By Mohamed Sankoh (One Drop)
The holy Bible talks about it in Proverbs 16:18. According to the King James’s version, “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before the fall.” Moreover, both Sophocles and Shakespeare tackle this common theme in their plays: “Oedipus” and “Othello”.
And Charles Dickens, in his novel “Nicholas Nickleby”, concurs that, “pride is one of the seven deadly sins [the world over].” And you and I know that pride is an unhelpful trait anyone should nurture because leaders who choose to be proud, when they wield political power, end tragically—sometimes disgracefully!
I hold the view that national leaders, especially those in Sierra Leone, should always take heed of William Wordsworth’s philosophical words that: “Life is divided into three terms – that which was, which is, and which will be. Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, and from the present, to live better in the future”. This quote is an advice to proud political leaders that there were leaders before them, and that their words and actions, while they are in power, will be their dividends after their time in office.
But it seems to me that the ruling class of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) thinks that there is only today and that there will never be any tomorrow. They appear to have grown peacocks’ feathers to such an extent that they have been regarding members of the main opposition, the All People’s Congress (APC), as lesser citizens that should be denigrated at the slightest provocations—even in instances where the provocations are just figments of their own imaginations!
What is disturbingly disturbing, about the SLPP ruling elites, is that one of their defining traits seems to be pride. From President Julius Maada Bio to First Lady Fatima Bio to Chief Minister Dr David Moinina Sengeh unto the SLPP National Chairman Dr Prince Alex Harding; pride appears to have infested their personas as seen in the manner in which they speak and act in public. Probably, they are yet to read Wordsworth’s lines that, “The flower that smells the sweetest is shy and lowly”.
But for them, those who wield political power must never be “shy and lowly”; they must not be humble and show any signs of humility, but must be arrogant and macho. So for President Bio, members of the APC are nothing but “terrorists…with a clear objective—to make the state ungovernable.” (Presidential broadcast on 8 May 2020). His wife, Fatima, believes that only members of the SLPP are “the true citizens” of Sierra Leone (Imagine an unadulterated citizen like me—whose father is Temne-Temne and whose mother is Sherbro-Limba—being referred to as not Sierra Leonean enough simply because I’m not an SLPP member or sympathizer.). His Chief Minister, Dr Sengeh, has referred to APC leaders as “unprogressive” no-do-gooders who have nothing beneficial to offer to Sierra Leone. And the National Chairman of Bio’s SLPP, Dr Harding, calls APC members “mad people” that should not be given political authority! All these comments are clear signs of arrogance and the seemingly belief in their self-delusional superiority statuses!
As for Dr Sengeh, his self-importance seems to know no bounds. From some of the epithets he has publicly used against religious leaders and the APC leadership; one “can see his pride peep[ing] through each part of him” (to quote Shakespeare). In my opinionated opinion, Dr Sengeh, who is still politically wet behind the ears and struggling to redefine himself ideologically, appears to be always exhibiting that distinctive SLPP-ian arrogance!
But has Dr Sengeh ever asked himself what life will be for him if he falls out of favour with his boss tomorrow? Has he ever reflected on the political misfortunes of Jacob Jusu Saffa aka “JJ Blood”, Lahai Lawrence Leema, and Professor David Francis who were so powerful in SLPP-dom that some citizens trembled in their presence at the pinnacle of their political statuses? After all, President Bio has repeatedly demonstrated that untouchables can be touched touchingly! Dr Sengeh should know that a handshake does not last forever, so he should be careful of how he steps on toes—especially sore ones!
He might now be as proud as a peacock because he seems to have the deceptive feeling that the APC, as a political party, is dead and buried and that there is no chance of resurrecting. But what Dr Sengeh seems to be feigning forgetfulness of is the fact that the APC, throughout its chequered history, has repeatedly played the mythical phoenix. And that the APC has always been politically lethal whenever it appears to be chaotically chaotic.
What I want President Bio, Fatima Bio, Prince Harding, and David Sengeh to get at the front of their minds (they might forget it if they get it at the back) is that political power is ephemeral. So, they should try as best as possible to abstain from power intoxication as the hangover is always tragic—sometimes disgraceful! How will they want to be remembered after they would have exited the political stage? Would they want applauses or boos from the audience(s) in front of whom they are now performing? Would they want to be remembered only for the bad things they did to the nation and the unpleasant words they spoke against their political opponents? Would they want to be remembered as people whose words and actions widened the tribal chasms, the political “isms”, and regional schisms in Sierra Leone? As Chinua Achebe would have put it, they hold both the knife and yam!
Today, most of the SLPP ruling elites appear to be regarding themselves as demi-gods, godmothers, godfathers, and junior gods. They believe they should talk and look down on the very citizens whose interests they are supposed to protect. They see themselves as hyper-senior citizens who are above the laws of Sierra Leone. And they seem to believe that majority of Sierra Leoneans are so stupid that they will always swallow hook, line, and sinker every mumbo-jumbo that is rammed down their throats.
The words and actions of political leaders are like seeds that are scattered on a field. They will not germinate at the time they are sown. But with the fullness of their seasons; they will. Few years from now, those who are at present planting seeds will find out which seeds had fallen on footpaths, which on rocks, and which on fertile soil. And, it must be noted that one cannot plant lime seeds and expect to harvest oranges!
I don’t know why I’m being philosophical and biblical in today’s One Dropian dropping. But the factual fact is: most of the SLPP ruling elites have repeatedly been exhibiting arrogance and haughtiness in their words and actions, which are precursors to self-destruction and eventual downfall. And the Scripture, Jesus says, cannot be broken. So, does that mean the end of the SLPP government is nigh because of pride?
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