By Kabs Kanu, Senior Adviser, APC
I am not supporting any one political leader in the APC against the other. I am keeping an open mind for now.
But some important questions……
So, vilified and accused APC leaders do not have a right to respond?
What if Hon. Chernor Maju Bah, alais Chericoco, had really come to engage the Chapter and diaspora on political issues to give his own side of the stories and provide us his own update about where the party stands at the moment, would it have been objectionable and a crime? Who decrees that? What are the reasons?
Chericoco’ came to New Jersey to attend a dinner in his honour by his bosom and childhood friend, Mr. JOHN COLE, who is accorded the same honour by Chericoco whenever he visits Freetown. We were told that the dinner was non- political and no politics would be discussed. It turned out to be so. Nobody discussed politics. Chericoco made no official statement. He refused to talk any politics. We all just enjoyed some sumptuous food, refreshments and fraternized with one another. No politics.
But what if Chericoco had really come to talk politics and given his own version of events? Would that have been a crime? What makes it so?
So, people accused of anti-party activities do not have a right of response?
If Dr Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara, Ambassador Alhaji Osman Foday Yansaneh, Dr Richard Conteh, Dr Kelfala Marah, Hon Alhaji Minkailu Mansaray etc. make similar visits to the diaspora, would it be an act of betrayal to the APC to go listen to them?
Even in law, if a man is accused of murder or rape, for instance, he is still given a chance to defend himself. If he does not have money to hire a lawyer, the government provides one for him.
THE PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE is the bedrock of our legal system.
I think if any of our APC leaders decides to come and engage us and address all allegations flying around, he should be given a fair hearing. Everybody has a right to be heard. It does not mean that when you listen to him, you have accepted his version of events.
Interesting. I speak with Dr Samura Kamara regularly and he has never at any time told me that he has any tiff with particular members of the APC. Only people say or write stuff to the extent that there are rifts and acts of betrayals between our leaders. Nobody has come forward to make bombshell allegations.
I would have loved for Chericoco to have spoken politics in the dinner last Saturday. I would have loved to ask him tough and searching questions based on all the rumours floating around. Frankly, as a journalist and diplomat, as well as a Senior Adviser of the APC, I was disappointed that no politics was discussed.
I would have as well stayed and enjoyed “Miss Tigi’s” krainkrain soup and peanut chicken stew she had prepared for the day. We do not need a code of silence in the APC. We need to hear from the horses’ own mouths about what is really going on in our beloved APC. In today’s humble and tumble of life, silence is not golden.
When did APC reach the point where meetings and engagements with leaders from Freetown are acts of betrayal to the party?
APC, WE NEED TO CHANGE HOW WE PLAY OUR POLITICS. WE NEED TO GIVE EVERYBODY A CHANCE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES IN PUBLIC AND PRESCRIBE THEIR OWN SOLUTIONS TO OUR PARTY’S CONTENTIOUS ISSUES. WE ALSO NEED TO BE GIVEN A CHANCE TO ASK OUR LEADERS THE QUESTIONS THAT BOTHER US.
Democracy must prevail in our party. Nobody has a monopoly of viewpoints and ideas and we need to hear from those being accused whether the allegations against them are true or false. We are mature people. We will weigh the allegations and defences against them and decide what to believe.
WE ARE NOT ZOMBIES!
