Rally Behind Alimamy Bakarr Sankoh (ABS) The Poor Peoples Flag Bearer

“MY COVENANT TO THE PEOPLE OF SIERRA LEONE”!

1. SALUTATIONS:
Peace!
Brothers and Sisters,
2. PERSONAL INTRODUCTION:
My name is ALIMAMY BAKARR SANKOH.
Date of Birth: January 2nd 1963.
Place of Birth: Lunsar Town, Marampa Chiefdom-Port Loko District, in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. Leader and Chairman of the Sierra Leone People’s Democratic League (PDL), a political party created in 1986 by a group of patriotic sons and daughters of Sierra Leone-the PDL is an affiliate member of the Green Charter International (GCI) for peace, democracy, human rights, rule of law, freedom and dignity; A member of the National Committee of the African Unification Front (AUF) in Canada and member of the Pan African Movement.

3. APPRECIATION:
I start by saluting all Sierra Leoneans for their desire to chart a new political story that will enable citizens to articulate who they are, what they want to become and how they will work together to live virtuously in peace, freedom and dignity. I salute also all Sierra Leoneans for standing against oppression and those who loot the nation’s wealth at the tears and mercy of our people.

From Falaba, Fadugu to Kabala in the Koinadugu district; from Makeni, Batkanu, Kamakwie, Binkoloh to Sanda in the Bombali district; from Kambia, Kukuna, Mambolo to Kychom Samu in the Kambia district; from Port Loko, Lunsar, Lungi to Masiaka in the Port Loko district; from Magbauraka, Bumbuna, Yele to Mile 91 in the Tonkolili district; from Bo, Jimmy Bagbo, Kpetewoma to Gbangbatoke in the Bo district; from Pujehun, Ghahama, Massam Kpaka to Potoru in the Pujehun district; from Moyamba, Senehun Kamajei, Koyema to Taiama in the Moyamba district; from Bonthe, Matru, Karleh to Luawa Jong in the Bonthe district; from Sefadu, Yengema, Koidu to Yamandu in the Kono District; from Kailahun, Segbewema, Semibu to Kangama in the Kailahun district; from, Kenema, Panguma, Gorahum to Tongo Fields in the Kenema district; from Water Loo, Benguma, Wellington, Hastings, Calaba Town, Kissy, Fourah Bay, Fullah Town, Central, Tengbeh Town, Congo Town, Brookfields, Murray Town, Wilberforce, Lumley to the Peninsula; whether you speak Mende, Thaimneh, Limba, Loko, Koranko, Kono, Kissy, Yalunka, Krim, Sherbro, Fullah, Susu, Madingo, Vai, Gallina or Creole, I salute all of you, my good and respectable people.

I want to salute our youth particularly. I must be honest to myself to confess that, Sierra Leoneans resolved to do away with outdated practices and prejudices provide assurance that they are ready for change, and to build a future for generations of country men and women. I share that view for change of the corrupt, tribalistic and decadent system or status quo, and never again to allow the dignity of the nation be sold for a life of opulence and immorality; never again to allow rogue politicians to divide the nation into Mende-Land-Thaimneh-Land politics of ethnic chauvinism; never again to allow faceless bureaucrats and political juggernauts who have misused public offices to accumulate ill-gotten wealth and turn round with the same stolen monies to use us as thugs to fight against each other and to manipulate elections. I agree that Sierra Leone must change to survive, and I am impressed that our youths are in the forefront of that mass movement to bring about the urgently needed change in our country.

My brothers and sisters,
I value and appreciate the sacrifices you have all made to secure respect for our country’s Constitution. I am convinced that you have undergone such great sacrifices and made such great efforts because of your concern for the future of our beloved country. I equally shared your conviction that our country is hungry for a new approach to political life that will change the political weather decisively as did the administration of Sir Milton Augustus Strieby Margai (the father of our independent self-rule). Indeed, your conviction and interest in the affairs of our native land and, more particularly, your love for freedom and dignity is a source of strength and encouragement.

As we now clock 55 years of self rule from colonialism, I join you all compatriots at home and abroad in thanking Almighty Allah for guiding our nation through this dark period of post independence era. Without Allah’s Blessings and Guidance we would never have been able to overcome the many difficulties, agonies, traumas, trials and tribulations, temptations and provocations that we faced throughout the period. Indeed, it was a period during which our country remained in serious crisis and our very survival was threatened. I thank Almighty Allah that we have persevered and we must invoke his presence in all of our gatherings in political, social or cultural, to guide us to make the correct decisions that would redound to the benefit of all the people of our dear country.

4. THE PURPOSE OF POLITICAL COVENANT:
Political Covenant is about sincerity, honesty and determination to resuscitate our fractured and ethnically divided society. It is all about making public oath. It is all about explaining oneself intents to discharge the electoral mandate given by the people as a national trust to steer the affairs of the country in accordance with the wish and aspirations of the nation.

Political Covenant is about examining the successes and failures of political leaders. Of even greater importance, is all about analysing our current circumstances and planning for the future.

As we approach another election period in 2018, I want to use this opportunity to enjoin all those seeking to lead our great nation to make with frankness, seriousness and objectivity, their political covenant known to the Sierra Leonean people. This is necessary to enable the people understand well those who seek to lead them, their capability, patriotism and vision for the country. I want to call upon my colleagues, no matter which party colour one represent to come-out with concrete proposals that will ensure that our suffering country and its many people are saved from further international public ridicule and scorn.

