REACTION TO KKY’s PRESS STATEMENT EARLIER TODAY
*By Yankuba Kai-Samba:*
I am spirited by this decision.
In the face of insults, illegalities , violence and intimidation and the paopa NEC refusal to abide by democratic process as demonstrated by their repeated and arrogant assault on the SLPP’S constitution, the paopas have shot the door to all but those that support their leaders Julius Bio.
There was no option left to people who put the interest of the country first , but the feeling that a bunch of people supporting an absolutely economically useless unemployed man they want to impose on all of us, should not be allowed to frustrate and deprived the suffering people of Sierra Leone with a unique opportunity to elect a credible alternative leadership to the corrupt APC administration.
Myself as a progressive SLPP, who has consistently argued that Sierra Leone need an outstanding president that is not from the old discredited politicians with nothing to show for their longevity in public office, I welcome this bold and courageous decision by Kandeh Yumkella as just and logical.
I believe a grand coalition, properly constituted and manage provide the best chance of removing the APC from power.
I should add that I have no hesitation to declare that while I have no intention of leaving the SLPP, I will join Dr Kandeh Yumkella and other SLPP progressives to give a quality, matured and responsible leadership to drag our people out of 50 years of corruption,decadence, poverty and misery.
Hope is comming. Let the paopa SLPP make their case why their leader is the best to solve the multidimensional problems of our nation, we will now make our own case to the people of Sierra Leone.
Our campaign will target both the APC and the will be Paopa led SLPP, Julius Bio because we believe they are the same.
Both of them have history of violence and they pose a serious threat to democracy, econimic development and peace in our national politics.
With the comming of Julius Bio’s paopa movement, in the SLPP, party members who do not support him, have been beaten up, killed, their parents abused. Party members are afraid to visit the party offices because Bio has planted his thugs, who beat and spat at rival supporters.
Others have been suspended or expelled without any constitutional or legal validity.
The paopas have created their own delegates list while at the sametime they have disenfranchised hundreds of delegates whom they deemed not in support of Julius Bio.
Today’s announcement serve as a notice to Bio and his gangs that the fight back has begun.
Yankuba Kai-Samba
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KANDEH YUMKELLA WAS NOT SINCERE WITH THE SLPP
THE SLPP lS DEAD AND BURIED.
The SLPP was founded in 1951 by a charismatic, industrious and patriotic leader, Sir Milton Margai. This beautiful party which became everyone’s party led Sierra Leone to independence in 1961.
The party was inclusive and patriotic with a democratic socialist agenda. Sir Milton managed the affairs of state very well and the country was doing fantastic in education, agriculture, mining, trade and in all aspects of developments. Sir Milton died in 1964 and his brother succeeded him as prime minister. The mysterious circumstances that surrounded the succession were the beginning of the problems for the SLPP. Sir Albert was not supposed to have succeeded his brother but the system was manipulated and that paved the way for Sir Albert to have succeeded his brother. Sir Albert’s rule was marked by political dissent. Sir Albert reinforced the tendency of the SLPP to be regional and ethnic party installing a policy of affirmative action to the advantage of the Southern Mende tribes.
This was clearly the beginning of tribalism. Fast forward In 1996 SLPP returned to power with Mr. Ahmed Tejan Kabba as president. In 2005 Mr Solomon Berewa was selected by the SLPP to lead the party in the general elections. Brewea was defeated and he resigned his position as required by the SLPP constitution. In 2012 Mr. Bio lead the party to dramatic failure.
Mr. Bio should have followed the foot steps of Mr Brewea as mandated by the SLPP constitution, Mr. Bio has become part of the problems of the SLPP and the wars within the SLPP are furious and increasing geometrically.
Those are causing lots of divisions, infighting and instability in the party. too many people want to lead the party including those that have been disqualified by the constitution.
The political climate in Sierra Leone does not favor the SLPP at all, if Mr.Bio win the nomination. The SLPP has totally become the party of the Southern Region and the Eastern region. No political party will win in a general election without the Western Area..
The SLPP is in so much trouble that they don’t even have a single council member in the Freetown City Council.The chances for the SLPP to capture a seat in the Western Region are very slim. The final and devastating blow to the SLPP is the inability of the party to represent the people. The party has totally failed the people. They are supposed to be the voices of the voiceless. They have deliberately refused to mount serious opposition to the destructive and corrupt policies of the APC, In fact the SLPP is in cahoots with the APC to promote corruption, destroy the rule of law and nullified the constitution.
The people had expected the SLPP to slow down the dangerous paths the APC had embarked on but the SLPP blatantly refused to do so, Their actions or inactions are going to be sumptuous in future elections. Obviously they will be the sleeping opposition party for a long time with no chance of winning a presidential election. The party is saturated with cowards and do nothing parliamentarians who have succumbed to the criminal activities of the ruling party.
The infectiveness and the lack of political will of the SLPP to carry out its constitutional duties are going to cost the party future presidential elections. The other devastating and equally destructive problem they have is leadership with holistic visions. The only visionary leader they use to have is Dr.Yumkella who has just announced his suspension of his aspiration for the flagbearer position of the SLPP and declare his intention to contest the 2018 elections by working with a Grand Coalition. the chances for the SLPP to capture the presidency are now just drop 15% to 25% in the next presidential elections.
The future for the SLPP is failure and more failures except drastic and dramatic changes take place.
BY LIHAI TURAY
This should not be a source of joy for any well meaning SLPP supporter. To me, this is proof beyond any reasonable doubt that Yumkella was not sincere when he illegitimately obtained a membership card of our noble party. He knew the APC will not fall for his duplicitous agenda, so he decided to join our party to lunch his political career. For some one who has not lifted a finger in the past to build or strengthen the party, what reason do anyone has to favor him over others, who have been toiling and struggling to keep the party afloat?
For those of you who think he is popular enough to win the presidency, that remains to be seen. But what is clear to me is that, Yumkella, like others before him, such as Margai, Usu Boi and John Leigh, who defected from the party are self- serving —and never cared enough for the party– to stay and fight for the common good of the party.
Maada Bio is not my preferred choice but if he is to win the nomination, I will support him with all my might. And if he is to lose, then so be it.
But I am not going to follow anyone, who by his own admission has never belonged to a party or voted for any politician in Sierra Leone. Kandeh Yumkella is very disingenuous and I find it difficult to trust him.
And for those who think he has made the right choice, support him by all means. I do urge all of us real sons and daughters of the party to continue to support the party.