WHY IS APC JITTERY ABOUT MAADA BIO’S VICTORY ?
Commentary By Mohamed Jaiah
The pronouncement of campaign for the position of flagbearer for the Sierra Leone Peoples’ Party (SLPP) started last year . The sum of Le 50m was placed for the position and 23 names emerged, out of which 19 aspirants paid the above sum to contest for the flagbearership of the Party.
Since the start of campaign, members and supporters of the All Peoples Congress (APC) have always looked at Rtd. Brig. Maada Bio as a treat to their party. About a year ago, just after the Rtd. Brig. General declared his intension to vie for the position of flagbearer, the Minister of Information and Communication Alhaji Ibrahim Ben Kargbo was the first to raise his voice agaist Bio.
The Minister in one usual Thursday press conferences said that Maada Bio should be brought to justice for the alleged killing of the former Inspector General of Police, Bambay Kamara and 29 others by the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) of which he was a member.
Alhaji I.B. Kargbo promised this nation that his government was going to set up an inquest to look into the matter a pronouncement which did not go down well with majority of Sierra Leoneans as well as the International Community at large.
The simple reason is, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) set up by the government of Sierra Leone with the support of the International Community have dealth extensively with all crimes committed during the war, which gave amnesty to members of the RUF, NPRC, Civil Defence Forces, the AFRC of which some members of the ruling APC were actively involved in.
The National Delegate Convention of the SLPP have come and gone, and Rtd. Brig. General Maada Bio emerged the winner and eventually became the flagbearer of the Party.
There was drumming and dancing across the country by members and supporters of the SLPP since he was the most prefered aspirant among the 19.
The news of the General becoming the SLPP flagbearer has created a lot of confussion and panic in the rank and file of the APC.
On one of the radio stations, the Minister of Political Affairs, Alhaji Alpha Kanu was brave enough to call Maada Bio the ‘Messi’ of Sierra Leone, but was quick to refer to President Ernest Bai Koroma as ‘Pele’, forgetting the fact that football in the Pele days had limited rules. He was however democratic to welcome the General to a straight fight with Preso. Koroma come 2012.
The Secretary General of the APC, Victor Bockarie Foh on the contrary has said things that are very misleading and negative about Maada Bio and the entire National Executive of the SLPP which every civilised democacies all over the world will not accept. Such pronouncements are misleading and negative and dopes not augur well for our fragile peace and democracy.
In a press conference held at the National Secretariat of the APC on Friday, August 5, 2011, Mr. Victor Bockarie Foh catalogued a lot of misleading informations about the just concluded National Delegate Convention which saw the election of the SLPP flagbearer and the National Executive of the Party.
What Victor Foh failed to realise or was confused about is the manner in which the flagbearer and the National Executive were elected.
The Flagbearer comes from the South (Bonthe) the National Chairman from the East (Kailahun) the deputy National Chairman from the North (Bombali) the Secretary General and his deputy are both from the west (Freetown), the National Women’s Leader from the East (Kono), the Deputy National Women’s Leader from the west, to name but few. Victor Foh must see how democratic operates in the SLPP.
What is most amazing is the amount of money Mr. Foh said was used by Alhaji Osman Boie Kamara one of the aspirants in his campaign. What business has the APC in trumpeting the amount of money spent by the SLPP aspirant? Does he not know that election is all about spending money ? All 19 aspirants spent huge sums of money on their campaign. Can Mr. Foh, tell the people of this nation how much it cost the APC and President Ernest Bai Koroma to win the 2007 Presidential election?
Being the brain behind a Military coup which overthrew one of the worst civilian regimes in the world, a coup which was popularised by the people and accepted by the International Community was a step in the right direction. So calling Maada Bio a killer and a murderer is most premitive on the side of Victor Foh and his APC and is not acceptable by the people of this nation.
Above all, every military rank given to members of the NPRC were accorded them by merit. Col. Muhammad Ghadaffi was a 2nd Lt when he took over power in Libya.
Former President Momoh though he was Major General and did not darken the corridors of a university was given a Honorary degree in Doctrate. He was called Dr. Joseph Saidu Momoh.
