By Mohamed Gibril Sesay

One thing is clear. There is lot of hurt amongst APC members. Hurt coming from this government and hurt coming from APC Members themselves. We can talk of two types of hurt within the APC – proactive hurt and reactive hurt. Proactive hurt is one that someone starts against another. And the reactive one is where a person in reacting to that, hurts others. There is also misplaced hurt- where people, hurt by others, well especially this government, take their hurt on others within reach – a sort of misplaced aggression. Way SLPP slap  them, them turn around en slap APC people around them. 

Turns out that the hurt and inflicting of pain is making it difficult to create breakthrough out of the situation the party, and by extension the country finds itself. 

Now to the matter that Fischer just decided on. I read the judgement. All of it. And consulted several persons on it. Thing is, the judge got certain things right- but God o  God, he overreached on many others. His is not to say anybody violated the national constitution- only the Supreme Court can do that; his is not to tell someone to choose a chairman, that’s a duty for the party to do – for in doing that he violated the very principle of election over selection that he said his judgement was pursuing. He overreached on many other areas. Which in a sense seems like he wants an appeal- which will delay things for the party and keep it in some animated suspension. Or keep it from hitting the ground and start the real process of bringing about its re-election into governance next year. 

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APC has always had factions. But when, to translate direct from  Krio, when things come upon the coming, they coalesce just in time to move forward. That coalescing happened in 2007. But it did not happen in time for 2018.  And since that that period- many newer factions emerged. And seems like the inflicting of misplaced hurt has been part of operations manual of the various factions. And added to this, the attempt to exclude others from participating in the affairs of the party. We saw that in the back-and-forth during the making of the new constitution, we saw it in the organizing of the conventions, we did see it in the attempts to condone off the party buildings from people. Well, many did not like this state of affairs. Some out of respect for some people kept away. Others went to court. A number took to the media – some respectfully arguing; others loud and not far from cussing; a few cussing loudly; and some searching other hurtful avenues- including making overtures to the SLPP: to spite certain former colleagues; or some for protection or ‘wangut’ or a combination of all these. 

The circumstances of events since 2017 was very traumatic for many in the APC. And many reacted in traumatized ways. Inflicting reactive hurt on those they can- for hey, it is easier to inflict hurt on those without state power. You have little to fear from. It is bravery with little consequences in the immediate moment. 

The exclusions continued; the mutual hurt became favored tactics; the cussing – for some- became easy ways out. To move forward, there is need for climbing down from all this.

Those who think exclusion works, better watch it: that’s not the way to regain power. Even where you have 30% or 40% or 45% you need persons who could muster the 20 or 10 or 5 per cent to win. In these circumstances – to win the national elections- the 5% or 10% that other can muster are as important as the 40 or 45%. 

Those who think hurting others is the way forward better know that it is a bleak road. And those who as they say in Krio ‘aim people’, they better think again. What use is somebody supporting a person who is ‘aiming’ him or her. Like it is heard amongst certain person- wait make we control the party, wait make we control the country’.  

Thing is, none of the major players in the present APC debacle are coming into this moment with clean hands. None is without sin. Neither the Big Six nor the Yansaneh people; nor the EBK loyalists, nor the Sam Sumana Faction nor the Alfred Conteh Backers. And nor does any one of them have the power to impose their will without grave consequence for the party and country’s ability to move forward. Sure, there need to be restorations, restitutions and recalibration say the party level and at the national level. Running a governance vehicle on a petrol of anger, ‘aim-aim’ and hurting pollutes the country in a big way. ‘Na motor car way day pull smoke’ that is not good for all of us. The way forward is a big tent inclusiveness – a reconciliatory Democracy. And as it must be in the APC, so should  it be when the party gains governance. This country is more divided than ever before- more inter- and intra partisan and communal hurt than ever before. 

But the immediate task is to repair the torn purposiveness within the APC. Seek ways to make every one return- make it easy for the return and for the restoration of full voice to all. Even Alpha Kanu, in the unlikely event that he seeks a return, make it easy for him; make it easy for young people to be in the process; make a way for Sam Sumana to unconditionally return; show greater unity in the Samura Case with all the leaders of the known factions going to court to him; open up the party offices to all who want to go there; bring in greater urgency, knowledge and practice. Go meet the aggrieved and bring them back to get back to power. 

We saw unity in  emerging Kemoh case.  A spirit of standing up is returning in the face of the shamelessness of some state officials who told this nation that our commander in chief could be bullied by a civilian. Such shamelessness- undermining the very essence of trust and security by telling us our commander in chief, a brigadier general, is in some infantile tantrums, or that a mentally challenged man called Blacker is a threat to their power. Such pettiness and shamelessness. Or such desperation to wrongly apply the new cyber laws- opening up possibilities of greater abuse. 

But that growing shamelessness, ballooning pettiness, Infantile desperation,   and disservice to the state are but collateral themes to this write up. This write-up is about the need for unity going forward, ‘for  make everybody put an,’ for an unconditional  invitation to all to come and get things moving forward.