5. TRIBUTE TO OUR FALLEN HEROES:
Every generation has its own heroes. Some are dead, while some still living. Sierra Leone is the only country in the world where it heroes have been forgotten. Now, fifty-five years of what supposedly to be our national independence and democratic self-rule and despite our vast and rich natural resources and wealth, instead of moving forward our conventional politicians opt to lead our country to the path of self destruction. As a nation, we continue to wallow in brutal poverty, with no ray of hope for the future.

Sierra Leoneans do not need any writer or political commentator to remind them that Sierra Leone obtained her independence from colonial rule on 27^th April, 1961. April is also a significant month for national awakening and awareness. Thirty years ago, on April 7^th, 1986 during the inauguration of the Sierra Leone People’s Democratic League (PDL) in Freetown, I announced my mission that after the demise of our father of independence from foreign rule and domination, there must be someone to continue the task of postcolonial nation building from where he stopped before his sudden death in 1964.

May the Peace and Blessing of Allah Almighty continue to provide shelter for the nation’s father, Sir Milton Margai (Peace Be Upon Him). I had the vision that through constitutional arrangements, through legitimate and democratic process, I can wrest power from the hands of our sorrow state politicians, who have betrayed the conscience of the nation, and sold our dignity for a life of opulence and immorality. That vision remains today very firm and stronger than ever before.

The change of leadership in 1964, with the sudden death of Sir Milton Margai unfortunately marked the beginning of the era of political, economic, social, environmental and cultural crises in Sierra Leone. I had the vision that I could occupy the space, the demise of our national heroes have created in our national body polity, and move Sierra Leone forward to the height of greatness and prosperity.

I therefore, sincerely salute our fallen heroes and pledge that their sacrifices in other that Sierra Leone may live forever may not have been in vain. I am confident that concerned Sierra Leoneans are with me when I say: “We will not let down our departed heroes and heroines. Their spirits provide me with vision and inspiration for the difficult tasks ahead.

6. THE NATION:
Since 1964, Sierra Leone was plunge in deep crisis. This crisis is characterized by political misdirection, economic mismanagement, cultural depletion and the merciless looting of the country’s rich mineral resources and wealth; the collapse of significant investments and businesses; the flight of human and financial capital; as well as the uncontrollable inflation and souring cost of living.

Indeed, every Sierra Leonean has felt the pains and sorrows associated with rude tribalism, which is more visible today at all levels of government than our national motto of Unity, Freedom and Justice. Every Sierra Leonean has felt the blight of inordinate ambition; the dissipation of the nation’s resources; the depletion of cherished national institutions like Parliament, the Civil Service, the Judiciary and the security and defence forces. Every Sierra Leonean has felt the impact of the collapse of our electricity and water supply, and even more devastating the assault on our senior citizens and pensioners. The unprecedented levels of unemployment; the rising levels of poverty; the collapse of the social and economic conditions in all communities in the country; the unparallel levels of corruption and graft, and the lack of accountability; the degradation of the environment, and insecurity of Sierra Leonean life and property.

I am happy to note that Sierra Leoneans have reached the conclusion that the state bequeathed us at independence which our national heroes and liberators fought so hard to achieve, imperfect as it might have been has practically collapsed. Just think of the scams- the rice gate scams; the fertilizer gate scam; the one party gate scam; the voucher gate scam; the squander gate scam; the election fraud scam; the arms and ammunition gate scam; the passport game scam; the petrol gate scam; the OAU gate scam; the Bumbuna hydro gate scam; the presidential briefcase gate scam; the diamond gate scam; the gold gate scam; the Haja Dordoh rice gate scam; the Kaddafi Mosque gate scam; the Kaddafi rice gate scam; the fishery gate scam; the sports gate scam; the foreign toxic and garbage dump gate scam; the multinational mining companies gate scam; the pandemic virus gate scam; the law books gate scam; the census figures gate scam; the electoral voters gate scam; the Iraqi mercenaries recruitment gate scam; the Kuwaiti sex slave gate scam; and more.

We have in the catalogue also, the 1967 bloodbath; the extrajudicial execution of Dr. Mohamed Sorie Fornah and the 14 others in 1975; the brutal execution of Brigadier John Bangura in 1975; the 1977 Bo Massacre; the 1979 brutal murder of Bank Governor Samuel Lansana Bangura; the 1981 attack on the A.S. Kabia led Sierra Leone Labour Congress; the 1982 ethnic cleansing in Sanda; the 1983 Ndorgbowusu rebellion in Pujehun; the assassination of Dr. Claude Nelson Williams in 1989; the execution of GMT Kai Kai and others in 1989; the brutal execution of Yayah Kanu and others in 1992; the execution of Bambay Kamara and others in 1992; the disbanding of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces; the brutal execution of three Brigadier-Generals from the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces and 21 others in 1998; the 11-year brutal fratricidal war.

Most frustrating has been the unending and flagrant abuse of our Constitution; the unending political prostitution between SLPP and APC stalwarts. These are all national and international embarrassments together with the cocaine-in-diplomatic sac, the cocaine plane saga and other such criminal enterprises.

