“…blaming the SLPP or the courts in a deliberate attempt to continue to hide in the shadows of our iniquities”

Former All People Congress (APC) Party’s Spokesman, Cornelius Deveaux has warned the current leadership of the party ensures they unite the party before the conduct of its lower level elections.

According to him: “the ruling of Hon. Justice Adrain Fisher in the matter between Alfred Peter Conteh versus Ernest Bai Kargbo, Osman Foday Yansaneh and APC and the Political Party’s Registration Commission (PPRC) is exciting, daunting, and flummox”.

He said it arouse overwhelming and intimidating but emotional responses from supporters from feuding factions within the party, the general membership of the party and members of the public – since political parties are public institutions. Deveaux stated: “Mine is not the relativity of ruling to jurisprudence neither to cry over spilled milk; nor but pointing fingers, casting blames and a pat on the back. It is not the highs and lows of the judgement. It is about the opportunities to bury the hatchet, shake off the dust and rubble and to rebuild the party and move forward”.

He said; “blaming the SLPP government or the Courts of our predicament is a deliberate attempt to continue to hide in the shadows of our iniquities.” He said; “a complex and complicated combination of complacency, arrogance, intolerance, hypocrisy, in-fighting, negligence within and among the rank and file are the reason. For our current predicament. It should not be a moment of self-gratification for anybody; nor a moment for mudslinging and browbeating. Posterity will blame the generation of members for bringing this calamity to the party; however, the disbanded executive carries more blame.

And all of us who served the party in various capacities based on the appointment or recommendation of the disbanded executive, knowing or unknowing of their illegitimacy, equally bear responsibility”’ Cornelius Deveaux went on to say: “Those who claim not to be oblivious of the ills but only spoke out when the felt aggrieved or their interest threatened are as guilty as the disbanded executive. In all of this, the party is the pawn in a game where individual interest tramples the collective good. It brings to mind two Krio parables. The first is We Os N? S? II yu, trit N? go aks? m?s f? yu (meaning if you are not offered for sale by your household, nobody on the streets will ask at what price), and the second: N? luk whosai yu for dom, luk whosai yu bok yu fut (consider where you missed your step and not where you fall)”.

He further advised that as the main opposition party, the APC has not been up to task holding the SLPP government accountable and have failed in its obligation to uphold democratic good governance. “The rank and file of the party and the general public are not obvious that the party is laden with internal strife. Some members kowtow flag bearer aspirants; and the reformers.     Very senior comrades, hitherto well-meaning and dedicated; are engaged in an intense horse-trading with the ruling SLPP to protect their personal interests and wealth and to disadvantage their rivals”.

He said their actions jeopardize the safety of comrades and sabotaged the unity and effective functioning of the party as the main opposition in a democracy. He added that the disbanded executive, of which he was a member, could not have been better than they did, nothing that many taught they were a compromised leadership lacking focus, as their legitimacy was legally questionable. He said views about their lack of focus and inability to take the bull by the horn came rife when they failed to act appropriately in many instances.

“What remains equally problematic and perhaps more repulsive than the Court case in the high level of political ignorance, rivalry, and hypocrisy exhibited by comrades, particularly comrades from whom we expect much. The ruling, therefore, provides an opportunity for a thorough introspection; to disentangle alliances and patronage and cement the bonds of comradeship. Consequently, this ruling should let us cast our indifferences and confront the common enemy. Who is the common enemy?

AYV Newspaper reports that, the common enemy is getting Bio out of State House in the 2023 elections. It is, therefore, time to, move forward. But moving forward with the same mindset will take us nowhere. The same bickering continues as if we are locked up in our past, it should not de-escalate to a cold war in the Court sanctioned interim arrangement.