By Kabs Kanu
As a part citizen of both the Republics of Liberia and Sierra Leone, I am advising the new President of Liberia, His Excellency Mr. Joseph Boakai, a man of exceeding integrity , to beware of the corrupt, tribalistic , undemocratic and uncivilized ruling party in Sierra Leone — The Sierra Leone People’s Party ( SLPP ).
I have known Mr. Boakai for a long time since 1978 when we , the administration and the students council of the Charlotte Tolbert Memorial Academy ( CTMA ), invited him to serve as our guest speaker at one of our regular Friday assembly programs.
A much younger man then, Mr. Boakai gave a very inspiring speech that blew the minds of the students. We were highly fascinated .During post – program lunch in his honor by the then Principal of CTMA, Dr. Theophilus Sonpon , Mr . Boakai told me that he hailed from the border ( Lofa ) with Sierra Leone and had his high school education at the Kenema Government Secondary School in Sierra Leone. I had been marveled by him since then, even though before that, the Liberian media had also made me develop respect for him by always portraying Hon. Boakai as a man of integrity and credibility. Since he went to school in Sierra Leone, I have followed his career for long and I am not surprised that he rose to the rank of Vice- President and now President of Liberia. Age is just a number. I believe that with Boakai as President, the future bodes well for Liberia.
What has concerned me , though, is that when Old Man Boakai won the presidential elections late last year in Liberia, discredited and extremist supporters of the SLPP were very quick to claim him as their tribesman, as is their wont ( Always trying to draw good men to their side on tribal basis to enlist them in their political pefidy ) . They taunted opposition members that Liberia had gone on and produced a Mende President . They further claimed that Boakai’s party slogan, One People, One country was even similar to SLPP’s and that even Mr. Boakai’s wife had a Mende name, Katumu. Why SLPP wants Boakai to be their tribesman is obvious as we are going to see in this article but they were in fact not right and SLAJ – I Verify corrected them that Mr. BoakI is a bona fide Liberian, belonging to the Kissi ethnic group of Lofa County. He is not a Mende at all.
But Sierra Leoneans and people who have watched , studied and followed the SLPP for ages knew them for their tribalism and regionalism and so when they started claiming the new Liberian President as one of their Mende brothers, there were credible reasons for concern . Whenever SLPP supporters start claiming people on the basis of their tribe, there is always an ulterior motive .
The SLPP is a party whose philosophy and modus operandi are built around the unpatriotic expatiation and promotion of tribal, ethnic and regional hatred and hegemony . Nothing matters to the SLPP like tribalism and regionalism . Whenever SLPP are in power in Sierra Leone, tribalism escalates in the country as SLPP are very adept at promoting a tribal fiefdom and exclusion (Leaving out other ethnic groups from the mainstream of governance and tribalizing every government ministry, department and agency – MDAs ) and fanning the flames of tribal, ethnic and regional bigotry and suspicions.
Since he came to power in 2018 , the SLPP Leader , President Maada Bio, has done nothing except perfect the SLPP tribal governance and control philosophy. Most of the President’s appointees to cabinet, MDAs, public corporations , the judiciary, Parliament and even the diplomatic field belong to his ethnic group, Mende. It is like there is no other ethnic group in Sierra Leone—-Only Mendes. He is even on record as telling the media that he appoints only his Mende people because they are the only people whose work ethic he understands. As a result of his tribalism, Bio has pushed Sierra Leone to the brink of tribal war.
Given such a dangerous tribalistic mentality , philosophy , governance style and machinations by Bio and with his supporters now erroneously trying to link an innocent neighboring head of state to their tribe, it could be seen why many Sierra Leoneans on social media are concerned and are determined that President Boakai be advised to be very careful with the SLPP and their claims that he is a Mende.
Firstly, Sierra Leoneans abhor the tribalism philosophy and governance practice of the SLPP and Pa Boakai should avoid any suspicion of dancing to the SLPP tribalism drumbeats and siding with the SLPP against other ethnic groups or turning a blind eye to their misgovernance, undemocratic proclivity and human rights atrocities as this will damage the ties between Liberia and Sierra Leone. Finding themselves alienated and loathed by the generality of Sierra Leoneans because of their ethnoregional style of governance, the tribalistic SLPP might try to use the tribal card to seek new friends across the border to the detriment of the opposition and other ethnic groups in Sierra Leone. Mr. Boakai should not take kindly to the SLPP in Sierra Leone claiming him as their tribesman. The SLPP are very slick, crafty and nebulous SLPP and could try to get President Boakai on their side on the basis of their claims that he is a Mende.
Sierra Leone and Liberia have for ages enjoyed cordial family, regional and cultural ties. As somebody who belongs to both nations, nobody is better placed than me to express how valuable and richly rewarding the ties that bind Liberia and Sierra Leone have been. I have enjoyed the dual nationality . When in Liberia, I am a Liberian. When in Sierra Leone, I am a Sierra Leonean. I have held top positions in both countries and I cherish what I have enjoyed from both countries.
President Boakai owes it a duty to every Liberian and Sierra Leonean to ensure that the solid traditional ties that bind our two nations are not fractured by petty politicking by the SLPP and the bad blood between the SLPP and the APC. Our two countries need each other in an increasing globalized world. However, such ties could be undermined if Northwesterners and the opposition parties develop the perception that Mr. Boakai is tacitly or covertly interfering in the internal affairs of Sierra Leone by supporting the Bio government against them . We need strong support from Liberia to help save democracy in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leoneans being already marginalized by Bio’s government and their sons and daughters who demonstrated against the SLPP having been mercilessly killed by Bio ‘s tribal security forces, Sierra Leoneans need Liberia to stand with ECOWAS, the U.S, UN, EU, Britain and other international partners who have been making the undemocratic and tribalistic space too tight for Maada Bio and the SLPP. Boakai should shun SLPP ‘s overtures to have him on their side because it will affect the people’s clamour to bring back democracy and inclusive governance in Sierra Leone.
Right now , the Bio SLPP Government has become an international pariah. The SLPP is under very strong international condemnation and censure for rigging the June 24 elections and for their undemocratic and lawless governance and horrible human rights records. The U.S. has even imposed a travel ban on those who helped to undermine democracy in Sierra Leone. The U.S. $ 500 million Millennium Challenge Corporation ( MCC ) grant is under threat because the SLPP rigged the last elections. Liberia must not allow herself to be used by the SLPP to give it the international goodwill and credibility it has lost
When I heard SLPP bad boy John Benjamin , who was invited for Boakai’s inauguration , sweetmouthing the Liberian President about their binding ties as a result of their shared relationships on the Liberian/ Sierra Leone borders , I suspected where Benjamin was taking the flattery, though Boakai may not have smelt the rat yet. But we hope Boakai does not fall for it. He is not a Mende and he is not interested in the SLPP tribal, ethnic and regional politics and hegemony.
As a matter of fact, Maada Bio and the SLPP are a bad influence to Liberia and Liberia does not need him. LIBERIA IS ON A DIFFRRENT TRAJECTORY . Whilr Bio has outraged the world, Liberia has delighted it and is presently the darling of the international community for showing herself to be the guiding light of democracy.
PHOTO : SLPP BAD BOY JOHN BENJAMIN BRAINWASHING THE LIBERIAN PRESIDENT JOSEPH BOAKAI
