Morie Mussaffa
Charles Margai was THE LAST TO BE ELECTED AS A PRESIEDNTIAL CANDIDATE, BUT THE FIRST AND ONLY ONE SO FAR TO DECIDE ON A RUNNING MATE. The SLPP Presidential candidate, VP Berewa, has yet to come up with a running mate nearly 2 years since he was elected in 2005.
Yet, ever since Charles and the PMDC took the decisive lead, all we are hearing from the SLPP and its group of pessimists is how much the Fullah community is not in support of Dr. Tejan Jalloh. They are going around leaving no stone unturned in trying to find any Fullah person who can say what they want to hear and published. YET AFTER ALMOST TWO YEARS SINCE MAY 2005 WHEN HE WAS NOMINATED, BEREWA DOESN’T EVEN SEEM TO HAVE AN IDEA ABOUT WHO COULD BE HIS RUNNING MATE. Hey SLPP! Where is your running mate? If you don’t have one then stay away from Charles Margai’s own till you get yours.
It seems like instead of the SLPP concentrating on searching for their own running mate, they are too busy going around creating false stories about how much the Fullah community is not supporting Dr. Jalloh. Let no one be fooled that the Fullah people would not support one of their own. What Berewa and the SLPP don’t seem to understand is that they have intimidated people so much that everyone is now either keeping their feelings and decisions to themselves, for fear of being intimidated, or they will say whatever they feel Berewa and SLPP want to hear to keep them off their back. It is sad times slowly creeping into Sierra Leone where the people get to fear their government.
The SLPP knows about this fueling fear and they are thinking that they have succeeded in scaring the people to their wits and hence are croaking on these misfortunes. The only way SLPP is going to know the real truth will be on July 28, 2007. I will be highly surprised if all the Fullah people will reject their own for such a great position like a presidential running mate.
SLPP thinks that they have a lock on the Fullah community apparently because their boss is alleged to have a Fullah “friend”. If that’s enough reason for them to claim Fullah support then what about Charles taking a Fullah as a running mate? Is that any less important or useful to the Fullahs? To me, that’s even bigger than the friendship. After all, inter-tribal friendships, relationships and marriages are a dime a dozen all over that country, and amongst all tribes. Therefore, SLPP should not hope to gain political mileage out of a mere friendship, not even a marriage.
SLPP thinks that they have a lock on the Fullah community apparently because their boss is alleged to have a Fullah “friend”. If that’s enough reason for them to claim Fullah support then what about Charles taking a Fullah as a running mate? Is that any less important or useful to the Fullahs? To me, that’s even bigger than the friendship. After all, inter-tribal friendships, relationships and marriages are a dime a dozen all over that country, and amongst all tribes. Therefore, SLPP should not hope to gain political mileage out of a mere friendship, not even a marriage.
But what is pathetic about this whole behavior of SLPP is the way they are trying to create a division between Dr. Tejan Jalloh and his family members as well as between Fullah communities. That’s morally reprehensible. Just recently one of their mouth piece media alleged that ALL THE FULLA IN KAILHUN DISTRICT have dissociated themselves from Tejan Jalloh. Who can believe that? Since when did all Fullas in Kailahun District acted, spoke and made a choice as a monolithic block? These are the types of lies and fabrications that the SLPP and its supporting media are spewing out there to the public. They are, in effect, driving a wedge between Fullah people all around the country.
PMDC believes in ONE (country) FOR ALL, and ALL (people) FOR ONE (country). The emphasis on this statement is the word ALL. This is an inclusive word for all Sierra Leoneans. Why would anyone be surprised at the divisive nature of the SLPP anyway? When I was SLPP, I was, perhaps, one of the staunchest defenders of the SLPP in various media against the pervasive belief that SLPP “Na Mende Man Parti”. As much as I cannot agree with that allegation, but you can’t stop people believing that where there is smoke, there must be fire. And SLPP seem to be substantiating this allegation with their seeming divisive stance (perhaps with tribalistic underpinnings) against Dr. Jalloh. Just because people have forgotten a little bit about that, doesn’t mean is true or not. Is the SLPP surprised that PMDC chose a Fullah running mate, or is it just strange to their nature that a Sierra Leonean with no Mende bloodline has been made a running mate?
Its unconscionable that the SLPP is using every facet of the policy of DIVIDE AND CONQUER to gain votes. They are now dividing Fullah families and communities just to get elected. It’s a real shame on the SLPP to be practicing such dirty political tactics for a vote.
PMDC believes that we are ALL Sierra Leoneans first, before being SLPP or PMDC. But most important of all, PMDC believes in protecting the family moral fabric and cohesion in order to maintain the national moral fiber and support. SLPP seemingly won’t mind destroying family cohesive fabric as long as Berewa wins. Can the SLPP truly convince anyone that what they claim to have done in bringing a division between Tejan Jalloh and his family, especially between him and his Ambassador brother, is in the best interest of the Jalloh family? NO! Everyone knows that. But does the SLPP and Berewa care? NO! Everyone knows that, too.