I could go on to continue listing these unsavoury developments. But, would publicity of these issues change anything? Regrettably, embarrassment, humiliation, public ridicule and shame are not words in the vocabulary of the ruling elite in Sierra Leone.

7. FORGE ALLIANCE AND STRENGTHEN LOVE TO ALL PEOPLE:

The question as to who will bail Sierra Leone from its current predicaments should no longer worry concerned citizens, right-thinking people, men and women of intelligence. I challenge every citizen of Sierra Leone, wherever you may be living at home and beyond to rise above those things that ruined peoples and hindered progress. I challenge every Sierra Leonean to abandon tribalism, dirty politics, petty jealousy and misguided beliefs, and work towards the path of rebuilding, patriotism, love and national belonging. I have no doubt that every concerned citizen of Sierra Leone knows well the immediate remote causes of the mess in which our beloved country finds itself today, under the bogus system.

I want to assure and again, reassure my fellow countrymen and women that, my thirty years in activism, research and advocacy have prepared me well to fight for my people and to put our beloved Sierra Leone back to its lost respect, dignity and integrity. In the first place, I owe no malice, hatred or grudge to none. What I owe Sierra Leone and the Sierra Leonean people is respect, love and patriotism. I want to work with every Sierra Leonean, regardless of tribe or persuasion, old and young, poor and rich, employed and unemployed, men and women, those in the docks, in the farms, former refugees and displaced, former rebels, militiamen and exiles, so that together we can all change our country for the good of all. I strongly hold the view that, it is only when we as a nation love each other, see ourselves as a people created to live together in peace, harmony and prosperity; and believe in the principles of patriotism and national belonging that together we all can stop the power-maniacs who have gone more sophisticated to abuse state apparatus, and who have made our people the laughing stock of the international community.

I am willing to build and strengthen alliance with others. I am as always ready to reach out to those who shared common ideas, beliefs and values and are, or are willing to fight for a more unified, disciplined, orderly, productive and prosperous Sierra Leone.

The New Sierra Leone I envisaged is the one in which Sierra Leoneans, irrespective of ethnic and political persuasion can enjoy freedom from the threat of unchecked crime; can utilize public services without paying bribes; can tender for contracts knowing that awards will be made solely on merit; and can send their children to write examinations knowing they are not competing with those whose parents have already bought their results before entering the examination room.

The most regrettable casualties of these conditions are our teeming youth who have become so disillusioned that nearly three-quarters of all of them have not only lost all hope for a future in their homeland and fervently wish for a future elsewhere.

In my thirty-years of political experience; of international understanding; of learning and observation; of consultation and research, I have come to know one honest fact about the plight of our people. I know that political obsession and obstinacy, dissonance, tenacity, greed, graft and misguided beliefs are Sierra Leone’s greatest enemies that continue to tear us apart. I know also the tools employed by the ruling elite to divide and pauperise the Sierra Leonean people.

For Sierra Leone to join other countries, say for instance Nigeria, Ghana, Mali or Ivory Coast in prosperity, we must all find ways of acting now. There is no time left. We must seize what may well be our last opportunity to save our beloved country from further destruction and devastation under the bogus system. The alternative is either you begin a process of community voluntary mobilization to bring to the doorstep of our people the message of change for a New Sierra Leone or become vassal to the ruling oppressor elite class.

8. THE TRUH OF OUR PREDICAMENTS:
To say that Sierra Leone is heading for abysmal collapse in the hands of our reckless, corrupt and insensitive leaders is the obvious. Our experience in 55 years of independence is bizarre. Instead of breeding heroes, heroines and selfless leaders, our conventional politicians opt to produce charlatans and villains who oversee the looting and pauperization of our people; the rancour, social injustice and employment of rude tribalism to impose the whims and caprices of the supreme dictator on our people. Independence in Sierra Leone at best can be described as that, the disease is not a result of recent Ebola pandemic outbreak, but it has afflicted the patient for such a long time that the disease itself has become dreadful and chronic.

The painful leadership role of the Tejan Kabbah SLPP cannot be explained here. Suffice it to say that the government of the late President Tejan Kabbah was replaced for the better by President Ernest Bai Koroma’s APC worst nightmares. The misplaced policy espoused by the Ernest Bai Koroma’s APC is ample proof to indict our conventional politicians of betraying the conscience of the Sierra Leonean nation.

Unlike countries like Malaysia and Singapore that have modernised into booming economies and modern states, our leaders in Sierra Leone chose the path of retrogression and our survival depends on foreign leftovers. While I feel grateful for all the help that our country has continued to benefit from donor friends, I feel also obliged to urge Sierra Leoneans to start a process of determining whether our beloved country must all the time be dependent on foreign leftovers to survive, or we will use our ingenuity and our vast resources to build a modern economy according to a model that is relevant to our own circumstances.

Fifty-five years of political independence, we are still unable to get our act together. Sierra Leone remains pauperised politically, economically and mentally. We continue to destroy ourselves along political misdirection and ethnic divisions, while most Sierra Leoneans, particularly the masses, who lived outside the Capital city, are alienated from the mainstream of economic and social activity.

The prevailing situation speaks for itself. Travel across the length and breadth of country, you will observe the pollution and degradation of the environment by ill-thought-out mining activities, while our youth wallow in unemployment in these depleted communities. We are also bound to observe the abject poverty that abounds in every corner of the country.

