It definitely looks like most of our institutions behave like the palm wine Tappers Knife; it only works when it is hit on the backside. Many of our compatriots also behave that way; they are always reactive rather than proactive. Indeed a lot of people need triggers before they could get working. As a nation we are generally late comers so you cannot be surprised that we do not accomplish our tasks in time. Laggard… that is what many are! Tell me why it is that whenever we attempt to make headway as a nation we end up appearing to be running after a train that is gathering speed. We hardly get far enough before we get burned out completely.
Why do you choose to stay ignorant when technology can even tell your real date of birth and also tell you who your real parents are, if you doubt? Look, of course you are not going to hide behind that culture that has cost you the best part of your productive life, if you see what I mean. Now let’s get to the plain brass tracks. In this our tiny head – shaped country, all sorts of organizations germinate on a daily basis, call them associations, call them coalitions, call them forums, call them networks, call them partnerships, etcetera. What happens? They start up with well- meaning visions and missions and as time moves on you see a painful back pedaling, and it starts reneging on the ideals and jump in the arena of betrayal and sometimes so shamefully that it all ends up fizzling out.
What bests your imagination is that hardly see anyone among the group trying to systematically point out the unfortunate derailment. Oh what a sad situation outfits can get into! Yes outfits, which is what they are in the best tradition of derogation.
Somebody somewhere said that History is bunk… but my God of Goodness history is never bunk, we need it every time to learn some lesson and then get some meditation and get the necessary over standing. Bravo to the great DJ Base for popularizing this word overstanding. We all can recall or perhaps should recall the ugly incidents on March 13, 2009 and its aftermaths starting with the unveiling of that stupid clock Tower.
There are so many issues of rancor hate and intrigues for us as a nation to yet reconcile on. Yes they can hardly be swept under the proverbial carpet. Why do we like staying in ignorance and pretend all is well? In the first place that fateful day that triggered the violence was on a Black Friday that is a Friday that falls on the 13th. You may not believe it but this day breeds a whole lot of evil and danger all over the world. In Sierra Leone our worst black Friday recorded and remembered by me was in 1978 or so when some 27 persons perished in a vehicle accident; they were all sadly burnt to death on that day.
Have we ever been able to minimize the often violent inter-party and intra-party wrangles and forge peace and unity, by exercising restraint? Some years back, the All Political Parties Association (APPA) was born. Many well- meaning Sierra Leoneans heaved a sigh of relief. After some time nothing came out of it, as we say out here. All the rancorous behaviors of parties continue unchecked and even unspoken about. What makes the situation worse for Sierra Leone is the fact that when the PPRC was first set up, it was made ineffective by its staff at the time being seconded from the Government Ministries… civil servants who could not even cough loud enough for their bosses to hear for fear of one victimization or another. It was a situation whereby even if someone among them knocked and kept knocking, she would never go in. So in short trying was like fruitless. Thank God that has changed a bit now.
APPA never appeared to have a strong foundation, well laid out systems, procedures, practices and so forth. If they had, they could have perhaps been a strong partner to PPRC. But no! Just as it was born with levity so it fizzled out in levity. Of course by now you would have known that levity is embedded in every one of our psyche as good old Sierra Leoneans. Old boy, if you do not believe this go down to the slum areas along the coast in Freetown. The people there will prefer to go to battle with nature that is too transient to fathom. Can you imagine the effrontery; can you imagine the temerity; can you imagine the audacity; and can you imagine the foolhardiness? Yes no amount of warning can make people to budge, not even the ONS threatening ultimatum which long expired with nothing happening. They will say that they have nowhere to go. But indeed they came from somewhere and they can always go back there and live better lives. Yes, better lives. A safe life is a better life than a life constantly under threat.
Like I almost said, apparently APPA seems to have died like a fly. For a far long time, it was only mentioned after years by one of its members while trying to wiggle out of a very contentious situation that itself is sensitive enough to breed another black Friday happenings.
Going forward, in efforts to sanitarize the nonsensical fanaticisms of our energetic and dynamic young folk, the All political Parties Youth Association (APPYA) shot up with fan fare. Some of us felt quite good, given the myriad of questions that surround this volatile and sensitive sector of our population. Whether you know it or not our youth are in a most precarious state today than ever before so much so that it is perhaps the stiffest headache for any government living or dead. Oh I almost forgot that the President will lay his life for them. Well ar see you far lek Lungi Bridge! Do not ask me why… check unemployment, they bear the highest brunt, check low education, look dem pack. Of course we cannot talk about rights violation and abuses. Very interesting that youth could be both perpetrators and victims of violent situations. True or false? Check the Cliques with their Fivoes! Can a nation really thrive without its youth? Ponder on that for some time. Sure you enjoyed your youth hood, if you did not blame the century in which you were born. APPYA wake up and hold your destiny in your own hands.
Later on in another development there was the formation of the All Political Parties Women’s Association (APPWA). When I heard it in the news, the first thing I thought of was the promised 30% Quota for women promised by the president. The average Salonean’s cynicism stems from years of failures of structures and systems. This Group has slept in her wing like their male counterparts. They are all waiting till close to the 2018 elections before they can spring up and give us the normal empty hot air that blows no one good. Remember
What these groups need to tell this nation is why they have woefully failed. May be their answers will also tell us why poyo sells more that palm oil!
By Ben Cambayma
Thursday May 25, 2017.
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