The pronouncement of campaign for the position of flagbearer for the Sierra Leone Peoples’ Party (SLPP) started last year . The sum of Le 50m was placed for the position and 23 names emerged, out of which 19 aspirants paid the above sum to contest for the flagbearership of the Party.
Since the start of campaign, members and supporters of the All Peoples Congress (APC) have always looked at Rtd. Brig. Maada Bio as a treat to their party. About a year ago, just after the Rtd. Brig. General declared his intension to vie for the position of flagbearer, the Minister of Information and Communication Alhaji Ibrahim Ben Kargbo was the first to raise his voice agaist Bio.
The Minister in one usual Thursday press conferences said that Maada Bio should be brought to justice for the alleged killing of the former Inspector General of Police, Bambay Kamara and 29 others by the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) of which he was a member.
Alhaji I.B. Kargbo promised this nation that his government was going to set up an inquest to look into the matter a pronouncement which did not go down well with majority of Sierra Leoneans as well as the International Community at large.
The simple reason is, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) set up by the government of Sierra Leone with the support of the International Community have dealth extensively with all crimes committed during the war, which gave amnesty to members of the RUF, NPRC, Civil Defence Forces, the AFRC of which some members of the ruling APC were actively involved in.
The National Delegate Convention of the SLPP have come and gone, and Rtd. Brig. General Maada Bio emerged the winner and eventually became the flagbearer of the Party.
There was drumming and dancing across the country by members and supporters of the SLPP since he was the most prefered aspirant among the 19.
The news of the General becoming the SLPP flagbearer has created a lot of confussion and panic in the rank and file of the APC.
On one of the radio stations, the Minister of Political Affairs, Alhaji Alpha Kanu was brave enough to call Maada Bio the ‘Messi’ of Sierra Leone, but was quick to refer to President Ernest Bai Koroma as ‘Pele’, forgetting the fact that football in the Pele days had limited rules. He was however democratic to welcome the General to a straight fight with Preso. Koroma come 2012.
The Secretary General of the APC, Victor Bockarie Foh on the contrary has said things that are very misleading and negative about Maada Bio and the entire National Executive of the SLPP which every civilised democacies all over the world will not accept. Such pronouncements are misleading and negative and dopes not augur well for our fragile peace and democracy.
In a press conference held at the National Secretariat of the APC on Friday, August 5, 2011, Mr. Victor Bockarie Foh catalogued a lot of misleading informations about the just concluded National Delegate Convention which saw the election of the SLPP flagbearer and the National Executive of the Party.
What Victor Foh failed to realise or was confused about is the manner in which the flagbearer and the National Executive were elected.
The Flagbearer comes from the South (Bonthe) the National Chairman from the East (Kailahun) the deputy National Chairman from the North (Bombali) the Secretary General and his deputy are both from the west (Freetown), the National Women’s Leader from the East (Kono), the Deputy National Women’s Leader from the west, to name but few. Victor Foh must see how democratic operates in the SLPP.
What is most amazing is the amount of money Mr. Foh said was used by Alhaji Osman Boie Kamara one of the aspirants in his campaign. What business has the APC in trumpeting the amount of money spent by the SLPP aspirant? Does he not know that election is all about spending money ? All 19 aspirants spent huge sums of money on their campaign. Can Mr. Foh, tell the people of this nation how much it cost the APC and President Ernest Bai Koroma to win the 2007 Presidential election?
Being the brain behind a Military coup which overthrew one of the worst civilian regimes in the world, a coup which was popularised by the people and accepted by the International Community was a step in the right direction. So calling Maada Bio a killer and a murderer is most premitive on the side of Victor Foh and his APC and is not acceptable by the people of this nation.
Above all, every military rank given to members of the NPRC were accorded them by merit. Col. Muhammad Ghadaffi was a 2nd Lt when he took over power in Libya.
Former President Momoh though he was Major General and did not darken the corridors of a university was given a Honorary degree in Doctrate. He was called Dr. Joseph Saidu Momoh.
Comments
Post a Comment