We must not get disillusioned. We should refrain from misunderstanding, distorting or intentionally confusing for whatever justification concepts so as to redefine the political face of our country. If Sierra Leone is left in its current political decadence, development is a pipe dream. It is thus obvious that Sierra Leone has regrettably a moribund political system that needs serious purging. We cannot import commodities and political system concomitantly. We are who we are – Sierra Leoneans, or precisely-the nursing parents of West African civilization. So that is how it should be without compromising the peace, freedom, dignity and happiness of our people to manipulative mechanism of rogue politicians and their foreign collaborators. Things must be different now onwards.

9. THE SEARCH FOR APPROPRIATE ANTIDOTE:
There is one thing significant out of this covenant, and that is its timing. It comes out at a time when the nation is in deep crisis and when Sierra Leone moves closer, day-by-day, to the brink of abysmal collapse. While my friends and brothers in the APC and SLPP are busy fighting internal party conflicts, spreading confusion and lies among our people, I see it necessary to explain my intention to Sierra Leoneans and guarantee them respect for their mandate if voted to power in 2018.

We are now left with no other solution but to a choice between good and moribund leadership. Sierra Leoneans have two options on the table, remaining. First: to stay aloof, and turn spectators and watch the steady deterioration of our only God-given land on earth like a patient awaiting the inevitable result and that is death.

The other option is to accept the responsibility to keep the patient alive; to determine the surgery that may be required; to enlist all the professional support that would be needed and have all committed to post surgery care; to see the patient recover, gain strength and once again able to provide for the family and take a rightful place; respected among the nations of the region and the world. Those are choices between good and evil.

Those yester politicians have no place in a modern political environment in Sierra Leone. I advise big party gurus of those outlived parties called APC (i.e. All People’s Cancer) and SLPP (I.e. Sierra Leone People’s Poison) to start packing their bundles for retreat to their villages where If I am elected President, my Administration would commit itself to rehabilitate these elder statesmen so that they can take care of their grand and great grand children. For those who have chosen freedom and happiness of the nation there is no other option but to join me in charting out a way out of the precipice.

10. PUTTING A PLATFORM IN PLACE:
A platform is a plan for political action that defines the principles and outlines the programs that guide the leaders and people at a particular time. There is, however, a deeper meaning to the word platform, which applies to the situation in Sierra Leone and the principles that I stand for. I would like to illustrate in clear term. Take for instance in the world of computer technology, a platform is the underlying hardware or software of a computer system. A Platform, in this context therefore, defines the standards around which a system must develop. When a computer manufacturer sells it product to us with a platform, we must conform to that platform to get the use of our machine.

In my own definition of platform, it is not a catalogue of empty promises, political jargons, not an exhibition of rude tribalism or showmanship, but a solemn commitment to set standards and goals to which political leaders commit themselves as representatives of the people and upon which these leaders show readiness, willingness and anxious to work for the general good of their country.

11. PEACE AND RECONCILIATION:
I know like any other concerned Sierra Leonean does, that Sierra Leone cannot advance without peace and reconciliation. A peace that is based on justice and respect for the inalienable rights and democratic freedoms of all Sierra Leoneans, regardless of ethnic origin, and whatever their social backgrounds and religious beliefs are. These rights and freedoms must be respected, protected and enforced since they constitute the foundations for a better society.

The late Martin Luther King once said, and I quote: “True peace is not merely the absence of tension, but the presence of justice.” It is no longer good enough to pay lip service to peace and, at the same time, practice and encourage injustice. If as a people we are serious about the preservation of lasting peace we must have the courage to address all issues of injustice.

Peace must be viewed in the context of every field of human endeavour. Justice must be applied in the manner in which every Sierra Leonean citizen will feel sense of national belonging; in the manner in which contracts are awarded; in the manner in which people are employed in the public and private sectors; in the manner in which social services are provided; in the distribution of welfare for the needy; in the provision of free education for all school going children; in the criteria for allocating public resources; in the manner in which infrastructural facilities are provided; and, in the manner in which communities are identified for development activities.

There are pertinent questions every observer to the current situation in Sierra Leone may ponder at. Why must the Provinces remain for decades without good roads, potable water, electricity, and other social services? The elections are not far away, when our conventional politicians in their usual politicking make promises to provide these basic facilities. Why do the Civil servants who have families to feed, have to wait for months to obtain partly salary? Why is the judicial system unable to dispense justice to citizens who still languished in prison cells across the country? What is the reason for the growing fear of ethnic hatreds and grudges among our country’s different ethnic communities that their Government is engaged in rude tribalism of the highest magnitude?

To provide answers to these questions, we must pursue policies that guarantee equality of all Sierra Leoneans before the law and in the running of the affairs of government. Sierra Leoneans must feel they belong to one family and there should be no tribe dominating the running of affairs of government.

For a start, all citizens must do everything possible to stop the menace of rude tribalism that has resurfaced once again in our national body polity. The alarming hatreds, malice, grudges and tensions amongst the various tribes of the country are destroying the very fabric of our individual and collective humanity. These must end. Sierra Leoneans, be it Mendes, Temnes, Limbas, Lokos, Korankos, Konos, Gissis, Yalunkas, Sherbros, Fullahs, Madingoes, Vais, Bulloms, Gallinas, Susus or Creoles must renew their beliefs that, for a safe and secure future, we must all again become our brothers’ keepers.

