February 10, 2021
By: James Kamara-Manneh
Lord Neil Kinnock, a Welsh politician, once said “loyalty is a fine quality, but in excess it fills political graveyards”. Loyalty is displayed in our every social life, whilst Aristotle’s famous dictum that ‘man is by nature a political animal’ and that he could realize his aspirations only by active participation in the affairs of the city-state.
Loyalty could be best understood as the faithfulness or extreme devotion to some person, country, group or cause that you advocate. When you are firm and faithful in your feeling towards something or someone, you are considered loyal.
Therefore, “Political Loyalty” may sound like an oxymoron, or the punch line to a joke, depending on your cynicism level and the desperate reactions of party sympathizers towards those they think could actualize party ideologies.
Sierra Leone with little over 7 million population have about a dozen registered political parties, prominent amongst is the two main parties- opposition All People Congress (APC) and ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP). Both parties have ruled this country for 59yrs since independence.
These two main parties have political strongholds, and have succeeded in creating thin lines between tribalism and regionalism. The Mende and Sherbro tribes mostly from the South-east have been indoctrinated to throw their political allegiance to the SLPP, while those from the North-West, Themne and Limba blindly and religiously in support of the APC. Therefore, hailing from these regions one can likely be a partisan. Is it unlikely impossible for those who hails from the North to throw their support for other party coming from the South.
It is difficult for people to accept that they are blind loyalist; sadly this act is visible and it breeds laziness and causes a sober-minded individual to give up something that should be valued at a premium, which is the ability to think as an individual. It is no hidden secret that our action speaks the obvious that we behave like blind loyalists both at national and state levels.
When you are convince that your political party ideologue are the best, even if they are in governance or not, whether policies are wrong or right, the former will continue to supersede the latter, whilst your conscience turns numbed and blind to the cry of the general populace. Blind loyalty makes people become slaves to their conscience, even when the conscience signals for the right thing to be done or said, the opposite will mostly be exhibited in conformity with party’s interest.
In 2020, a case in hand was when Honorable Hindolo Moiwo Gaevao, Chairman of Legislative Committee, decided to forgo blind loyalty by exposing the corrupt practices in the Sierra Leone Parliament on BBC, alleging that they accepted tokens from Presidential nominees before approval and many other acts.
Honorable Ibrahim Tawa Conteh resigned from his position in Parliament as Chairman for accountability and transparency committee, according to him, he resigned because he felt that his work was been interfered with and arm twisted.
This act is not only with the ruling party, after the 2018 election, the Secretary General Ambassador Foday Yansenneh of the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) threatens their members of Parliament that if they fail to act in accordance with the ideologies of the APC party while in parliament, their party symbols will be withdrawn from them.
These examples show the extent to which politicians are muzzled and expected to dance to the tune of their party, if not they may stand to lose what they are ‘enjoying’. While some may be bold to clear their conscience for the betterment of the state, pressures from family members, friends and party ideologist will force them to either retract or make apologetic statements.
“No SLPP, No APC, I will rather die than to see the name of my party drag to the mud”, this has been the unfortunate expressions of party members or sympathizers. These die-hearted supporters are ready to protect their party with, blood, sweat and tears, and they can even do more by orchestrating mayhem.
Political loyalty can blind the eyes of its supporters to the extent that they cannot distinguish between bad and good, everything the party does whether in opposition or governance- is fine and good.
Blind loyalty can make people become haters of constructive criticisms even when it is for the good and growth of the nation. They will only accept the truth when it is in the interest of their party. On the other hand, they are willing and ready to make use of motherly effectives, uncivilized and uncouth behaviors, or vilify anybody, whose expressions they consider unfortunate and against the wellbeing of their party.
At this point, supporters don’t mind taking lives, telling blatant lies, using social media to assassinate the characters of people who have worked hard in building their reputation; this is just to confirm their political loyalty, and to set the pace for future benefits. Blind loyalty can even warrant supporters to celebrate thieves in public offices. At this point, who dare you to sensitize them, when songs of praise are been sang for someone who had embezzled state resources?
Mind you while you will be wallowing in poverty, their children are living luxurious life, while our children are dying for lack of good health facilities, they don’t even accept Panadol from this country, while our children are taking their own lives because of poor educational structure, their children are enrolled in the best schools and universities in the world. Be wise!
On the contrary, nothing is wrong with being loyal. Loyalty is a virtue which lays the foundation of trust and understanding in relationships of any type. Loyalty is akin to fidelity in relationships. A relationship can persist for long only if both the partners (Politician & Supporters, Employer & Employee, Husband & Wife, etc.) are mutually loyal and devoted to each other. Fidelity is the litmus test for a true relationship. A successful relationship stands the test of time and fidelity.
It is now time to make a decision: are we leading by example or are we following the bad precedents of our predecessors?
Whichever road we may take will be the decision of the politicians who will lead the way. ‘In order to take the high road, they have to decide that blind obedience to party can just as easily take us down the low road — a darker path that grows increasingly dangerous for a country that was once known as the Athens of West Africa’.
It’s time for a team approach. Work together, understand the merits of each side, disagree, and then work to fix the problem, so that supporters can truly see that politics and government can work without hurting a fly. Anything else wastes the potential of this nation.
Loyalty is either good or bad depending on your stance, and at the same time we cannot allow this country to be reduced to a ‘political graveyard’.
Until then, I am responsible for what I say and not how you perceive it. This write up does not in any way alter my religious stance on worldly government.
