By-Ibrahim Karim Bangura (Tanko)

Political scientists have often described the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) political system as highly characterized by personal rule, a condition in which informal and personal relationship matters the most than individuals rather than ordinary decision makers or grassroot members.

Personal rules usually mean that laws of a political party are applied very selectively and that rules are subverted by the most powerful and do not apply to people or generations connoted to political leaders.

The route to power is restricted and depends on who you know, where you were born, and perhaps what language you speak.

Critically, personal rule often means the little distinction is made between public resources and private wealth.

The resources of the party or state are also those of the president and those around him.

Personal rule is the politics of patronage — a political system that is based on the distribution of goods, money and favors in exchange for support which might include Civil Society Orginsations (CSOs), Civil service jobs, Media institutions, Academic institutions, and access to credit, licenses, regulatory decisions, government contracts and even cash to keep selected groups satisfied.

In return, these groups provide to the leaders political support, blocs of votes, and sometimes recruits for enforcing leaders’ power.

For the political leadership, the state structures are used to extract resources and provide favors and privileges for clients.

In return, the state affords opportunities for personal gains, such as padding state contracts or using regulatory to extract bribes.

Recently, the SLPP National Delegate Conference (NDC) in Freetown saw a clear manifesto of selections rathe than elections. Especially, the unbelievable endorsement of Mohamed Gento Kamara by President Julius Maada Bio for the Mayoral position. In some random interviews with SLPP strong party members, many have expressed their dismay and disappointment within the ranks and files of the party stakeholders, because the due process was highly undermined.

“SLPP is not a family property, we believe in democratic process, democracy is our culture, good governance was our goal, but  things changed since 2018 to present under President Bio’s regime. We are experiencing unprecedented selections in positions of trust. We are fed up with the “Big Man Rule” ideology, Kema Kailondo Musa, a strong SLPP supporter averred angrily.