By Sorie Sudan Sesay, Freetown.
Anyone who means well for the future survival of the ruling All People Congress
(APC) would not imagine anything that would bring the image of the party into
disrepute.
The road leading to the 2007 Presidential and Parliamentary elections was a
daunting and frustrating one for the leadership and general survival of the
party.
Current President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma could have had his political career
abruptly amputated over some so-called constitutional flaws, if not for the fact
that destiny was one his side. Obviously, we could not have seen the APC in the
position it currently occupies in government if that happened.
That is why, for several reasons, we want to condemn in no uncertain terms, at
least for now, those calling for the separation of powers of the party’s
leadership and chairmanship positions respectively, ahead of the National
Delegates Convention scheduled for early next year. It is not timely and
absolutely not logical.
This is not to say the issue is irrelevant or those people clamouring for this
are less important. No! But the fact still remains that for a government in
power to engage itself in such petty party squabbles like the current one at
this point in time is not only very untimely, but crazy as well.
Fact is, this
can well have the tendency of diverting the attention of the party from its
manifesto it had committed itself during the electioneering campaign period.
As it is now, by any calculation, the government is doing well and the President
has so far matched his words with actions. Quite unprecedented for a typical
African leader.
At least we can now boast of an effective electricity supply across the city,
which had been almost impossible over the past decade of the SLPP misrule.
Maintenance of roads is in full gear. Even our ‘Ngor’ friends in far away
suburbs of Kailahun are beginning to enjoy the comfort of motorable roads.
Didn’t you hear Tom Nyuma singing praises of the APC the other day? Wonders,
they say, never end.
Also, with little over a year now, we are beginning to see the practical reality
of food security as well as improved and better health care, not to talk of the
booming economy. Thrice in four weeks the prices of petroleum products are being
drastically reduced, which is very unprecedented in Sierra Leone’s political
history.
Surely, the APC can only continue in this direction if the party maintains its
cohesiveness and focus but, anything short of this will not augur well for the
future survival of the party. We don’t want this to happen.
As it is now, the issue of constitutional amendment for the leadership and
chairmanship positions respectively is now slowly developing into groups within
the hierarchy and across the general party which by any indication, is not good
for the party. And as far as I am concerned, those behind this unpopular
campaign are doing this not for party interest, but for personal gain.
Come to think of it, the APC does not need to tear itself apart over constitutional
matters at this crucial point in time. It had never helped the party and it will
never in any shape or form.
In retrospect, this was the same issue that dragged the party to court causing
major divisions within its hierarchy. Once again, we don’t need this anymore.
What every genuine APC member needs now is total cohesiveness and those things that
will consolidate the party’s hold on to power for the good of the country as the
case is now.
Like I said earlier, the President is doing remarkably well and the party needs
to rally itself behind him in order to achieve his desired goals and objectives.
As a matter of fact, we should not be in a rush to achieve this simply because
the same system exists in other parties or, because some selfish individuals
want to grab on very sensitive positions at all cost.
Whereas other parties have so many trump cards to display, it must be noted that
the APC only regained power because of the decency of its leadership. This is a
reality we have to accept. Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma is apparently the only driving
force for now who can move the APC forward.
We can talk from other trump cards, but we’ll have to wait, rally behind
President Koroma to see how best he can continue in turning around the face of
Sierra Leone from the deplorable state we have been forced to live in. The issue
of separation of powers is less important at least, for now.
My submission therefore is that, having regard to the objectives the party
stands for in its electoral manifesto, it is but advisable for the leadership
of the APC to leave this very sensitive issue as it is till the party’s next
National Delegates Convention, wherein proper mechanism would have been put in
place to make a smooth political separation of powers.
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