As a nation, we must find new ways to discuss how we can strengthen our efforts and sit together and discuss ways and means to remove every instance of injustice in our villages and communities. Let us bury our minor differences and abandon parochial interests; let us sit down and discuss the concerns of all. This is the only way to lay the foundation for a New Sierra Leone we can all feel proud.

It is only by respecting each other, speaking with each other and acting together that we can succeed in our efforts to remove all instances of social, political and economic injustice. I am committed to these processes and I challenge every Sierra Leonean to wake up from the slumber and do a great service to our country and nation.

12. UNITY OF PURPOSE:
One of the greatest obstacles militating against rebuilding Sierra Leone’s national body polity, economic, social and cultural institutions are the lack of unity of purpose; the lack of spirit of national belonging, of will, of purpose, and of effort. The net effect over the decades has been that our human resources are under-utilized and working at cross-purposes. No country today can hope to prosper under these circumstances.

It is only by tapping to the fullest, the physical, intellectual and creative skills of all of our citizens in a shared vision that we can hope to realize our vast potential. There is simply no alternative to development. We must discuss why national unity has eluded us. One reason is that our political system and culture have conditioned too many to exploit the minor differences that exist among us for partisan political gain. However, it is questionable whether there have been any real gains, either to individual political parties or to the Nation.

13. OPEN A NEW CHAPTER:
I have given this illustration to suggest that if Sierra Leone is to move forward there must be attitudinal shift from old and negative practices. In this modern day reality, we cannot continue in this vicious cycle.

For unity to be achieved, we have to close the Chapter of the Past. The young people of our country are concerned about the future and it is that which responsible and responsive leaders must now address. I, therefore, propose that we close the chapter on the past. Give recognition where it is due. No single person in history has only good deeds. Let us honour our past Leaders: Sir. Milton Margai, Dr. Albert Michael Margai, Siaka Probyn Stevens, Joseph Saidu Momoh, Ahmed Tejan Kabbah and others. Concentrating on their faults could only open old wounds. What we need is genuine reconciliation. I can understand for many of us still feel deeply aggrieved. I beg for the sake of our youth and the future of Sierra Leone, let by-gone-be-by-gone and let us close the pages of the past and work resolutely for a prosperous and dignified future to bequeath a rich legacy to our future generations.

14. NATIONAL RECONSTRUCTION:
My covenant also calls for emphasis on reconstruction. We need to reconstruct our shattered infrastructure, our shattered security forces, our shattered public services and our shattered confidence in our capacity to compete for the provision of the new global services and our shattered confidence in our capacity to compete in the global village and economic environment. Sierra Leone needs to diversify its economy, to develop new sectors, to form strategic alliances with investors, with resources and modern technologies. We should make use of our bountiful natural resources and the energy and ingenuity of our people.

We should participate in the global economic landscape negotiating strategic investment and technological partnerships. Sierra Leone’s economy must be reorganized to emphasize a mode of development and an investment programme that gives us a chance to compete and hence survive in the modern world.

This involves a deliberate and conscious change of direction from the current emphasis on production of primary commodities for export, to encouraging dynamic private sector investment by local and external entrepreneurs and investment in new and technologically advanced sectors.

Most importantly, we must develop a sense of mental freedom to ensure our country’s participation in the new age.

15. NO CONDITIONS ATTACHED:
My desire to become the next President of Sierra Leone does not permit me to adopt an arrogant position that I possess all the answers and the magic wand to bring Sierra Leone back to life. I am open and willing to meet with all stakeholders around the table and fashion a mutually agreeable national strategic program that addresses the concerns of all. It is only natural that as an aspirant for the highest office of the land, I must come up with alternative program of development and modernisation of Sierra Leone. This I have stated in this covenant and other documents that will soon be published to create a national and international debate.

The fact remains that my program for Sierra Leone is not static, subject to changes when expedient. There are others with equally good ideas, which I am willing to listen and discuss for unified program of national rebirth. I challenge other presidential aspirants, of like mind to work for that common understanding. The future of Sierra Leone is too important and the political crisis is too dire for petty politics. I do not want to be misinterpreted here as wanting to impose on others. What I am suggesting is that, political leaders should learn to offer to negotiate such an undertaking immediately, and that should be before the 2018 elections, and we should ensure that no one, no group, no Party with something to contribute to the platform is excluded in the process.

16. READY FOR THE PRESIDENCY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE:

Brothers and sisters, my decision to contest for the presidency is borne out of the belief that, someone needs to continue from where our great national hero stopped in 1964, when Sir Milton Margai died. For me to put my program into practical reality I seek your constitutional and legitimate votes in the forth-coming election, 2018 to make the difference. My mission is to contest and win the coming election genuinely, and go straight to form a government of inclusion, which is capable of bailing Sierra Leone out of the harrowing stigma of brutal poverty and retrogression. I have a vision, better known as “ABS-TEN-COMMANDANTS” to bring innovations into the body polity of the country, and structure an effective administration that is people-oriented, people-propelled and people-focused, and which will commit itself to the following:

1. Decentralization and de-concentration of power from the capital city to the rural areas; ensure the participation and empowerment of every segment of the Sierra Leonean society; and ending the power borne out of the feeling of marginalisation, neglect, isolation and disenfranchisement of the masses.

