By Donstance Koroma
Tribalism has been regarded as an aged virus that had and continues to divide the nation and serve as threat to national security.
Since time memorial unto date, the two major political parties, the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the All People Congress Party (APC) has been accusing each other of fueling tribalism and regionalism as a political tool whenever they are in governance.
Since after the 2018 elections that saw President Bio elected as President, the term tribalism has taken a different twist, as many tribal comments and phases were rained on the main opposition All People Congress (APC) .
To many APC faithful, the SLPP are in the habit of exhibiting rampant tribalism, and as such, reversing gains on national cohesion the APC government under the rule of Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma achieved during his tenure.
Recent audio making the rounds by the former APC flag bearer aspirant, Madam Susan Bona is accusing her party (APC) as champions of tribalism and therefore warned concerning the looming dangers that most time associates with the ugly practice of tribalism.
She revealed that huge under-hand games have continued to play within the party in the name of tribalism.
“How dear you call President Bio tribalistic when APC stakeholders that hails from the north of the country has resolved that no party members that hail from other regions of the country should head the affairs of the APC party expect he or she comes from the north” Susan Bona said.
Susan Bona further stated that it was deliberate by the APC party to tag the flag bearer fees at five hundred million Old Leones, (Le 500,000,000) with the aim of eliminating others, is that not tribalism, she asked.
She also pointed accusing fingers on APC stakeholders for rigging the delegates conference in favor of the Theme, forgetting about Kelfala Marrah that she said hailed from a minority tribe Kuranko that had contributed immensely to the positive gains registered by the former President, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma.
Who are APC to say President Bio is not a Mende by tribe, we have different kinds of Mende’s, she disclosed.
Bona stated that President Bio is a sherbro Mende.
I have witnessed and feel tribalism in the APC party and as a result I am sick and feed up with it, she said.
“Political history have it that the APC party has ruled this nation more than any other party, how can we say we won the election when most of the south east voted not for us , APC” former flag bearer stated.
“Many people use to ask me what are you doing in this tribal party, the APC, and you have proven it to be tribal,” Susan Bono.
Weather Bio stole an election or not, ten years is not forever, for the sake of peace, why can we allow him to finish his tenure rather than causing so much unrest, she asked.
She said there are videos that APC members had continues to meet and raised funds as to when they (APC) will unseat President Bio, she said.
The monies you want to use to remove President from power, why can’t you use it to purchase containers of rice, the country staple food, Madam Susan said.
The accusation and counter accusation of tribalism seen gaining momentum more than ever to a point that level headed Sierra Leoneans are envisaging worry signs ahead if instant intervention is not seek to discourage the practice of tribalism going forward.
Considerable numbers of years now, Sierra Leone as a nation has willfully refused to build on the things that unify us as a nation, rather placing premium on things that continues to deepen the already existing divide that now stands glaring.
Taking into consideration Sierra Leone’s political culture where party supporters lay premium on political party sources for news over government, left supporters at the whims and caprices of politicians using misinformation and disinformation to poison the hearts and minds of their supporters against each other.
Experts in Peace and Conflict Studies had long before now warned that governments should do all in it can to consolidate peace and national cohesion to prevent the nation going back to yester years where dogs, vultures and pigs were feeding on dead humans.
Ironically, politicians that hail from the South and South East of Sierra Leone likewise those that hail from the North and North West can narrate the qualities or attributes of each other and how they are interrelated as a nation, but they will never disclose those unique qualities and attributes that unite us as a nation to their supporters.
Those unique qualities and attributes will be only talked about in international conferences by governments to pretend as if all in well with national cohesion in Sierra Leone with the sole motive of convincing investors or donor partners to release funding.
To end tribalism in Sierra Leone, the solution remains simple like drinking water.
APC and SLPP politicians should not be telling those unique things about the North, South or East to investors and donor partners alone but also to their supporters so that the Mende and Theme that constitute sixty percent of the country’s population can start seeing themselves as one people one country and not enemies.
And by so doing, other tribes will have no option but to toe the line of the two majority tribes that will cause tribalism to disappear in a very tine air.
To nip tribalism into the board, citizens should understand that politicians are bent on using tribalism to achieve their selfish desires at the expense of national security and cohesion and as such, citizens should ensure that they strongly discourage such for the sake of national security and cohesion to flourish.
Remember, that the true meaning of politics is nothing but selfish consideration, which clearly indicates that APC and SLPP politicians choose self above national interest, for which Sierra Leoneans should not lose consciousness of this fact.
As the saying goes, an old woman always felt uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in proverbs, similarly , Sierra Leone politicians always felt guilty or uneasy when they are accuse of fanning the flame of tribalism.
Like the guilty, SLPP and APC politicians are always afraid when they are accuse as the hidden faces behind tribalism.
Let speak the truth and shame the devil, APC and SLPP are the sole viruses that had and continues to lubricate tribalism in the country.
Therefore, the nation should tag them as agents of tribalism that automatically disqualify them as true patriots of the land we all love, Sierra Leone.
It high time we start pressing on to end the era of tribalism in Sierra Leone since many citizens are not blind to the truth no more.
Concertedly, we can defeat tribalism and nature the culture of unity in diversity which is achievable.
