By Hoccas Siwel
The SLPP and APC should start distancing themselves from the culture of political violence that has come to define elections in Sierra Leone.This culture does not only put the parties in a bad light, it also portrays the country as violent. As an added extra, it tells the whole world that free speech is not so free in Sierra Leone. The abuse of this fundamental human right is antithetical to the aims and objectives of a democratic state.
Surely no one should condone being rude to or using insulting language against public officials. That would be like condoning children abusing their parents. But for one to speak his mind or have a choice of candidate, there is no law against that.
An aside to those who would want to say, ‘election violence happens everywhere. Look at what recently happened in the US.’ Sure, they do happen everywhere. But how long are we going to justify denying people their rights to freedom of speech and association by comparing ourselves to others? We cannot compare political violence in the US or elsewhere to Sierra Leone. This birdbrain excuse is similar to people who would want to compare our corruption culture that keeps us poor to corruption, say, in the UK. Surely if their corrupt practices have not prevented the levels of industrialisation and development they presently enjoy, for which we all want to migrate there, then why has it prevented us from attaining such levels of development? Such comparisons are absurd to say the least.
The recent intra-SLPP violence that left a young Sierra Leonean stabbed four times requiring 36 stitches is an assault on the country. What should shock the country and all peace loving Sierra Leoneans and noncitizens living among us is not only the brazen manner in which the young man was stabbed, but the boasting by the perpetrators that they could even kill him because ‘na we deyna power’ and them being released less than an hour after their arrest. Their boating and release so enraged youths in Calaba Town that they mobilised and totally destroyed the SLPP Ataya Base.
The fight reportedly ensued when a supporter of the challenger in the battle for the SLPP Western Area chairmanship voiced his opinion against the incumbent. The same thing is rumoured to happen whenever supporters of the APC’s Sam Sumana and Samura Kamara meet. So, if this is how they do intraparty business, what should we expect when both parties lock horns during national elections?
It is time for the hierarchy of both parties to start distancing themselves from anyone that condones violence against our people to attain their political ambitions. This type of politics should be archaic in Sierra Leone. There should be rules within parties against such behavior, going as far as sacking the partisan responsible for such behaviour.
The time has come for both parties to start competing at developing the country, to start telling us their ideas or solutions for all the issues that continue to plague us that should have been long sorted. Should we really still be talking about fixing feeder roads in Sierra Leone today? How did we get to the point where education results are for sale in Sierra Leone? You mean to tell me that in 2021 we should be talking about free sanitary pads for school girls? 60 years down the line are we not ashamed that we are still tied to the apron strings of all our development partners? Should water and electricity still be issues in Sierra Leone?
But they are. And we have so much more that politicians should be competing at alleviating instead of competing to exploit us. The very aged SLPP Western Area Chairman who doubles as chair of the Water Quay Board of Directors Manso Dumbuya and his opponent IB Keita who wants to oust him should be asked this: what are your ideas to better the Western Area for Freetonians, and the country at large? Before being asked how they will benefit the SLPP. Surely, based on his outright disdain for the law and all manner of decency, Manso allegedly went and, true to the boasting of the men who stabbed the young man, bailed them out of jail. Surely such people should not be granted bail. They are very dangerous to society. If the SLPP should show decisive leadership action against Manso, then they would have done this country a great service.
Like corrupt practices, action from the top against such violence would send a clear message to the party rank and file, and indeed across the nation, that this kind of behaviour is no longer condoned in the conduct of our elections.
Too many innocent individuals have lost their lives to such practice condoned by politicians against the public. But expecting nothing would come out of the young man’s stabbing, community youths in Calaba Town mobilised and got rid of the Ataya Base rumoured to have been built with cash support and regularly visited by Vice President Juldeh Jalloh. While mob violence should never be condoned, community people say they had to get rid of the Ataya Base to avoid future reoccurrences of this brazen attack against the laws of the land. Yes, an attack against any citizen is an attack against the laws that prohibit such attack.
The APC on the other hand should know that blame is ascribed to it as the originator of political violence owing to the one party state under Siaka Stevens when political opponents and activists were beaten, killed, made to disappear, and their businesses and homes confiscated. Pa Sheki ruled under a virtual state of emergency for decades. For APC to distance itself from such violence against supporters of other national ideologies aimed at advancing the country is highly encouraged. The infighting between party loyalists over one candidate should not be encouraged. Candidates themselves must know that such things make them look lame, as we want to hear how you are going to improve the country, not how well you can kill or maim us.
Lastly, to the many young men and women hired every election cycle, who actively chase politicians offering such services, what do you benefit? The temporary few million Leones? The secondhand car and clothes? The money and bags of rice? And how long do they last you? Instead of these men and women using you as such, why not have them tell you how they plan to bring jobs and other long lasting benefits like TVET institutions to train you for life. Surely, there is no room for you in their cabinets. So, what now? After killing your compatriot, what is left besides jail, and the constant fear of retaliation? But how long like this, Sierra Leone? How long?