POLITICS IS CONFLICTUAL : WHY IS THE SLPP SO IGNORANT OF THIS REALITY ?
By Kabs Kanu
The political party in Sierra Leone that claims to have all the BOOK PEOPLE in the country and the diaspora does not know that politics is conflictual . This is one of the ironies of Sierra Leone. Those who claim to know everything at times behave like folks who know nothing.
Whenever you oppose anything the SLPP does or plans to do, you are ostracized and stigmatized as being an enemy of the state, a Southeasterner and Mende hater and an unprogressive element. All kinds of epithets are reigned at you and some SLPP forums even slander and libel you and kick you out .
If you are on the ground in Sierra Leone, you are subjected to a wide range of reprisals, from being actually killed, arrested and jailed or tortured and denied of your civil liberties , gainful employment or even forced out of the country into exile. You have to agree with the SLPP or you are a marked man for persecution or prosecution.
SLPP are too educated to know that politics is inherently conflictual, and conflict is a defining characteristic of politics.
It is the height of ignorance not to know that politics, being a system for making collective decisions and distributing power and limited resources, inevitably produces disagreements between different individuals and groups. While this can manifest in destructive ways, conflict is a normal and potentially productive feature of a functioning political process.
Politics is a struggle for power and wherever power is contested , conflict is at the centre of politics , because imbalances and deprivation can breed resentment and conflict. Those in power may resist change, while those who feel marginalized or oppressed may agitate for it.This is all a sign of a healthy and functional political democracy .
The SLPP should slso be educated to understand that nobody hates any specific tribe or ethnic group in Sierra Leone. Issues of ethnic, racial, or religious identity are alwsys polarized and when they become politicized, this can lead to deep divisions and, in extreme cases, violence, Leaders may also use tribal and ethnic identities to manipulate tje political process to mobilize support, leverage and the upoer hand over opponents.
That, with all their acclaimed book knowledge, the SLPP do not know that politics is conflictual is one of the stunning aspects of reality in Sierra Leone, especially coming from a political party, which in all sincerity , are characteristically the most vibrant, robust and uncompromising political fighting machine, when they are in the opposition. The best version of the SLPP is graphically and impressively demonstrated when they are in opposition .That is why the SLPP is the oldest and the most obdurate and durable political party in West Africa . And yet , the party cadre and grassroots are ignorant of the fact that politics is synonymous with conflict between contending forces.
Let us keeping opening the eyes of the SLPP. They do not live the reality of life in the political spectrum. They live in a world of their own.
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