whole political party), to be deputized by Alhaji Osman Foday Yansaneh, (the political outcast). Even the selection of the APC representatives in the Parliamentary set up of the P/R system was spearheaded by the former president.
The real art of self-improvement in humanity concerning all aspects of life, and to be true to your conscience is to stand for the truth. “The truth is a bitter tree, but it yields very delicious fruits.” This brings me to the topic of the former leader of the main opposition in parliament, who was also the running mate to the presidential flag-bearer. His actions and suspicious movements before and after the June 24th elections left much to be discredited. He was very docile when all the bad laws were tabled in parliament and finally passed into amendment.
The most visible one was his disappearance at the ECOWAS Parliament, where he was expected to channel the case of his party against the bad precedents that the government was planning just six months to the elections. By the time he was supposed to be called upon to make his submissions, he could not be found; missing in action, deeply entrenched by his actions of betrayal of trust!
With the elections of 24th June 2023, came very disturbing developments in our nation’s political dynamics. Elections were conducted under very suspicious and dubious scenarios. From the introduction of the P/R system–To the Voter registration process—Verification of voter ID cards—Deleting of thousands of names from the voter register in the North-West—The poor printing of the voter ID Cards that discouraged many voters not to collect their cards—The conduct of the elections itself—The pronouncement of the winner just three days after the elections—Were all calculated manipulative strategies that were masterminded by the Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mohamed Konneh
The opposition All Peoples Congress was not satisfied with the announced results; they immediately summoned a press conference at their party headquarters on old railway line, Brookfields. Heavily armed Police personnel were called to the scene. There were rapid gunshots that led to the deaths of one youth activist called White Boy on the 26th and Matron Mahawa on the 27th June. At the same time, the leadership of their party made it categorically clear that the people’s mandate has been stolen from them, and that they will challenge the results at all costs.
In that press conference, the entire executive and the flag bearer unanimously agreed that they should not partake in the governance of the state. They summoned all their Parliamentarians, Councilors, Mayors, and Chair-persons to boycott their participation in state functions. This impasse lasted for close to three months. But with the invention of the former American Ambassador, David Reimer who advised that it was not good for the democracy of the country. He then persuaded the opposition leaders to tell their representatives to take up their various seats in their respective offices. Before then, Mohamed Bangura and Thompson had betrayed their party’s stance by taking their oath of offices beforehand.
People can never change themselves by themselves, or rather; Leopards cannot change their spots in the course of history where truth is forbidden. This has been the fate of the APC executives under the remote control of former president Koroma, and the flag-bearer Dr. Samura Kamara.The ramblings started to emerge after news came out that their flag-bearer had gone to see president Bio, and that he had signed a deal with him. Indisputably, his visit to the “presumed announced winner” brought about some sanity in the affairs of state that involved the intervention of the former American Ambassador and other development partners.
These interventions paved the way for all APC representatives across the country to take their seats in their different areas of administration. Likewise, the setting up of the dialogue between the government and the opposition was put in place. This development gave birth to what is now understandably known as the “Tripartite Agreement” that was organized by the development partners, including the Common Wealth, AU, UN and ECOWAS.
At this stage, the irony of all ironies started to emerge when the real actors of mistrust, deceitfulness and shrewd manipulators of the millennium took their journey of vendetta
against their flag-bearer. There accusations of no mean measure that sounded like a stray bullet with no authentic proof to ascertain their point of contention. “He had gone to see Bio; therefore, he has been bribed to forgo the result.” But the man they accuse of having sold their victory is always at his stance, standing high at the throat of the president that: “The elections are not yet over until they are over!”
As the good Lord may have it, the bitter recriminations of plural pathologies, gross mental aberrations and glorified self-deceptions fell on their heads. They could no longer speak the truth in their different interviews. The Deputy Chairman, on his visit to the UK after the elections, vehemently affirmed that they would never think of 2028 elections, when the issues of 2023 elections are in contention. On his return home from the UK, he openly confessed that: “He received money of which he did not know the source where that money came from!”
But what have gone amiss amongst themselves were the challenges of accepting the truth of deception. They have been crucified into the baptism of dishonesty by their “God Father!” In their fury of reckless charades of hypocritical intrusive behaviors, the secretary general came out clearly that they will not accept the result and that they will challenge it at all cost.
In a dramatic twist of events, the deputy PRO of the party was the first to call it “done and dusted.” What that implies was that, the result has been announced; and president Bio has been declared the winner. Therefore, it was all that it was, and it must remain so. A solid statement of endorsement given to an unmerited winner of a contest, by an opposition party member! At once, they began speaking in unison. “Let us forget about these elections and begin to prepare for 2028” were the reckless statements of the chairman of the party. Again, the secretary general was at it in one of their activities, when he openly said that “there was no need crying over spilt milk.” The deal has been done big time!
Sometimes in our life’s journey, we become afflicted by adverse circumstances that we had long time ago laid the foundations for them to germinate, only at the appropriate time. President Bio had classed the leadership of the APC that they are in his pockets. Even Fatima Bio had openly accused Ernest that he never wanted the All Peoples Congress, or Dr. Samura Kamara to become president of Sierra Leone. She went further to say that she had pictorial evidence to show the people that had been visiting their home, and there was some transaction that took place. That was why the chief minister told the leader of the APC in parliament, Abdul Kargbo: “THAT YOU CANNOT EAT YOUR CAKE AND HAVE IT. HONESTLY, THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE NEMESIS OF THE 99 TACTICS OF SELF DESTRUCTION OF THE MIGHTY ALL PEOPLES CONGRESS!”