The recent intervention of retired Vice-President Victor Bockarie Foh in commissions holding has been received with mixed feelings by the bemused public. He could have stayed mum. In any case his intervention in the dialectical issue of the projected Commissions can safely be described as a victory over sentimentalism and absurdity.
Curiosity enough Victor Foh hails from the Southern Province which is obviously part of the stronghold of the ruling SLPP.As a result his membership of the APC has been viewed in SLPP quarters as a betrayal of his own kith and kin. Add to this the strategy that he chose his wife from the North making him a suitable candidate for the Presidency of this country with hopeful acceptance from both sides of the political spectrum. He held senior administrative posts under the APC governments though former President Dr. Siaka Stevens used to describe him in sarcastic terms. Whether the perks he gained during that tenure of office contributed to his consistent membership of the APC against all odds is a moot point. He intimated that some of those who are now shouting themselves hoarse over membership of the APC were roving while he stayed put.
As a strategist he recalled that he rejected ministerial posts but opted for the more influential post of Secretary –General; a statement that did not redound to his personal integrity. He could have added to his personal prestige if he declined ministerial posts for lower posts in the party. He had such prominence that he was appointed by one of our juntas ostensibly because he would act according to their undemocratic thinking. In contrast to Victor Foh’s revised thinking there are other veteran APC members like Eddie Turay, Dr. Abdulai Conteh and I.B. Kargbo, etc., who have not publicly brought pressure to bear on their membership to submit to the rulings of the pending Commissions of Enquiry if they have no skeletons in their cupboards. In his statement Victor Foh asked what is wrong for one to give account of one’s stewardship if one has nothing to hide.
He did not say that in so many words but implied that ex-President Ernest Koroma should hands off politics when he said that ex-president Tejan Kabbah and Solomon Berewa retired and were not shouting. He warned that the consequence of such action is self-deserving.
Lessons to be learnt
The unbidden statements of ex-President Victor Foh has a veneer of statesmanship if nothing else. Asked by skewed journalists whether he was speaking in favour of SLPP or against APC he said it was in favour of Sierra Leone and the truth. This is where the veterans should have come in to obviate the rigmarole of tortuous court procedures. They do not have the courage of their convictions but Victor Foh, aka ‘High Bab,’ has. Whether his present stance will vicariously result in lenient verdicts in his cases in court cannot be easily figured out.
Victory of Victor Foh