2. Developing a homegrown national economic policy to revamp the economy; eradicate poverty and addressing other critical problems militating against the peace, development and prosperity of Sierra Leone.

3. Provision of suitable, adequate and affordable shelter; quality and affordable health delivery service; good roads and communication network system; adequate facilities for free and safe movement of people, goods and services across Sierra Leone; and a conducive atmosphere to enable every Sierra Leonean moves and lives in any part of the country without fear or molestation of any kind.

4. Pursuing a pragmatic national food policy and distribution; and ensuring food security for domestic self-sufficiency and for export at least to neighboring countries.

5. Provision of adequate and uninterrupted water and electricity supply and revamping the education system to reverse the menace of illiteracy syndrome in the country.

6. Fighting and win the crusade against corruption in all its ramifications; and ending destitution in the depleted and malnourished villages across the country.

7. Upholding the principle of sovereignty of the people; and instill the principle of national belonging amongst the Sierra Leonean people.

8. Revamping the Sierra Leone Railway and other dilapidated public facilities; and ensure a safe and clean environment.

9. Provision of lasting remedy to the epileptic problems of unemployment, pensions menace, uplifting the status of our women; caring for the orphans, the aged, widows, the displaced and disabled.

10. Repairing Sierra Leone’s foreign policy with a view to restore respect for the country and its citizenry; raise the morale of the Sierra Leone Army and Police to ensure public order, safety and security of Sierra Leonean life and property, and be able to defend Sierra Leone’s Land, Air and Sea territories against external aggression.

To practicalise this noble mission, it would not go to be business as usual. It would not go to be Alimamy Bakarr Sankoh or any political organ or ethnic group. It will be the people-the Sierra Leonean people who by the special Grace of Allah Almighty shall be the architects and builders of the future direction of their country. It will purely be Government of Sierra Leoneans, by Sierra Leoneans and for the happiness of present and future generations of Sierra Leoneans.

I am not that politician who sows deceit and discord. I am not the brand of presidential aspirant who represents the interests of the country’s oppressor elite class, and who make promises to relieve self from pressure. I do not subscribe to the mentality of yester politicians who thrive on confusion and dividing the people to achieve hidden, selfish agendas.

I do not make promise, because political promises are meant not be fulfilled. Such promises like ‘I will bridge Freetown linking Lungi International Airport; I will transform the capital to become the New York of Africa; I will give you free education, free medical and before my tenure ends, no Sierra Leonean will go to bed hungry; I will give you interrupted water and electricity supply are unending rhetoric made during election campaign periods. Some even go beyond to promise voters a bag of rice for each vote. They make these unrealistic and never fulfilled promises as if it is not the right of Sierra Leoneans to have them and other facilities to make life worth living in their own country.

This is another area our yester politicians have failed-telling the people what they cannot do, and do what they will not tell the people. After 55 years of domestic self-rule, with all their fabulous promises to build heaven on earth, still these same conventional politicians continue to tell lies, which no caterpillar can turn upside down. I enjoined Sierra Leoneans everywhere to ask these politicians where they would get the monies to fulfill their much election campaign promises, if not from the country’s rich natural resources if they are properly managed for the good of the people and not to development foreign banks and capitals.

During my recent tour of the length and breadth of the country, I realised that Sierra Leoneans are fed-up with the antics of those yester politicians who have ruined their country since independence. What every Sierra Leonean I met was echoing is shedding tears, no businesses as foreigners have invaded the country’s business sector, no farm machines and seeds to develop the agriculture sector and above all, no money in the pockets. Everybody is crying poverty and deprivation.

These sorry states of affair court for a complete change of the system and enthronement of new structures of government to move the country forward. How do we reached to the present conditions of poverty, indignities, isolation, want and insecurity of life and property for a country endowed with the world’s greatest economic resources, and a nation known to be the nursing mother of West African civilization remain a mystery. We pointed the way for the development of other countries say for instance Malaysia, Singapore, Nigeria, Ghana, and even great China, but we ourselves have lost the way.

Sierra Leoneans deserve better. It is only a change of attitude towards governance and to each other as a people, as well as the nurturing of the spirit of national belonging that Sierra Leone’s rich natural resources could become a blessing, and not a national curse. I am not Sierra Leone. I am only a member of the Sierra Leonean nation. It is my convictions that only Sierra Leoneans themselves and not outsiders are best qualify, to decide on which direction they want their country to take.

I am not the politician who would use party thugs and rude tribalism or any other immoral act to persecute fellow Sierra Leoneans because of their views or because they belong to the wrong tribe. I am not even one who intends to abuse his position to colonize the Sierra Leone Police Force and converts some of its (Police Force) highly trained personnel into tax and toll collectors. I do not owe any grudge, nor malice or hatred against the Sierra Leone Army, Police, former rebels or junta forces or militia groups. I do not belong to the group of political leaders who incite one ethnic group against the other, or who used their position to distort the electoral wishes of the people and foist buffoons and nincompoops on our great people as leaders.

