PAOPA and thuggery has no place in a decent democracy. This time is a different moment as red lines have been drawn. The people of Sierra Leone have made up their minds to end SLPP (Sierra Leone People’s Party)’s rule in next year’s polls.
No amount of intimidation would drive the people away, and sway them from the right objective. The zeal, zest and persistence with which Northwesterners queue for registration is a clear signal of readiness to kick the ruling party out of power. The voters are ready to resist any form of intimidation, and neutralise any threat.
In most centres here in Freetown, the slogan “WE BLOODY OH’ is frequently heard. This means the people will not runaway in the face of any threat. When registration started on September 3, this year, government employed and applied some elements of intimidation and harrasment using the August 10 violence as an effective tool.
Police officers and sometimes armed guards are deployed to arrest anyone accused of taking part in the recent protest. The people are arrested on mere finger pointing in spite of using legally approved means of arrest. Criminal investigation requires that an identification parade is conducted for the arrest of anyone who allegedly took part in such tumultuous situation in which suspects are not easily identifiable.
The August 10 protest is a fit situation. After the protest, people should not be arrested on finger pointing for fear of mistaken identity. The rampant arrest on polling centres, to many Sierra Leoneans, is a form of intimidation to steal the elections ahead of time.
By their behaviour, it is clear that SLPP is worried and jittery over the massive turnout of the registration in the Northwest, strongholds of the main opposition, All People’s Congress (APC). SLPP politicians do not enjoy such turn out in their wards, constituencies, districts and regions. They have not worked out their assignment well four years in governance.
It is also therefore possible that they would not make gains in the polls next year. Their call for people to come out and register has fallen in deaf ears. Southeasterners say they would not be deceived this time; their minds have been made up. They go for the right choice despite tribal messages and calls from their brothers and sisters.
Sierra Leoneans saw naked tribal campaign messages from an SLPP official who ordered voter registrars not to allow an APC person to register. “We do not need APC votes here,” she said.
The order is made largely out of tribalism despite calls to end tribal sentiments in tiny Sierra Leone. Sierra Leoneans would hardly put away the imagination of how such messages could tear apart such an ethnically sensitive and divided country as Sierra Leone. Although the call to vote on tribal lines is very loud, the people could not turn to SLPP politicians after dust has been thrown in their years. They would not turn to the APC for redemption and solace.
After the civil war came to an end in 2002, UNOMSIL (United Nations Observation Mission in Sierra Leone) and UNAMSIL (United Nations Assistant Mission to Sierra Leone) preached and consolidated tribal unity throughout the country. They wanted to see unity of the tribes work out even in elections.
They wanted to see every political party getting votes in every part of the country. SLPP should have votes in communities considered APC (All People’s Congress) strongholds and vice versa. Even UNIPSIL (United Nations Integrated Peace Building Office in Sierra Leone) moved towards the same direction.
They are happy if they see all political parties getting a share of the votes in every district, town, chiefdom or village in Sierra Leone. The three UN bodies came up with the solution for uniform votes based on the political realities that prevailed at that time. During elections in early 1990s at the peak of the civil war, APC was not allowed to move out and about in the Southeast and SLPP too could not move freely in Northwest regions.
The creation of artificial political boundaries was a major cause of concern for the United Nations and other peace-loving countries. They reversed the trend so that Sierra Leone could not revert to the path of conflict again. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report of 2004 stated in bold terms how tribalism fuelled the war in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone moved and continued towards tribal unity even after the UN bodies had left. In 2007 elections, each political party got a share of the votes in every corner of Sierra Leone. The trend continued to 2012 elections which President Bio contested with ex-President Ernest Bai Koroma. Bio was allowed to campaign as SLPP got votes in every part of the country.
It was the same for 2018, President Bio campaigned freely until he won the elections. But, over-ambitious and frustrated SLPP politicians wanted to soil the party’s image by telling registration staff not to tolerate APC person to register since their people are not registering owing to disappointment. South and Eastern regions have been badly disappointed by a party they had hoped would lift them out of poverty. Since SLPP politicians have no hope in the polls,
the only option is to intimidate to corrupt the elections in areas where they are weak. SLPP politicians started intimidation on the day they took over state command in 2018. In order to ensure that that they succeed intimidating people, they trigger a situation in which either opposition politicians or voters would react so that they could easily arrest and detain them indefinitely. Sierra Leone witnessed the arrest of Unity Party founder and leader, Femi Claudius Cole for her stiff resistance to the 2021 Mid-Term Census. The census, in many respect, was unconventional and illegal.
No census in Sierra Leone has been conducted after five years of the previous census. Former Minister of Local Government, Finda Diana Konomani was also arrested and detained for Opposing the same census. Sierra Leoneans also saw the arrest of former Minister of Defence, Alfred Paolo Conteh on false charges of treason. Intermittent waves of arrest have not died down even in the face of elections.
The arrest will continue as a form of intimidation to scare the people, but the people are not scared.