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Its unconscionable that the SLPP is using every facet of the policy of DIVIDE AND CONQUER to gain votes. They are now dividing Fullah families and communities just to get elected. It’s a real shame on the SLPP to be practicing such dirty political tactics for a vote.
PMDC believes that we are ALL Sierra Leoneans first, before being SLPP or PMDC. But most important of all, PMDC believes in protecting the family moral fabric and cohesion in order to maintain the national moral fiber and support. SLPP seemingly won’t mind destroying family cohesive fabric as long as Berewa wins. Can the SLPP truly convince anyone that what they claim to have done in bringing a division between Tejan Jalloh and his family, especially between him and his Ambassador brother, is in the best interest of the Jalloh family? NO! Everyone knows that. But does the SLPP and Berewa care? NO! Everyone knows that, too.
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I know how much of a smart, morally religious and family oriented the Fullah people are, because I was taught Arabic and the Qur’Ann by a Fullani Quoranic Master and Imam in Kailahun by the name of Alhaj Muhamad Maruwan Jalloh. I lived with and studied under him for over 12 years, finishing the Qur’Ann twice. I know and I am quite sure that the Fullah people have already seen through the covert political intrigues being cooked by the SLPP in trying to create division between Fullah families and communities. Believe me they are not going to stand for it, and the SLPP won’t succeed. Therefore, I am asking all Fullah people to be very vigilant and try to understand the ulterior motive of these SLPP dividers and conquerors. Don’t let them fool you, force you, con you or divide you.
Hello, Berewa and the SLPP! WHERE IS YOUR RUNNING MATE? Have you forgotten that a Presidential candidate does need a running mate? Can someone please tell VP Berewa and the SLPP supporters that the country is waiting on their running mate to show he is a decisive leader! Can someone convey to Mr. Berewa that he needs to provide assurance to the nation that he will be a better leader than the weak leadership now apparent in the State House (No! I mean in President Kabba’s residence, since his residence is now the National Executive Mansion), by showing the nation how much of a decisive leader he can be. People please tell him and the SLPP that he needs to assure the country that his administration will turn the current backward state of the nation around and bring progress and development through responsible, on-time and necessary decision making.
If the potential performance of Berewa’s administration is to be judged from his inability to name a running mate almost two years later, then why would anyone trust him to be a decisive leader when he cannot even make decisions on a vital matter like selecting a running mate? How many years will it take him to make decisions on many other vital matters of national importance IF he takes office?
I believe that the issue of naming a Berewa running mate should have been taken more seriously by the SLPP rather than busying themselves with tearing down the one that, at least, a decisive PMDC leader has undertaken. Apparently the whole SLPP and its supporters don’t seem to know what are the important matters that are of priority to a Presidential candidate. In this situation, they have placed more priority on discrediting support for Dr. Jalloh than they have done in coming up with their own running mate.
PMDC believes that if a running mate will ultimately become the Vice President, and the Vice President is his assistant in running the nation, then selecting a running mate should be the next important matter after the election of the Presidential candidate. At least that’s how it seems in the political dynamics in more advanced nations. Berewa should have placed priority on naming the nation’s second man in command, than allowing his supporters to prioritize attacks on the one PMDC has named. Please give us your running mate before you criticize other party’s own.
I believe that the issue of naming a Berewa running mate should have been taken more seriously by the SLPP rather than busying themselves with tearing down the one that, at least, a decisive PMDC leader has undertaken. Apparently the whole SLPP and its supporters don’t seem to know what are the important matters that are of priority to a Presidential candidate. In this situation, they have placed more priority on discrediting support for Dr. Jalloh than they have done in coming up with their own running mate.
PMDC believes that if a running mate will ultimately become the Vice President, and the Vice President is his assistant in running the nation, then selecting a running mate should be the next important matter after the election of the Presidential candidate. At least that’s how it seems in the political dynamics in more advanced nations. Berewa should have placed priority on naming the nation’s second man in command, than allowing his supporters to prioritize attacks on the one PMDC has named. Please give us your running mate before you criticize other party’s own.
How a 50 year old party can find it so difficult to select a running mate is bewildering. My only conclusion is that the SLPP has deep-seated problems within, that they are not publicly admitting. And if that’s the case, then the nation should look at the current dismal record of the SLPP in the way they have ran the country already, and refuse to give it another term of a DO-NOTHING GOVERNMENT (NO ELECTRICITY, NO WATER SUPPLY, NO GOOD ROADS, NO JOBS FOR GRADUATES, NO GOOD HEALTH FACILITIES (as recently warned by the us Embassy), RISING CRIME RATE, POOR HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM, DOZENS OF UNFULFILLED PROMISES, THOUSANDS OF PODA-PODA BOYS AND PETTY-TRADING YOUNG GIRLS WHO SHOULD OTHERWISE BE IN SCHOOL GETTING AN EDUCATION.
Frankly, the SLPP is just not up to the job of providing capable and progressive leadership for the nation because it doesn’t know how to establish national priorities. Crying down other party’s running mates without coming up with their own, is a typical example of extreme negligence in responsibility.
Morie Mussaffa
New Jersey, USA
New Jersey, USA
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