Human beings are always resistant to change; whenever it is attempted, especially when that presumed change is perceived to affect personal whims and caprices.
Those resistant elements would always want to maintain the status quo even when that status quo is archaic, moribund adverse in the face of national and world dynamics and more so, domestic political systems.
By all indications, change must be accepted as an inevitable way of human life and existence. The way we lived twenty years ago is not how we live today; things have changed, the environment-political, cultural, economic and social dynamics have changed.
In this circumstance of time therefore, change must be inevitable and must reflect the disparities in times, ages, economies, politics, social, cultural and much more, so as to be in tandem with developments around the world.
This is what makes the eating of the pudding very interesting because everyone feels a part of the eating. Dr. Sengeh’s initiative is a goose incubator working towards hatching the future forward-looking and determined leadership that will leave no one behind because he or she does not have any paternal, maternal or regional relationships with the SLPP to be able to positively and cohesively contribute to the sustainable progression of the party and country. This is how significant is the radical inclusion initiatives of Dr. Moinina SENGEH within the governance mechanisms of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) and the government system of the SLPP.
Dr. Sengeh’s Radical Inclusion is to transform the SLPP, make it more open and inclusive of every sector of the SLPP organizational structures; bring in young, vibrant and committed minds to bring the party to speed with trending national socio-cultural and economic issues relative to the needs and wants of Sierra Leone and Sierra Leoneans moving forward.
Dr. Sengeh’s radical inclusion vision is not anything adverse to what the SLPP under whoever’s watch portends to be especially in the face of the upcoming 2028 general elections. Chief Minister and the SLPP’s Vision are one and the same but just rewritten perhaps in a different style.
Criticising Dr. Sengeh and his Radical Inclusion Movement (RIM) is unnecessary and out of place. Those criticisms no doubt are from doubters and pessimists within the SLPP who are or want to make themselves insusceptible to needed change.
While it is vital to maintain party unity and respect for the party’s traditions, it is equally important to recognize the transformative vision that RIM embodies for the SLPP and the broader Sierra Leonean society.
Dr. Sengeh’s initiative for Radical Inclusion reflects a progressive approach that seeks to engage and empower all segments of our population. It is a political thinking that aims at opening up the SLPP to diversity, representation, and the active participation of marginalized voices in the party’s political discourse.
The radical inclusion initiative cannot be toxic because it is about bringing people onboard, especially people, young boys and girls; men and women; like the “Kenema Boys” who say they belong to the SLPP political framework, but are being marginalized and abandoned by those chosen by the very system.
Dr. Sengeh’s radical inclusion is an essentially deliberate cataclysm to ensure a positive transformative change in the SLPP; a change that will adapt the party to the evolving needs and aspirations of its membership and the general Sierra Leonean populace.
Those doubters and pessimists should know that a call for inclusion and reform cannot be a disrespect to elders or opponents of the vision or a sign of it either, rather, it is an acknowledgment that the SLPP must evolve to remain relevance in the equally evolving sociopolitical and economic changing developments in the country and globally and also to be able to be responsive to those challenges the country may be faced with.
The world is changing rapidly, and a dynamic political landscape necessitates bold leadership that is focused and overtly ambitious to face existential challenges with an appreciable compendium in readiness to face and address those challenges. Such a progressive ambition should not be viewed as self-serving, but rather as a commitment to a vision of a united and thriving party for a prosperous nation.
Significantly, the some decisions taken by Dr. Sengeh in advancing the radical inclusion initiative may appear controversial such as his payment of fines for a number of inmates at the Pujehun Correctional Center for misdemeanor crimes has no personal aggrandizement agenda, the action is grounded in a desire to foster social justice and equity. The narrative that these actions endanger national security is a misunderstanding and a misrepresentation of the genuine intent and purpose of the doer; rather, it aims at calling hearts and minds to the be aware of one of several systemic issues that are plaguing the Sierra Leone society, which have inadvertently been disadvantageous to a substantial percentage of citizens across the country. It is imperative that we allow innovative ideas to flourish rather than stifle them out of demagogic fear or misunderstanding.
Members of the SLPP must see this radical inclusion initiative as an essentially significant driving force for the party’s future acceptability in the wake of trending socioeconomic and political challenges the Sierra Leone masses appear not to be satisfied with moving forward. Party members should embrace the spirit of inclusion and progressive reform that the radical inclusion initiative represents. The strength of the SLPP lies in its ability to adapt and grow, taking into account the diverse perspectives and needs of its constituents.
Rather than engaging in insults and castigations, SLPP members at home and abroad should be seeing to be engaging in constructive dialogue with Dr. Sengeh to enhance their understanding of where he is coming from and where he intends heading to. Embracing this model will open the party to Sierra Leoneans in the Diaspora and at home regardless of their tribe, ethnicity, region, etc. This move is necessary for the party’s future. This Dr. Sengeh initiative could be goose that lays the golden egg for a transformed and efficiently effective SLPP that wants to sustain its leadership in the governance of Sierra Leone and the creation of a prospective tomorrow for all citizens. Dr. Sengeh’s initiative therefore is excellent must be nurtured and maintained. His idea is just perfect. Don’t kill a progressive idea on parochial sentimentalism, SLPP members should nurture this goose with all their available protections to ensure that it lays the future golden eggs of the SLPP.