I know, and it is not surprising to see that mischief-makers hiding behind proxy political platforms had already begun to launch a cosmetic propaganda campaign against my person. Despite the posturing to the contrary, big political gurus of the ruling oppressor cabal are privately having their hearts in the mouths, because a new political crop they had underrated in the first place is suddenly haunting them like an incubus. The crux of the matter is that these disgraced politicians have perfected their anti-Sierra Leone agenda through the establishment of political death traps surrounded by “marabous”, “fankeys”, “korretheis” and so on (but forgotten that Allah Almighty of All Powers is greater than any force on earth), indoctrination of political stooges and guinea pigs and looting of the nation’s coffer to further their selfish ambition.

This is unfortunate at a time when the world has moved away from oppressive governance to decent politics, the race for 2018, Sierra Leone has began on intrigues, deceits and discord. For sanity in the body polity, I want to use the opportunity to warn these old, unprincipled, wicked and shameless politicians to devote their precious time at this point to endear themselves to the hearts of the people instead of planning devious ways to manipulate elections.

Like an African proverb: a Hen thief cannot tolerate the slightest noise or movement because it will get the chicken clucking, thereby exposing the presence of the fowl concealed in his clothing. Instead of doing a noble servicer, by publicly asking the Sierra Leonean people for forgiveness for betraying the conscience of the nation, these failed and unrepentant politicians choose to embark on holding secret meetings to discuss how to nip progressive ideas down. Their aim is to deny Sierra Leoneans the opportunity to make thorough assessment of the various political leaders vying to lead the nation in post 2018 elections.

The reasons for the attacks on my person are vacuous and logically shallow as they fell-off like water on a duck’s back with most discerning Sierra Leoneans. Instead of addressing the general malaise plaguing the entire country, these yester political Machiavellians are throwing the fabric of their intellectual stature to the dogs and in desperation, are attacking individuals and not the issues at stake.

Common sense teaches that, those who resort to abuse or discredit their opponents rather than addressing the merit of the matter in contention only confirm the weakness of their arguments. In their usual grandstanding behaviors, a group of political sycophants belonging to the country’s oppressor ruling elite referred to my person as: championing an “anti-imperialist” agenda in Sierra Leone. In their disjointed, illogical and rambling wordings, my adversaries concealed more than they revealed in their ongoing showmanship and personality cult politics.

They devoted more of their wicked, vicious propaganda and energy to question my political vision. Most of the allegations and innuendos against me are ridiculous and unfounded, and are intended only to divert public attention from the emerging danger posed to the country’s nascent democracy by questionable characters that want to entrench themselves in power by foul means. Some of the allegations against me confirmed the level of indecency that has become nuisance in the country’s body polity. Most ridiculous however, my detractors believe attempt by President Ernest Bai Koroma to handpick someone to succeed him is synonymous with the interest of Sierra Leone.

Therefore, anyone who stands against attempt by the President to abort the Constitution of the Republic of Sierra Leone, and the manner President Koroma cunningly sacked the democratically elected Vice President on politically-trumped up allegations is enemy of the ruling APC. President Koroma knows it quiet well that Sierra Leone is not a dynasty and there is no way any good, patriotic Sierra Leonean will accept any third term bid or imposition of leaders through a well-wrapped fraud.

There are few misled sympathizers of the ruling oppressor elite class, who in their exhibition of rude tribalism say, Alimamy Bakarr Sankoh is a rebel. Well I don’t know their own definition of who is a rebel or not. I agree that I am a rebel, but a rebel with a noble cause; I am a rebel with a difference and a rebel without a gun. I rely on the Guidance and Protection of Almighty Allah who knows everything good and bad. I rely on the unity, understanding and willingness of the Sierra Leonean people to move their country forward. I know Sierra Leoneans will give me the mandate to repair the havocs and pains inflicted on the nation. More so, to wipe off the tears of the down trodden; to modernize the Sierra Leonean body politics and uplift the status of the Sierra Leonean women; to manage the country’s rich natural resources to guarantee the safety and security of Sierra Leonean life and property; and above all, to change Sierra Leone’s bogus independence into real freedom.

On the issue of democracy, it is part of me. It is in my marrow. To suggest that I am championing an imperialist agenda in Sierra Leone is to say the obvious. My special character as a champion of democracy and human dignity does not permit me to be a party to enslaving my people. I am a Messiah sent by Allah Almighty to lead my people from the misrule, oppression, degradation and dehumanization of the APC and SLPP.

For the few and misled Sierra Leoneans who are on the streets to pollute the environment with their usual backward mentality attitude should endeavour to seek the truth about Alimamy Bakarr Sankoh than wasting their precious time and energy disturbing themselves. Sometimes I want to believe these good for nothing big fools have been hired by the supreme party gurus to deceive their families and themselves. The good and Allah-fearing people of Sierra Leone, who love and want to see the rise of Sierra Leone, have in their recorded notes my contribution to the peace and democratic process in the country. In fact these patriotic Sierra Leoneans have concluded that the most qualify political leader to succeed President Ernest Bai Koroma is no other person than Alimamy Bakarr Sankoh.

I am proud and want to thank Almighty Allah for creating me as a Sierra Leonean. I am convinced my detractors are out of touch with the reality on the ground. I am convinced also that the truth scares my detractors. I feel proud to boast that I stand tall above others in the race for the presidency in 2018. Moral evidence abounds to justify the position I occupy presently in the race for the presidency.

