Posted by Solo Demby on October 19, 2007 at 07:16:23:
Some of the reasons that led to the recent down fall
of the SLPP in the polls.
1. The youth crisis - this was not adequately addresed
by the SLPP and in fact they never saw it as
important. The elections in 2002 were about peace but
in 2007 it was about the fight against corruption,
service provision and adressing the youth factor and
SLPP failed woefully to address all of them. And
remember, over 60% of the population is under 25 yrs
of age and they have no recollection of the APC
misrule lilke you and I do.
2. The SLPP fielded candidates, both presidentail and
vice presidential candidates, that were very unpopular
within the ranks of the party and nationwide. Both
were more of liabilities than assets and they were
chosen and forced down the throats of the party
faithfuls and the nation as a whole by Tejan Kabbah
and Gadafi. Their personalities could not attract
votes.
3. There are more registered voters in the Western
Area and the North than in other regions of the
country and the SLPP was most unpopular in the Western
Area. Their unpopularity in the Western Area was
largely because of their dismal failure to provide
basic services especially water supply and
electricity. Additionally, the governement
deliberately sabotaged the fight against corruption,
especially the VP when he was atorney general; few
scandals like the Okera Adams of fisheries, Drugs
store burnt down by civil servants to destroy evidence
of corruption and the government did nothing, massive
corruption within the national aids secretariat - this
was so bad the World bank had to threaten withdrawal
of funding before the president asked the head, Sidi
Alighanli to resign. He was not prosecueted and the
Koidu Holdings scandal - Kono was mortgageed by the
Kabbah government to provide him arms and amunitions
to bring him back to power, so the mining is not
benefiting the people and many many more. Most
importantly, the Audit general's reports, twice in a
role, into the activities of the goverment were never
published. The reports were so damaging that the
government refused to endorse and publish it much to
the annoyance of the donor community.
4. Active civilc society and free press - All of this
was happening at a time when we have a freer press and
a more active civil society that were informing the
masses about the activities of the government.
5. The Hinga Norman factor: The man is seen as a hero
my many S/Leoneans, especially in the south east and
his supporters blamed the SLPP for his death; so many
supported the PMDC of charles margai instead of the
SLPP. So while the north and the Western Area were
united for the APC, the South East was split between
the SLPP and the PMDC. And the final straw was when
Margai asked all his supporters to vote for the APC in
the run off.
6. Before the 2007 elections, there were signs which
should have served as a wake up call to the SLPP, but
the SLPP felt so comfortable in power that they never
took any of them seriously. SLPP lost the local
elections in Freetown in 2004, this was a sign that
they were loosing support and needed to take action,
instead they were joking about it saying that Freetown
is not Sierra Leone. This was a mistake because if you
are a governement and you loose in the capital city,
that is an indictment in itself as the city is where
the elite, more educated and politically conscious
people reside hence the city serves as barometer for
the political temperature nationwide. Freetown has the
largest number of registered voters and in a democracy
it is votes that count. The very vibrant music scene
after the war was also a signal that something was
wrong and action needed to be taken......all the calls
of the musicians fell on deaf ears - the bobor beles,
corruption corruption and two foot aratas were signs
enough to warrant action.
7. The SLPP also never saw the PMDC as any formidable
challenge to their stronghold in the South East. Up t o
the very end they were mocking the PMDC saying it is a
pikin party and while the PMDC and APC were busy
campaining and winning hearts and minds, the SLPP just
relaxed in Freetown confident in themselves that they
were going to win. In an interview on the eve of the
elections, Berewa in a BBC said he was going to win
massively - a clear sign that the man had lost touch
with the counrty he was trying to rule. The SLPP
truely underestimated the APC, the PMDC and how
unpopular they were.
8. The SLPP leadership was not politically astute and
their lack of understanding of the changing political
landscape was also responsible for thier failure. Up
to the very end, they were not convienced that they
were unpopular and that APC and PMDC were formidable
forces which meant that they should have done more in
terms of getting thier acts together. Small things
like a robust campaign and fixing NPA and Guma Valley
in Freetown would have made a huge differences to the
fortunes of SLPP. Few days before the elections there
was almost 24 hours ectricity supply in F/town - a bad
sign for the SLPP. It meant to the voters that 24
hours power supply in F/town is achievable but the
SPLL never saw it as something important and proving
it few days before elections was an insult to the
voters who are now more politically aware.
9. SLPP was also let down woefully by the Northerners
who were within the top ranks of the party namely
Tejan Kabba, Kadi Sesay, Alpha Wurie, Sani Sesay, Dr
Fofana, Bobson Sesay. Momodu Koroma etc etc. These
people did nothing to campaign in the North in order
to split the APC votes there. In the end APC carried
all the votes in the North. I am told Kabba only
started campainging in the North for the SLPP after
they lost in the first rounds, it was already too late
- voters had made up their minds and they could
already see victory within their grasps. And sadly
enough, the people who let the party down are they
ones who benefited from it the most.
10. Poor public relations - while the APC had a radio
station dedicated to campaigning and a well crafted
campaign strategy, the SLPP had none and yet they were
the rulling party in power. While the APC had a well
educated and eloquent Alpha Kanu as spokes person for
the APC, the SLPP had victor Reider, a half baked man
of questionalbe character who could hardly express
himself properly let alone sell the paty.
Campaign Slogans: The APC campaign slogan was positive
change and the SLPP's was continuity. Frankly,
everyone in the country including even the SLPP
supporters would agree that no one wanted to continue
with the Tejan Kabbah style of leadership in the
country. Small as this may sound, but it did a lot of
damage to the SLPP.
I am no fan of the APC, neither the SLPP - they are
all one and the same people. for example, JB Dauda and
Filllie Faboe, Sanie Sesay and Abas Bundu who are now
senior members of te SLPP were all one time members of
the APC and the ekutay cabal.
However, there is hope, hope is in the free press,
the youth and the active civil society who will vote
out any government who does not deliver and they have
just sent a clear message to the SLPP. the free press
and civil society will continue to publisize the ills
of any govern ment either SLPP or the APC. There maybe
hope also for Kono, the VP is a kono man, and the
first lady also a kono- so maybe more attention will
be paid to kono this time round.
Finally, this is also a victory for SL and Africa - a
peaceful change of government from a rullling party to
the oposition, a rarity in Africa and a sure sign that
peace and demoracy is slowly taking roots in S/Leone.
Regena Juliana Kain
B.Sc. Home Economics Education, M.Sc. Food Science<?xml:namespace
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Doctoral Research Student
School of International Education, Building-8 Room-344
Southern Yangtze University
No 1800 Lihu Road
Wuxi- 214122
Jiangsu, P. R. China.
Tel-0086-13921543381{M}
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Fax-0086-510-85912987
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