About a year ago, at an event in the Provincial areas, His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio called on Hon. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella to “come back home/SLPP,” and the right Honorable’s response was “r ol word.” On April 23rd, 2023, Hon. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella led the NGC to form an Alliance with the SLPP for the June 24th National elections. Before going into the debate proper, here is a brief background about KKY and the NGC.

KKY MOVEMENT TO NGC PARTY
In June 2013, Dr. Kandeh Yumkella resigned from a prestigious capacity as the Director-General of UNIDO to formally launch his bid to become a Leader of the SLPP and, subsequently, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone. The KKY Movement was formed, and he fought a good fight but was frustrated at every quarter and eventually had to leave the SLPP and form the NGC. While the NGC is a coalition of people from various Parties and independent minds who believe in the capacity and leadership of Hon. Yumkella, it should be re-echoed that NGC was and is because of KKY. If he hadn’t left the SLPP, there wouldn’t have been an NGC. So the NGC was not necessarily formed from an ideology that berets the SLPP and APC but because a man many believe in decided to pursue his Presidential ambition outside the SLPP. Truthfully, a doctrine of transformational change may have been agreed on after, but it all started with Kandeh.

THE ALHASSAN AND ALUSINE MESSAGE
Rightfully so, after its formation, the NGC, through KKY, developed a message that blamed the SLPP and APC for the State of our Nation. To some, this is an irrefutable fact. He appealed to Sierra Leoneans to try a different Party to lead Sierra Leone. Regrettably, the masses rejected the message of a third force as they did with UNPP, PMDC, UDM, or C4C. The Alusine and Alhassan message, while it contains some truth in it, was not strong enough to sway the people. Today, people who have misunderstood that message are bashing Yumkella, stating that he is like every other Politician and lacks integrity. They are angry because he criticized the SLPP he is working with today. Here is a question for them: Were you, not the ones who chose an institution (SLPP/APC) over an individual?

COALITION OF POLITICAL PARTIES
Yes, we chose the SLPP and APC over NGC, but some people followed him, and he disappointed them. Well, here is my answer.
If you have followed the state of Politics in Sierra Leone, you would have learned of a Coalition of Political Parties. It became prominent after more minor Political Parties felt threatened by the de-politicization of Local Councils. The APC party participated in the activities of the Coalition. Many other smaller Political Parties did. The NGC, being a Political Party that rests on the foundation of Coalitions, also participated in the activities of this coalition. Dr. Dennis Bright and Femi Claudius-Cole were the faces of the Coalition. At some point, they, including the APC, were in a room with the Inspector-General of the Sierra Leone Police, seeking permission to protest. The reason behind this storyline is to show that the NGC had never had problems with a coalition or an alliance. As long as it puts the leadership and members of the NGC into a Policymaking position through which they believe they will make the needed change the NGC stands for, they are in for it. KKY blessed the move to work in a Consortium/Coalition of Political Parties, that would have gravitated into a Political Party. Did Dr. Dennis Bright, Arthur Pearce, Madam Sillah, and the other disgruntled members refuse to sign a memorandum of understanding with APC (Alusine)? When they sought leave from KKY to work with other Parties in criticizing the Government, didn’t they think that Alusine, who was accused as the main reason for our backwardness, was going to be the strongest Party in the consortium? Why, then, should it be a problem -for some members of a Party born out of coalition and alliance- to work with the SLPP (Alhassan)? It is a blatant display of hypocrisy. To spread the message that the only way to demonstrate patriotism and loyalty to the NGC is to vote out a Government is deceitful.

Related News

THE ULTIMATE ALLIANCE WITH THE SLPP
Consequently, when an invitation from the SLPP came to KKY, it should be noted that he did not selfishly take the invitation and cross over to the SLPP. He respected the people who believed in him when he was a nobody in the political arena and took the message to them. For almost a year, meetings, dialogues, and debates at the highest decision-making bodies of the two parties were held. For a man to be President of Sierra Leone or an Organizing Secretary of a Political Party, he needs the majority and not a unanimous agreement of all stakeholders. Therefore, all those cursing or disappointed in KKY should know he would have crossed over alone, but he did not. The Leadership of the NGC agreed to an Alliance, and to prove that it was the majority, no aggrieved NGC member put out a minute of a meeting showing that the majority were against it and that it was KKY who forced them. Like every democratic decision, not everyone will be happy with the outcome.

To run through, many like myself partly blame the various leaders of the APC and SLPP for the State of Sierra Leone, but we are still members of these Parties. However, I have come to believe that if Sierra Leone is to progress, Patriotic progressives like myself, Hon. KKY, and many who think that we are underdeveloped because of corrupt and incompetent leaders should join Public Service and Politics. Meaningful change cannot be attained through advocacy, and serving as a third-force leader in Sierra Leone is no different from Civil Society advocacy. I am not downplaying the role of Advocates, but the truth is the change that will turn around an economy stems from the decisions our Politicians make. So if the people have repeatedly, in various elections, rejected any idea of a third force, I will encourage every well-meaning Sierra Leonean to join these Parties, ESPECIALLY THE SLPP! There are still good people in these Political Parties, but the selfish, wicked, and corrupt ones are in the majority. We cannot see meaningful change until and unless the good ones are in the majority. And you cannot chase away or seek to destroy every good person from Politics and Public Service and expect a good result. KKY is a man with a good heart, an innovative thinker, a consensus builder and a competent Politician. Every Government needs a KKY!

As a result, we should not only celebrate KKY and NGC’s alliance with the SLPP, but more progressives should support President Bio. Remember that the SLPP as a Party was born out of an alliance. Remember that Sierra Leone can only develop with competent progressives in the corridors of power. We should celebrate KKY being the leader that transformed and positioned UNIDO as one of the strongest UN Organizations and vote for the SLPP for a second term. If he can change UNIDO, I will trust any MDA in his care and enjoy the beauty of his transformational leadership.

Let me end with a statement from KKY in his time at UNIDO “It took all our intellectual capabilities, all our energies, not allowing our smallness as a nation or our poverty to discourage us, but rather to inspire us that yes, even poor people, even poor countries, small countries can make an intellectual contribution and provide leadership for development.”

And to those saying one man cannot transform
Sierra Leone, this is not a show of one man but a demonstration and willingness of political leaders to pull ideas together for the transformation of Sierra Leone. I choose the combined developmental philosophies of President Bio and Hon. KKY over Samura Kamara, as two good heads are better than one. KKY is still a progressive who believes in Sierra Leone, and his partnership with SLPP is not a demonic induction that will force him to reject everything he believes in. We should celebrate OURS, and Sierra Leone still needs people like KKY in prudent decision-making capacities. If you are in doubt, check the works of Dr. Moinina David Sengeh.