The anti-northern statement made by the Chief Executive Officer of the Gento Group company, Mohamed Gento Kamara, that: “Most of the people that are bringing unrest in this country are coming from my own tribe,” sadly delivered by the unsuccessful businessman who made his fortunes from the very tribes whose political party he is now decrying.
Having failed to win a road construction contract from the incumbent as expected before 2018, Gento has worriedly switched to politics with the expectations of making quick wealth like he did during the last All People’s Congress led administration. Gento’s expectation of winning dozens road construction contracts from the government has been dashed, as this administration does not even consider investing in the country’s infrastructure sector anymore. That dream has long been buried since the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) party and Bio took up office of in 2018.
That politics now being Gento’s only hope, his SLPP party should have prepared him very well for his dream job. But as an unrefined and armature politician, nothing much is expected from a quack public speaker like Mohamed Gento Kamara than such a hate speech against peaceful Sierra Leoneans. A statement that didn’t go down well with the leadership of the United Brethren in Christ (UBC) church and the entire congregation at Bottom Mango Kissy, east of Freetown. They in fact described Gento’s hate statement against the Temnes and the Limbas as an ‘affront’, ‘provocative’, ‘unfortunate’ and calculated political ploy aimed at ‘portraying’ both ethnic groups in a very bad light. And the anti-northern gush Gento unleashed against the Limbas and the Temnes, continue to receive angry reactions from across the country. Reactions from not only the two most largest and peaceful ethnic groups in Sierra Leone, – the Limbas and the Temnes whom he wrongly accused for causing ‘unrest’ and creating tribal divide, but also from a multitude of well-meaning Sierra Leoneans and friends of the country, who consider Gento’s hateful accusations as completely untrue.
Gento being the SLPP aspirant for the Freetown municipality mayoral ticket for the June 24th 2023 elections, one would simply understand why he’s desperately going round the country telling lies particularly to that divine UBC church congregation, that the Limbas and the Temnes are the cause of the systematic socioeconomic and political ‘unrest’ in the country. That coupled with his frivolous spending of money like a drunken sailor, are the only means of pleasing Bio to win the SLPP symbol for his weak mayoral bid. A political job most SLPP members this medium engaged on his recent tribal ranting consider Mohamed Gento Kamara as unfit for purpose. They therefore described his hate statement against the two largest ethnic groups as a non – leadership comment aimed a causing more divisions in the country and therefore urgently urged their already imposed mayoral candidate for the June 24th 2023 elections, Mohamed Gento Kamara to publicly apologise to the Temnes and the Limbas for telling lies about their tribes. Most SLPP members and supporters also hold the views that much as the SLPP party cannot afford to accommodate any controversial issue with the two ethnic groups as they are fast approaching elections. These SLPP members opined that their party need more loyal followers and votes from the north than Mohamed Gengo Kamara not to talk of their traditional south-eastern support base.
On the other hand, in a geopolitical environments wherein the SLPP party comes along with an unpopular political commodity like Julius Maada Bio, who has woefully lost the plot in Freetown and in the entire the Western Area, is sadly left with little or no alternative but to worriedly push Gento to be spraying cash on illegible youth in a bid to secure votes thereby creating the vague impression to Bio that he/Gento has total control over the Freetown and the Western region. Lies! Gento has no control over the Western Area and Freetown in particular. He’s not even known in the city, not to mention his popularity in the Freetown municipality. Youth only go around him to collect money and disappear, but it is because the SLPP lacks what it takes to stage a formidable pro-people political and electioneering campaign in Freetown and the entire Western Area, the more reasons the SLPP keep pushing Gento to continue with his spending sprees.
Besides, the very group of people Mohamed Gento Kamara is decrying and branding as tribalists and war mongers, formed significant majority of the population of the Western Area and Freetown to be specific. This urges the concern and question for Gento do further research to substantiate his weak claims against the Limbas and the Temnes. Alas, Mohamed Gento Kamara’s hateful outburst indicates that he hasn’t done his research well. He therefore needs to hire trained and qualified historians and researchers to be constantly keeping him abreast with present and past facts about the country he’s vying to rule its city.
Although there are presently administrative challenges at the Freetown City Council, yet FORUM firmly believes that Freetown cannot afford to have such a blank mayor come 2023. Freetown residents deserve a better leadership not the likes of Mohamed Gento Kamara.
Hence without wasting much time on schooling Gento some basic history of Sierra Leone, let him in the first place take a quick look at the structural composition of the current Bio led SLPP party administration, in which from cabinet down to the least office messengers are all Mendes from the south and east, before he continue with his lies about the Limbas and the Temnes being the cause of ‘unrest’. By so doing we encourage Gento to also ask himself who the real tribalists are, and who have actually divided Sierra Leoneans. Mr blank CEO of Gento Group do more findings to know that your SLPP party and it’s leaders who are dividing the country along tribal and regional lines, because of greed, winner take all democracy and cruelty are the real tribalists. So Gento cannot in anyway tell his followers and Sierra Leoneans the world over that he’s not aware of how far his leader Julius Maada Bio and his bunch of rogues have come in diving Sierra Leoneans along political, ethnic and regional lines.
Records are that since April 4th 2018 when Bio was pronounced winner of the election and president, he has always rule the country on a divided path, to a point of even making a public statement that the country is divided and that he does not work with people from other regions, especially Sierra Leoneans from the north, except his Mende tribesmen from the south and eastern provinces.
Is Gento also not aware of how divided the public sector/civil service are, wherein non-governmental organizations as well as certain private sectors establishments where Sierra Leoneans are selectively hired based on their regional, ethnic and political affiliations.
So desperado Gento why blame your leader’s ethnic and political divisiveness blunders on the Temnes and the Limbas, when you are fully aware of how Bio and his misruled government have succeeded in tearing the people apart.
What also the UBC church guest failed to note is that people are no longer prepare for the expression of such hate and derogatory sentiments, especially against the tribes of others to secure political scores. The SLPP mayoral aspirant much as he’s desperately looking for an avenue be fully engaged, should stop the hate campaign against peaceful Limbas and Temnes as they were not planners and perpetrators of the August 10th protest but your very faceless people.
