(Opioin Article)
By: Mohamed Sahr
The inflamed tribal and regional rhetoric is taking the central stage in Sierra Leone courtesy of social media serving as the hotspot for such an unprecedented trick. This current political narrative is regarded as inappropriate and if considerable measures are not applied or taken at the scruff of its neck, it will be extremely difficult to handle. That is to say, the outcome will be excruciating. In every shakes, this medium would like to remind readers of the far-reaching ramifications of tribal and regional discourse that happened in Rwanda; which led to a genocide that swept the lives of tens of thousands of innocent children, men and women.
Conversely, it will interest you to know that in less than ten months Sierra Leoneans will be going to the poll for either the coming of a new era or the continuation of the POAPA regime. Are we going there with this type of narrow-mindedness and bigotry nature? These days social media have been more proliferated to the extent that the consent of the people is manufactured particularly in a negative way. In essence, we all saw the recurring role social media played in the recent August 10 insurrection where the lives of police officers and civilians went into extinction. Today, they are no more and their families have been left heartbroken.
Sierra Leone politics is mainly split into tribal and regional lines. This has been the outrageous pattern for decades which has not taken us into any positive slides. This tsunami of tribal violence is taking an uncontrollable pace in the country. Thus, human catastrophes cannot be prevented. Those who were born before the civil war in Sierra Leone would attest to the fact that the unnecessary war started by the firing of a single riffle which later sparked into a full-fledged war that killed thousands of people.
On the flip side of the coin, it will shock you to know that Sierra Leoneans co-exist peacefully, inter-marriages are common and in terms of interaction, they are well placed despite one’s background. Therefore, let us stop acting like contrarians and see this as a new phenomenon by paying deaf ears to it. To combat this unscrupulous phenomenon, the government has to consider both dialogue and an effective sensitization process across the country. To put this in action, every government body including the private sector should constantly inform people about the good effect of upholding peace and national cohesion as well as discourage them from any form of rebellious acts, especially from unpatriotic Sierra Leoneans at home and abroad.
In conclusion, let me make an appeal to the rational minds of fellow patriotic Sierra Leoneans that the world is watching us. We should do everything possible to maintain the peace and not undermine our fragile democracy. Let it bear in our minds that other deserving countries need global attention. Owing to this, let’s kick against tribal and regional rhetoric and put the country first. In my opinion, It will be good to name and shame anybody or people who aid and abate others to ignite tribal and regional narrative as well fanning the flame of such demeaning conduct.
