By- Aruna Rashed Toma Bangura
The political climate in Sierra Leone has been immensely tense since the nation witnessed the peaceful and smooth transition of power from the then incumbent All People’s Congress (APC) party led government to the hands of the then main opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), who emerged as winner in the 2018 presidential run-off election. The political landscape since power changed hands has left many citizens astounded at the ruling government policies, especially those that have to do with the opposition APC and others. There have been series of salient political concerns being raised by the APC party over arbitrary arrests, re-arrests and imprisonments its members and followers.
To start with, just after the retirement of former President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma from office, the ruling SLPP set up a self-distracted Government Transitional Team (GTT) which looked into the so-called eleven years political and governance activities of the outgone administration and submitted a report to President Julius Maada Bio. After going through the regionally and ethnically divisive GTT report, his government set up Commissions of Inquiry into the works of past government officials and roped in the opposition APC politicians for alleged misappropriation and embezzlement of public finance and state funds. After a lengthy inquiry into their tenure by the two commissions, the Government launched White Paper, which instructed the state on what to do about former cabinet ministers, deputies, commissioners and chairmen that they were found wanton of corrupt offences. But prior to the commencement of the COI, the President had already prejudiced the investigations by describing former APC party led administration workers as “anyampis” meaning thieves in Themne language, during a visit to Kono. Notwithstanding that we saw the arrest of the then APC Deputy National Organizing Secretary, Karamoh Kabba shortly after a radio talk show at FM 98.1, Radio Democracy. Karamoh Kabba was unlawfully detained at the headquarters of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for several weeks before he was whisked to the Male Correctional Centre on Pademba Road. After Karamoh Kabba was released on bail, we again saw the arrest of former Mayor of the Freetown City Council, Herbert George Williams, Abu Bakarr Daramy and co for alleged death of a prominent journalist late Ibrahim Samura. The former Mayor and co almost languished at the Male Correctional Centre not until when the state cannot ascertain the fact/evidence before the court. Another instances recorded by this revengeful Bio led administration is the persistent intimidation of former President Koroma on alleged corruption offences.
Among dozens of significant arrests that were made by the ruling SLPP party are the one that has to do with the former Minister of Internal Affairs, who also served as Minister of Defence, Rtd. Major Alfred Palo Conteh. Conteh. Conteh was invited to State House by President Bio in share his expertise with the then COVID-19 pandemic national response to aid them mitigate pandemic, considering his knowledge in the fight against the deadly Ebola virus disease in the country. We also saw his arrest over allegation of ‘treason’ but, the state beyond all reasonable doubts failed to ascertain the fact that Rtd. Major Alfred Palo Conteh’s planned to kill President Bio.
Conteh saw hell in detention at the CID, headquarters, where he spent lengthy days in deplorable cell before he transferred to the Male Correctional Centre, at Pademba Road, where he almost met his death during the April 29th so-called prison break. There were mounting pressures on the authorities from international Human Rights groups, urging the government to give speedy trial of the alleged ‘treason’ matter. The former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Madam Priscilia Schwartz in several attempts at preferring professional advice to the government on what should have been done coupled with lack of capacity to produce the said treasonable facts, was relieved off her duty.
Going further the former Minister of Social Welfare Gender and Children’s Affairs, Dr. Sylvia Olayinka Blyden, who was also appointed as Special Executive Assistance to former President Koroma, was arrested and detained at CID headquarters was later sent to the Female Correctional at the former Special Court for Sierra Leone complex on Jomo Kenyatta Road. Dr. Blyden spent days at prison before she was granted bail and later her bail was rescinded and re-granted bail, through the intervention and legal representation of lawyer Charles Francis Margai.
The judicial annulment of electoral results and removal of ten elected opposition APC Members of Parliament from the House further escalated the political tension to worsening peak with mounting pressure from police raid at the APC party headquarters, at 11 Old Railway Line, Brookfields in Freetown, where armed police personnel stormed, fired teargas and stripped peaceful APC female supporters naked, because of their views against the High Court verdict slammed by Hon. Justice Komba Kamanda over the election petition matter that ‘illegally’ evicted their parliamentary representatives from the house.
Lately Alhaji Hon Ibrahim Kemoh Sesay was arrested for alleged incitement and was later taken to prison where he complained of ill health due to the hazardous and harmful condition of the cell.
Her Worship, the Mayor Freetown City Council, Yvonne Aki Sawyerr is now going through the test of time in the hands of the state-controlled judiciary after her arrest and charged to court for alleged obstruction of police duty.
Lawyer Ady Macauley with over decades of reputable professional legal standing, was also recently arrested and detention at the CID headquarters for interpreting of a specific sections of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone which gives citizens’ rights to processions without police clearance.
So many well-meaning citizens have expressed fears and panic over what the main opposition APC party will do by way of retaliation if they emerge victorious come 2023 elections. The greatest fears are for the APC conduct themselves and behave in similar manners as their SLPP rivals, for what they have undergone in the vengeful hands of the ruling SLPP. But according to some party loyalists they want to protect, consolidate the developmental trajectories and legacies of former president Koroma. Life has a golden rule which states that DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU MAY WANT OTHERS DO UNTO YOU. Nonetheless, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” Hence the politics of revenge must be discouraged in its entirety and consider as a primitive culture of the dark days of politics and all should focus on tolerant in the body politics of Sierra Leone.
Lonta!
