THE COURIER
By: Mohamed M. Sesay (LUCKY)
It has now been explicitly lucid that the return of the prodigal son Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella (KKY) to reunion with his ancestral Sierra Leone People’s Party family members, is now at an advanced stage of completion. That unanimous decision taken at the National Ground Coalition (NGC) Party NEC meeting not too long, coupled with the capricious resignation of four senior members of the NGC Party including the National Chairman Dr. Dennis Bright, are reassuring testaments that the deal is done but at what cost?
The mind boggling question is saturated around the prize or cost for the return of Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella to amalgamate with his ancestral political party. According to legal standing, just after the 4th of April 2023, the Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, will no longer be Vice President until the deal is renewed with the prerogative of President Bio to choose him as a Running Mate for the June 24th 2023 Multi-tier elections.
Perusing the legal radius and circumference of the New Sierra Leone People’s Party Constitution, shows that the President shall be leader of the party, and the Vice President becomes the Deputy Leader of the Party. Thus, ascribing commonsensical thought to it, the moment Vice President Juldeh Jalloh ceases to be Vice President which is after the 4th of April, he instantaneously lost the status of Deputy Leader of the SLPP Party until after renewal. I am opened to any legal clarification or correction to the aforesaid if any.
The mixed feelings now among many political pundits are the quandary statements whether Dr. Yumkellah would be compensated with the status as a Running Mate for the 2023 elections. Another fragmented murmuring is becoming pervasive suggesting the stepping down of Vice President Juldeh Jalloh, could be maliciously detrimental to the Sierra Leone People’s Party. The phobia for such decision will lead to a revolt of the Fullah Community against the party. It is crystal clear that the constituent of the Fullah Community is far larger than the supporters of NGC and C4C combined. Thus, any right thinking folk within any political party would not trade the fullah’s for such deal.
Another highfalutin mumbling from the political commentators on the prize for the transfer deal for KKY is just unfathomable. Their speculations depict that because the Fullah Community might have the compelling reason to rebel for their brother if he is shelved, the best suitable offer for KKY transfer deal could be the position of Chief Minister. But a smart folk would also ask what would be the status of the current Chief Minister Jaccob Jussu Saffa? The babbling continues that the Foreign Affairs Ministry could best fit Jacob Jusu Saffa. Let us pause the cost of the transfer fees for now and go into the pros and cos of this most celebrated transfer deal.
The moment the Electoral Commissioner of Sierra Leone (ECSL) acting on directives from the President, declared that the 2023 multi-tier elections would be conducted under the Proportional Representation System (PR) otherwise dubbed as the District Block System, that hinders the permanency and survival of smaller political parties. The Proportional Representation system definitely crippled Smaller Political Parties especially for the composition of the Sixth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone. May be KKY and cross section of the ‘NGCians’ got a deep thought of this which brought about the timely reconsideration to form an alliance with the lesser evil (the SLPP). The Proportional Representation itself was/is a compelling factor subjecting the NGC and other smaller political parties to form alliance with either of the two political parties or remained in permanent political doldrums.
As smart as he is, the Leader of the National Ground Coalition Party Dr. Yumkella, must have been excogitating on the possibilities or likelihood for the survival of his party which might have brought about the idea of going into alliance with the green guys. Despite persistent appeal from President Bio calling on the prodigal son (KKY) to come home, KKY himself would have figured out with the new 11.9% bench mark under the Proportional Representation System, that smaller parties are now under life support oxygen.
The 11.9% which has been declared as a bench mark under the Proportional Representation System, is now the prerequisite for political parties to secure seats in Parliament. With this, the NGC and other smaller political Parties have just been confined in an everlasting coma. During the 2018 General Elections when the NGC was in its vim and vigor, the party appallingly scored 6.9% in the total voted cast across the country. By every indication, if the NGC stood aloof without going into a coalition with any of the two big political parties APC and SLPP, the possibility for the NGC to score even 2.% of the total vote nationwide would be extremely impossible. Thus, inasmuch as President Bio was/is rallying for the reunion of KKY in the SLPP, the deal itself will do more good to KKY than SLPP.
Other segmented political pundits would allude to the transfer deal between KKY-NGC and his ancestral political Party SLPP to be a dishonorable move. However, others would also argue that the deal is the only available and best option left for KKY as far as his political career is concerned. As the adage says, “When the best is not available, the available is definitely the best”. Situating the aforementioned adage in the case of NGC-KKY, better option was accorded to KKY to run with President Bio in 2018 but he declined. May be due to superiority complex or power thirst, KKY pompously declined that offer which came about the formation of his breakaway party the NGC.
All said and done, there will be no permanent enemy in politics as long as the survival syndrome is concerned. The last ungainful move by KKY-NGC going into coalition dubbed as Coalition of Progressive Political Parties (COPPP) which consisted APC, NGC, C4C among others, was one of the most foolish political moves the KKY-NGC ever got itself entrapped in.
The resignation of Dr. Dennis Bright, just because KKY has taken or is on the verge to reunion with his ancestral political party, got him glittery. Dennis Bright knew the existence and political survival of NGC depends on the availability of KKY in the party. Dennis Bright is definitely cognizance with the fact that he has no political clout but rather finds comfort under the canopy of KKY’s popularity. Therefore, such person would always have an ill feeling regarding such move especially when one is about to lose his political icon.
Just as the reunion of Chief Sam Sumana to the APC, the return of KKY is one of the best political transfers in the historicity of SLPP. Anxious supporters of SLPP might be looking forwarding to receiving their prodigal son with opened arms on or before the 8-9th February 2023, during the National Delegate Conference of the Sierra Leone People’s Party scheduled to take place at the Bintumani Conference Center. Although the prize offered for such magnificent deal remains undisclosed at the moment, but there is hope for the “SLPPiars” to receive their prodigal son.