FERENSOLA
thestorieswetell
Politics, from the Greek word ‘politika’ is the state of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. It could be positively in the context of a “political solution” which is compromising and nonviolent, or descriptively as the “art or science of government”, but also often carries a negative connotation. The concept has been defined in various ways, and different approaches have fundamentally differing views on whether it should be used extensively or limitedly, empirically or normatively, and on whether conflict or cooperation is more essential to it. A variety of methods are employed in politics, which include promoting one’s own political views among people, negotiation with other political subjects, making laws, and exercising internal and external force, including warfare against adversaries. Politics is exercised on a wide range of social levels, from clans and tribes to traditional societies, through modern local governments, companies and institutions up to sovereign states, to the international level.
In the course of mid 2022 to early 2023, I was forced to make a resolution I will never run for office that would be decided on a ballot, at the scale under review. The ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), and the main opposition, All People’s Congress (APC) party, held their lower level elections that culminated to the elections of national officers and their respective torch bearers for the general elections in June this year. Since some of the candidates were quite close to me, I was privileged to be able to assess the financial obligations associated. Some of them practically had to come up with much improved bids. While others may be content with having gotten what they ran for, same cannot be said about the rest of the aspirants who got fleeced to the brim, by both the king makers of their parties, and of course, inevitably, the delegates.
Ordinary party faithfuls saw an opportunity to better the politicians in their own game, deception. Some of them were assured they’ll prevail on the ballot, they were even talked into debt in order to finance their campaigns. Little did they suspect they were being played. I saw with my own eyes where someone had to carry substantial sums of money to their party heavy lifters, it was like a prerequisite. It was only after delivering the cash that one of them was told to sit and tell them why he was there. Like in the case of one of my relatives some 5 years ago, who was told by his late father’s friend at Makeni Roke-Follah, in the Yoni Chiefdom, Tonkolili District, that he was not supporting him, his good intentions notwithstanding. He told him “my son, I’m sorry to say money has carried me away, if only you have it like your opponent, I was going to root for you, because, I am in your father’s debt”. This is the equivalent of a father throwing his own son under the boss.
It’s therefore an afterthought seeing those few who would eventually get into office negating on their preelection promises. It’s natural they will prioritise suring up those gaping holes in their accounts. This is expected to take a little while, depending on how deep they were into debt or in the red. One of them flew from the UK and had an unsuccessful run for parliament in the 2018 polls. He was so bruised he was left suspecting every member of his political party, including folks in his village. I can’t say though, that his anger was justified. But I wouldn’t know what to expect of someone who had spent in the excess of half a billion Leones just to be his party’s reckoning.