Let no one deceive him or herself. My service to my Sierra Leonean people is unparalleled. And as long as there is life Almighty Allah will Guide and Protect me to do more for my people. May be I need to refer my adversaries to check with the United Nations in New York, the African Union in Addis Ababa and ECOWAS in Abuja. I believe from these credible international institutions, they will know that Alimamy Bakarr Sankoh and not Maada Bio, Tejan Kabbah or James Joanah was the architect of the peace, stability and democracy, which Sierra Leone enjoys today.

Besides, there are records in Sierra Leone for my detractors to research and will know that Alimamy Bakarr Sankoh had been in the forefront to confront and defeat the APC one party, ethnic chauvinism. The result was the birth of the 1991 Constitution for political pluralism and democracy in Sierra Leone. I stood also against the execution of Gabriel Tennyson Kai Kai and others in 1988; the brutal executions of Mr. Bambay Kamara and others in 1992; the brutal execution of Tamba Gbories and others in 1999 and above all, I have never in my political activism advocated the illegal overthrow of constitutional order in my country, not alone supports political gangsterism-the trademark of the APC and SLPP.

Those politicians that glorify party thugs, self-confessed election fixers who insulted Sierra Leone’s culture and traditional institutions have lost credibility to accuse opponents of the failed system. These are not the marks of freedom, but a clear evidence of how political gangsterism is killing our nascent democracy in cold blood. I have learnt a lot from the experience of countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Mali and Ivory Coast, and how these countries have gained respect among the comity of nations. While in Sierra Leone we focus on spewing out words that are millions away from providing antidote to the real issues that are tearing the Sierra Leonean nation apart.

My understanding of the path chosen by these countries (Nigeria, Ghana, Mali and Ivory Coast) to reach where they are today is enough to guide me, to provide for Sierra Leone a credible, God-fearing and progressive leadership. The older order must give way for political innovations. There are no sacred cows in my backyard, not even a skeleton in my wardrobe. I am not afraid of my opponents’ propaganda. I am just a human being who should be condemned and praised. That is true democracy. I am not Mr. All Perfect. I learn from my mistakes and those of others and from opinions expressed by other people. It is only when oppressors are desperate and standing on weaker moral ground; they do everything to confuse matters and to divert attention by attacking the character of anyone who has the courage to say to them enough is enough.

The ridiculous thing about politics in Sierra Leone is its dismal failure to serve the people. This time I want to assure Sierra Leoneans that, there will be no compromise with oppression and those who oppressed our nation; with looting and those who loot the nation’s coffer to line their pockets; with insecurity and those who demoralized the Sierra Leonean Army and Police; and with opulence and those who deprived Sierra Leone. No one should ever think again that, he could carve and foist rogues and nincompoops on the Sierra Leonean people as leaders.

What I am saying here is that, let no one, not even the incumbent leader has any illusion-if anyone thinks he can plunge Sierra Leone into another international public ridicule; he has got a wrong time now. I am saying this because I believe it is the spirit of most Sierra Leoneans. We must have free, peaceful, violent-free, transparent and honest elections so that this time around it will be that Sierra Leoneans alone determine who leads them, and not maximum dictators or political prostitutes to determine the future direction of Sierra Leone.

I want to reassure my countrymen and women that, I am committed to this unbroken POLITICAL COVENANT. I call on all to bury our minor differences, and think for a better and noble future for our country. The task before every Sierra Leonean is enormous. We must work together as a nation; we must abandon our parochial interests and work towards the fulfillment of the country’s motto of Unity, Freedom and Justice. This COVENANT is not a promise, because politicians in Sierra Leone have gained notoriety to making unfulfilled promises.

I am committed to respect the trust of the people in high esteem, and not to indulge in activities that are at variance with the wishes and aspirations of the people. This COVENANT is only a guarantee to the people of Sierra Leone that if, I am voted to power and turn against the nation, I should be taken to the National Stadium for public execution. I challenge any other Sierra Leonean vying for the post of the President of Sierra Leone to make his or her COVENANT before the people.

I am not a dreamer but I do have a Vision for our beautiful Sierra Leone. This is a Vision that is shared by the poor masses of our people. That is why they call me the “POOR PEOPLES FLAG BEARER”. I stand for the poor to speak for them; those who cannot afford to provide three daily meals; those who cannot send their children to school or cannot pay the children’s school fees; those sleep in frequent electricity blackouts; those who cannot secure jobs; those who cannot farm because of lack of agriculture tools and seeds; those who cannot pay their children’s hospital bills; those who suffer indignities in transport queues; those whose businesses have collapsed; those who cannot secure loans in the bank; those who suffer the painful effect of ill-though out mining activities by foreign companies; those police and army officers who have to rush to join public transports to go to work; those who cannot perform their traditional roles to the community due to lack of incentives; the list is endless.

Sierra Leone demands total political paradigm shift. In this regard, I honestly agree with those Sierra Leoneans who support the need for national regeneration and denounce contemporary political patronage and clientele, which dehumanize our people to only lobby positions for survival than practice political decency in order to live graciously. I call on the APC and SLPP to eschew political violence, political opportunism and all should be seen as concerned with peaceful resolution of competing claims; seek harmonizing diverse relations; and ensure our uphold the country’s motto of Unity, Freedom and Justice.

I STAND BY THIS COVENANT. LONG LIVE SIERRA LEONE! VICTORY FOR FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY!

ALIMAMY BAKARR SANKOH
TEL:00232-76-937252/79-341744/44-761272
Email: [email protected]