By Kabs Kanu, Senior Adviser, APC.
If you have studied Political Science, one thing you definitely know is that POLITICS IS CONFLICTUAL. POLITICS IS ALWAYS FULL OF CONFLICTS. Wherever human beings converge for politics, there will definitely be conflicts, unless everybody is a zombie.
APC is not the only political party being torn apart by conflicts. If you have noticed, even the SLPP is having serious conflicts and their own power struggle is going to be more deadly than the APC’s. Let them laugh at us now. Their own conflict is growing slowly.
In Liberia, Nigeria, Ghana, the Congo, and even in the great United States, intra-party conflicts are also very common. Read their newspapers. You will see. It is not easy. Politics is a very dirty game.
INTRA-PARTY politics is conflictual because the will of the people ( DEMOCRACY) has to prevail . No serious political party will allow the politics of “SO SAYS ONE, SO SAY ALL” . Partisans will always want to have their own views heard and be part of the decision-making process. Partisans will always fight back if they suspect that their party is about to be hijacked by a few desperate men and women seeking their own selfish ends. Everybody wants to have a say in decision-making. The majority will always fight a dictatorial minority and the minority will always fight a dictatorial majority .
Because conflicts and disagreements are part and parcel of politics, an astute, mature, experienced and resilient politician, who has become “EMBALMED” in political warfare, will develop a thick skin against hostilities, rancour, character -assassination, insults, false accusations and allegations. Politics is not for wimps, crybabies, quitters , sissies, complainers and the faint of heart. In politics, the kitchen is very hot. It is a fiery furnance and if you can’t stand the heat of the kitchen , you must get out.
In the past, when I was inexperienced and immature, I easily cringed and capitulated when people attacked me for my views, wrongly accused me or cussed me out, but today, thanks to all the crucibles I have gone through and survived, these things do not bother me anymore. You can cuss me all you want. You can accuse me falsely all you want. I will not be moved. I will continue standing tall. When I look at the fiery trials that our leaders like Dr. Siaka Stevens, Nancy Steele, S.I. Koroma, Joseph Saidu Momoh, Ernest Bai Koroma, etc went through, I take courage and I ask myself : “Who am I ? ”
The only bad thing in our APC conflicts is when people with education, stature and influence try to deceive our gullible grassroots members and partisans. Another bad thing is when we become implacable. Wherever there are problems, we must try to resolve them. Our people have a saying : WHEN YOUR UNDERPANTS ARE DIRTY, YOU WASH THEM, NOT BURN THEM. If people were to burn their underpants when they get dirty, nobody will wear underpants.
That said, I want to encourage our APC members not to be perplexed or discouraged by the bitterness and infighting that appear to have gripped our party. I use the word APPEAR because none of our leaders has come forward and stated that they have problems with other members. Dr. Samura Kamara has never told me in all our discussions that he has quarrels with others. When we met Chernor Maju Bah, who is called Chericoco, at a dinner hosted in his honor in New Jersey, he said nothing. Even my own blood cousin, Dr. Richard Konteh , did not come clean to me when I cross-examined him. It is only through angry bloggers and social media commentators that some of us hear that our party leaders are at war with one another. Why they are tight-lipped , ONLY GOD knows. Their tight-lippedness is wrong and unhelpful because how do we get together and help resolve the problems if nobody wants to come clean ?
But whatever is going on between them, the truth will be revealed one day. However , it is an undeniable fact that since we lost power, the APC has gone through excruciating trials from the SLPP Government and some members within the party. I want to encourage our APC members today to remain unfazed and believe that whatever is happening to our party, GOD WILL USE THEM TO SHAPE OUR LIVES FOR BETTER AND GREATER THINGS.
The APC party will never fall because it is a political bastion. The APC will never fall because it is the biggest and the most popular and beloved party in Sierra Leone. APC will never fall because it is the party for the people, by the people and of the people . APC will come back to power and everybody will give glory to God.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Leave a Reply