By Mohamed Sankoh (One Drop)

All what the “Paopagandists” and “Drunkardnomists” of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) have been spewing out against the Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to Sierra Leone, Manuel Muller, should be regarded as the last feeble kicks of a dying horse.
It doesn’t matter if members of the SLPP bring down the heavens with their Greek Choruses of issuing a persona non grata on Ambassador Muller; it will not change the factual fact that majority of Sierra Leoneans are now sick and tired of the Bio-led administration. It will not change the fact that they want to kick the inept SLPP government out of State House on June 24 through the ballot box. It will not even change the fact that the Bio-led administration has still not been able to solve the “bread and butter issues”.

And despite SLPPers appear to believe that their government will not be kicked out of power until Kamboi Hills march to State House; it will still not change the fact that the current SLPP government is a good example of how a political party ought not to run a democratic country in modern times.

Instead of accepting the fact that the “EU and its Member States have committed over 7 million Euro to support transparent, inclusive, credible and peaceful elections in Sierra Leone in 2023”; senior members of the SLPP government appear to have contracted political mercenaries, or Greek Choruses, to do their dirty job simply because they are not man enough to whimper on camera.

And Edmond Alpha, the Electoral Commissioner for the south, and the Leader of the Coalition for Change (C4C) in Parliament, Hon. Saa Emerson Lamina, have taken up the gauntlet to become unofficial advocates, or part of the Greek Choruses, on behalf of the SLPP government—maybe for consultancy fees! And their modus operandi is a simple one: paint Ambassador Muller as a despicable diplomat so that the SLPP government will have enough grounds to declare him persona non grata!

It is Edmond Alpha who appears to have started the first stanza in the SLPP’s hymn book. In a leaked audio, he is apparently heard blaming the International Community, particularly the European Union Ambassador, as agents for a Regime Change in Sierra Leone. He appears to be very unhappy with the EU Ambassador’s observation that when he went to the northern parts of the country, which are the strongholds of the All People’s Congress (APC), he saw huge crowds during the registration processes but that when he equally visited the southern parts, which are the strongholds of the SLPP, the crowds were sparse.

But if Edmond Alpha had been an ordinary SLPP operative, his partisan comments would have been taken as no-comments comments. But him being the Electoral Commissioner for the southern region, who is expected to be one of the referees in the June 24 multi-tier elections, calls for grave concern. For Mr Alpha to accuse members of the International Community of “hypocrisy”; of having “no good intensions for the country”, and that they “have their hidden agenda and pushing for regime change” signifies the last feeble kicks of a dying horse!

What has been noticeable about most of President Bio’s appointees is their inability to sieve partisan sentiments from professional ethics. What Edmond Alpha (well, he is an “Alpha” which is not surprising!) is feigning forgetfulness of are two of the core principles of the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL). The first is professionalism which states that, “The Commission shall endeavour to have a well-trained, professionally competent, motivated and confident staff, dedicated to the delivery of trustworthy elections”. And the second is impartiality which states that, “The Commission shall always be nonpartisan and fair in all its activities”. It is sad that what is heard in that audio indicates that Mr Alpha is in breach of those two core principles. But the SLPP “Paopagandists” and “Drunkardnomists” are not demanding his head on the guillotine simply because he is regarded as one of their own!

And Hon. Saa Emerson Lamina, the Leader of the Coalition for Change (C4C) in Parliament, has continued from the second stanza in the SLPP’s hymn book. His below-the-belt mumbo-jumbos against Ambassador Manuel Muller, at a meeting of Parliamentarians of the EU-ACP group in Brussels on 1 March 2023, shows the desperation of a man who is eager to be incorporated into the SLPP’s fold after his own C4C hit an iceberg and is now sinking like the well-known Titanic!

Like Edmond Alpha; Hon. Lamina’s baseless accusations of Ambassador Muller could be likened to the last feeble kicks of a dying horse. He knows that Ambassador Muller has not been crossing his diplomatic red lines since he presented his Letter of Credence to President Julius Maada Bio in September 2021 to date. The C4C leader is aware that the EU, which Ambassador Muller represents in Sierra Leone, does not favour specific political parties or candidates. The Kono MP knows that “the EU worldwide supports processes which allow that at the end of the day, elections are free, transparent, credible and inclusive, so that the people’s will is fully taken into consideration.” And Hon. Lamina is familiar with the factual fact that the “EU’s electoral support is strictly non-partisan and aimed at building the institutional capacity of electoral management bodies and civil society organisations to effective, inclusive and peaceful electoral operations”. But he deliberately made baseless allegations against Ambassador Muller and the EU that “…do not correspond with facts”. (All quotes in the paragraphs dealing with the Kono MP, above, are from the EU’s press release of 2 March 2023.)

It is sadly sad, and shamefully shameful, that Hon. Saa Emerson Lamina’s undiluted hatred for the APC is clouding his sense of diplomatic decency to the point of making baseless allegations against Ambassador Muller and the EU. He needs to make a public apology because even President Bio believes that Sierra Leone values the support of the EU to address the challenges that lie ahead.

And if Hon. Lamina doesn’t know this, let me bring it to his attention that, “In December 2021, the European Union adopted the Multi-Annual Indicative Programme (MIP) for its partnership and cooperation with Sierra Leone for the period 2021-2027. In line with the new partnership approach, the mobilisation of resources will be staged. The EU indicatively commits EUR 245 million for the period 2021-2024. The EU programming is aligned with the Medium-term National Development Plan (MTNDP), the Government’s development agenda for the period 2019– 2023”. Should I add more on that “Message From The Ambassador” of the EU?

And by seemingly contracting political mercenaries, or Greek Choruses, to attack the reputation of Ambassador Manuel Muller and the EU; the SLPP is now playing the mischievous child who is trying to bite the fingers that are feeding him. And Edmond Alpha, the Electoral Commissioner for the south, and the Leader of the Coalition for Change (C4C) in Parliament, Hon. Saa Emerson Lamina, should know that “no matter how far you urinate, the last drop always falls at your feet”. Meaning: there will always be consequences for your action (s)!
medsankoh@yahoo.com/+232-76-611-986; https://nationalistsl.com