CHARLES MARGAI IS UNCOMPROMISING, I BEG TO DIFFER
S I Kamara
Saturday June 17, 2006
I read the piece written by Augustine Beecher in the Standard Times posted on Allafrica.com of June 14, 2006.
Your effort is commendable but not completely. There are certain aspects of the comparisons that you left out either by design or lack of awareness, whichever the case.
In your article you wrote “For a long time the politics of this country has been dominated by narrow-mindedness that is responsible for the negative manner in which people have been voting in elections in the past. Narrow minded in the sense that there has never been any critical analysis of the candidates on the basis of their ability and capability to provide for the people, but on the basis of ethnicity, patronage and other such insignificant factors.” And you went further “Most important is to ensure that the manner of voting in the past on the basis of ethnicity and regionalism is no longer the manner of voting, but on the basis of what we all believe a particular candidate is capable of doing to better the lives of all Sierra Leoneans.”
What has Berewa done for the people of Sierra Leone that they have benefited from? I would have liked to learn more from your piece about what Berewa has really done for us as Sierra Leoneans apart from enriching himself and his family. I agree with you here that
“Whatever anyone may say about the relationship, the fact remains that without his recruitment into the government of Tejan Kabbah, Solomon Berewa would never have reached the position he now occupies at this point in time, and that the association with Tejan Kabbah can only mean well for him. Hence his determination to continue with the policies of this government, especially those that are seen to be good.” But which policies? Corruption, intimidation, interference in the judiciary to bend justice in favour of the SLPP and its cronies? The case of Harry Yansaneh comes to mind, and also the trial of Paul Kamara.
I am sorry Augustine Beecher, that you never read the editorial of Standard Times of June 13, 2006 that read “Time and again this medium has stated in several publications that Dr. John Karimu should not be put in-charge of any institution in the country that has direct dealings with money, but at any time a warning of this nature is published some people including those in the seats of power have treated it with no significant value; either perhaps because of the direct financial benefit derived by some of them or tribal reasons.” Where has Berewa been doing when all this has been happening?
Berewa has been part and parcel of everything the SLPP has done for the 9-10 years in power. The mal governance, the corruption and everything the SLPP government has been criticized for. How can anybody give any accolades to a man like this who intends to continue all the evil things that have happened to Sierra Leoneans. Berewa is ill tempered, abrasive and vindictive like his boss Kabba. Look at the way people were harassed after the convention. Kelfala of RTA taken to the CID accused of corruption because it became evident that he voted for J B Dauda just to break him. Is that the man to continue to rule us and keep us subservient for as long as he is in power. He is not even in power yet but look at the long arm he has. God Himself in his wisdom and kindness will never allow that evil to befall us again. Let that doesn’t happen, God.
Have you ever taken cognizance of the decadence in everything that concerns the lives of Sierra Leoneans – lack of electricity, clean drinking water, proper medical facilities, handsome salaries for workers to enable them live like human beings and not like robots to be manipulated at will, injustice galore etc.?
This is what you wrote about Charles Margai “The next candidate for the 2007 presidential elections is the legal luminary, Mr. Charles Margai, who formed his own party, PMDC after breaking away from the SLPP because of his disgruntlement with the manner in which things were being done in the party. In particular he was angry at loosing the race for the party leadership and flagbearer for the 2007 presidential elections to vice President Solomon Berewa, arguing that he was cheated.” I was expecting that for posterity sake you would have written something on how the elections went in the Makeni convention.
Berewa was a candidate for leadership of the SLPP as such should not have conducted the very elections he was taking part in
The National Constitution was never respected as it barred Berewa, in his capacity as VP of this nation, from contesting for the leadership of the SLPP, Sections 41 (d) and 76 (h).
Despite protests by others at the floor of the convention, with Kabba and Berewa present at the high table, they continued with the status quo even when they knew they were flouting both the SLPP and National Constitutions.
