Chapter IV Section 35 Subsections (1) and (2) talk about establishing political parties to participate in shaping the political will of the people, to disseminate information on political ideas, and social and economic programs of a national character, and to sponsor candidates for Presidential, Parliamentary or local government elections. It further states that the internal organization of a political party shall conform to democratic principles, and its aims, objectives, purposes and programs shall not contravene or be inconsistent with any provisions of the National Constitution. Alexis de Tocqueville says, Political parties seldom change and it is a phenomenon worth remarking that they are more flexible, both in theory and practice, than the individuals who compose them.”
So much has been said about the relationship between the SLPP and NGC. The long-standing division among the main players in the SLPP hierarchy more or less gave rise to a foremost Flag Bearer contender Kandeh Yumkella to finally leave the party. Unlike the case of the PMDC in 2006, KKY’s party the NGC was not necessarily formed by KKY. It is still unclear how the NGC was born. Whichever way that party looks poised to give both the SLPP and the APC a good run for their money. Of course this position is challenged vehemently by diehards of both the APC and the SLPP.
In 2006 or 7 when Mr Charles Francis Margai was not given the okay to be Flag bearer, he formed his party, People’s Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC). At first most SLPP supporters dismissed Margai and his Party. Some derogatorily referred to it as “Pekin Margai Don Crase” Having its base as the SLPP Heartland; PMDC clinched 10 Parliamentary seats in the 2007 elections. PMDC’s support to the APC that year gave the APC the victory it needed and left the SLPP licking her wounds after the elections. To be frank, the SLPP has never fuller recovered from the whipping of the PMDC. Now fast forward to 2017!
In the SLPP camp for a long time there were clear indications that the Retired Brigadier Maada Bio will have the flag Bearership. His Camp, the Paopa were often reported as being intimidatory by in nature. While their opponents branded them as power thirsty and violent, the Paopa leader kept insisting that his Group was not a violent one and that he personally would never condone violence. Interestingly there had hardly been any evidence of the Brigadier ordering any violent act. I think the Paopa team perhaps outwitted and outpaced their opponents in the political game. At one stage the KKY chapter of SLPP called themselves “Huehueh.” Ironically both the words, “Paopa” and, “Huehueh” in Mende virtually mean the same and that is “must,””By all means” or “At all cost.” This is quite interesting, isn’t it? When the criticism of Paopa started going viral, that group cleverly qualified the meaning of Paopa saying, “Paopa, Salone for Betteh” Nice political off-side eh.
I have always tried not to be drawn into worrying so much about whether truly enough Paopa was that violent or intimidatory. The truth is politics gets to a point that it turns a tactical affair. Do you realize that both war and Football share similar vocabulary like “shoot,” “attack,” and “fire,”? Politics is also a game of dribblers, shooters and attackers. Most times in foot ball the stronger and better teams win. When games are played by the rules, you do not challenge results. After SLPP’s long –drawn disputes they ended up holding democratic elections and had the results that all accepted in the end.
There is the argument that because the NGC is an offshoot of the SLPP, they have nothing new to offer and they cannot make any meaningful show at the 2018 elections. I disagree with this argument. When Margai formed the PMDC, it was the first time a new party was formed with its base in the SLPP stronghold. Most of the other surviving Parties have had their base in the North. In the case of NGC, the founding fathers are fairly spread round the regions. The Curent Interim Chairman is a Western Area man that had worked in the Kabbah Administration.
There is a school of thought that the NGC could be best described as “Disruptors” in the March 2018 elections. That means they will prevent APC and SLPP form getting the mandatory 55% of the votes to clinch the Presidency. When you talk to NGC, they will tell you they are poised for state House and nothing less. On the other hand many people believe the two main parties will always be exchanging the seat at state house. There is this rather intellectual School of thought that until the APC and the SLPP are relegated to the opposition, Sierra Leone will stay in its political inertia. The great challenge for this school is that they will find it hard to convince the poor and illiterate majority who know no other party except the APC and the SLPP.
This election will definitely bring out a whole lot of truisms about our country Sierra Leone. It will determine our political maturity and how critical and analytical our voting population has become. It will also draw a line between the patriotic Sierra Leoneans and the corrupt, greedy and selfish compatriots. It will clearly show those who care about the bread and butter issues for in particularly the poor and marginalized. The SLPP and the NGC should start to think far ahead of the elections and make up their minds whether they will continue their previous intrigues or plan for the run off alignments.
NGC’s position is very critical in the forthcoming elections, something many people would want to dismiss because of party ego. Now granted that APC and SLPP come top two and are preparing for the run-off. What is the relationship between these parties and the NGC? Which will NGC preffer to give her votes to if they come third? Some will say straight KKY will prefer APC…but in several ways it may not be as easy. There talk that it was the President that first actually approached KKY to join their ranks but that that party’s members pointed out that KKY’s father was a Founding Member of the SLPP and a Diehard one at that. So KKY’s natural party was the SLPP. So people keep saying that KKY should have formed his own party a long time ago so that it comes off as a brand new party. They say that KKY may not have much moral ground to criticize SLPP since he left that party because he could not get the flag Bearership. Whichever way, each agument has some merit, but the fact that comes out clearly is that the NGC will a emerge as a strong force to reckon with. Of course diehard APC and SLPP fanatics will not like to hear this, but it is a fact. In all this the APC has the incumbency advantage which I know it will leverage to the fullest and perhaps not even the social media incisiveness will make them budge. A lie is gone half-way round before the truth gets out of bed.
By Ben Cambayma
Tuesday November 21, 2017.
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