The National Constitution was never respected as it barred Berewa, in his capacity as VP of this nation, from contesting for the leadership of the SLPP, Sections 41 (d) and 76 (h).Despite protests by others at the floor of the convention, with Kabba and Berewa present at the high table, they continued with the status quo even when they knew they were flouting both the SLPP and National Constitutions.Charles Margai as you would have seen for yourself, is now hugely popular just as he was before the Makeni conbention as the people in Radio Talk shows repeatedly told Kabba and the SLPP not to give them Berewa otherwise they would vote APC. Did the constitution of the SLPP give Kabba that right to choose a leader for the party? I just wonder where you were, man. Can anybody in his right mind then tell Charles Margai not to take advantage of that popularity that may come once in a life time as those SLPP traditional hot heads have been saying? Charles in concert with the people formed the PMDC because the people wanted a third force as they are totally tired and fed up with both the SLPP and the APC and for the records Charles Margai had made it abundantly clear that his name should not be synonymous with PMDC or vice versa. So please be corrected.
Charles was to have been made Minister of Justice and Attorney General when Kabba and the SLPP were returning back to power but those who feared (all deceased now) they would not get their corrupt ways with him influenced Kabba against the move. So he was sent then to Internal Affairs with responsibility for the Chiefs. There he made moves that resulted in the improvement of the salaries for the Chiefs. This then provoked his adversaries to influence Kabba again on the grounds that he was becoming to popular with the Chiefs, so Kabba reduced his responsibilities by detaching the Chiefs away from his Ministry.
At the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he improved the lot of so many police officers. One of the most prominent was the SSD guy, a Limba, who worked his way to FBC got a degree came back to the Police Force and was constantly passed over for promotions until Charles Margai, in his conviction for fair play, in a Police Council meeting, caused his promotion immediately to the rank that was due him. (I do hope Berewa does not go after him as he did with his driver). The other is the now police chief who in his ungratefulness, described Charles Margai as being lawless over a crowd incidence in Bo. Charles tried to improve on the number of Fire Engines for Freetown, Makeni, Bo, and Kenema but was again frustrated by Kabba through the influence of Berewa that by doing that Charles would again become popular. For any Minister of anything to go ahead with his program, that Minister must get the blessing of his boss. Charles did not get that because of the fear that he would become popular. Who then continued to suffer? Of course the people of Sierra Leone!!. This is how the SLPP has been gradually destroyed just to prevent this one individual from leading the party. So, Kabba manipulated to have somebody the rank and file of the SLPP and even the nation do not want. Those traditional SLPP hot heads sat there while all this was going on, they said nothing but when Charles acted, they went up in arms ready to crucify him. What a disappointment!
The SLPP had/has a constitution like all other parties but is it a crime to obey one’s constitution? The SLPP was duty bound to do that but it failed and Charles had to make them do that. They did not but used the courts to declare Charles a non member of the SLPP. Charles believes that the law must be respected and obeyed. If that is what you mean by uncompromising then what is wrong with that? Charles believes that if God gives us rain all the households in that area should receive that rainfall not a few. If he is uncompromising, then tell me what is wrong with that? Charles does not believe in corruption and he is fiercely opposed to it especially when it impinges on the welfare of the people. Is that uncompromising, I beg to differ. Charles had been deliberately frustrated by Kabba through the influence of Berewa so many times that at the end he had to resign from the Kabba government. With Kabba having been using the Anti Corruption Commission as a political weapon against those whom he perceived as opponents, and Charles was perceived as the most powerful, don’t you think Kabba and Berewa would have dealt Charles a lethal blow to silence him for good as they have been doing to Emmanuel Grant, whom they cause to be called to the CID from time to time just to put him in check?
We, who write opinions, should be very careful and honest with posterity in mind when we put pen to paper. I do not expect everybody to like Charles Margai but be objective not like those traditional hot heads from the southeast who see nothing in Sierra Leone expect the SLPP dominance of the country.
Charles Margai is the epitome of all what the people of Sierra Leone want and expect at this present time. The SLPP – APC – SLPP have all done theirs and the people have seen and experienced their rule or misrule, now they want a change and that change they believe will be brought by no less a person but Charles Margai.
Augustine Beecher I thank you for your academic exercise, but I beg to differ.
