The two major political parties in Sierra Leone and among the oldest in West Africa, the Sierra Leone People’s party and the All People’s Congress party have been in control of governance since our colonizers, England handed over the baton to them by granting the country as independent and therefore these politicians started doing things all by themselves.
The first party that was given the chance to govern was the SLPP under Sir Milton Strieby Margai and was the fore founder of the party who ruled till his brother Albert Margai took over from him.
The APC formed by Siaka Probyn Stevens made all sort of complaints to the people as well as their colonizers that the SLPP was not working and could not deliver to the people. Siaka Stevens fought it very hard with robust campaign to ensure that his party removed the SLPP from governance. According to history, Siaka Stevens was a good orator who cajoled his people his people with words that were pleasing to their ears. His party members loobied around his people and they were able to attain election victory and took control of governance.
Siaka Stevens was in control for almost 17years, likewise the SLPP again started to campaign against the APC by moving into their strongholds and mesmerized their people that believed them so much by making heap of promises if they voted for them again into governance.
The SLPP went through a lot in the hands of Siaka Stevens likewise the same thing for APC under the rule of Milton Margai and his brother after him Albert Margai. The SLPP too fought it very hard to worm their way back into governance and finally succeeded when the late Pa Ahmad Tejan Kabbah was ushered in as president. The SLPP wiped their tears and dusted themselves and continue to forget about all that they promised to do for their people and the development of the country. All the promises made, they habitually forgot to work on them and rather concentrated in building houses and banked state wealth in the White Man’s land.
By then, the APC guys have returned to cry again to their people that the SLPP is not good for them and gave reasons they should be voted for again into governance. They rephrased jargons they used during their last cry to the people. They used all type of negative adjectives on the SLPP style of rule.
In 2007, former President Ernest Bai Koroma was voted for to be in control of governance and under his watch, the party again wiped off their tears and again dusted themselves and bounced back into country’s wealth, buying fleet of cars and engaging in expensive travelling trips. They quickly forget about their cry while the SLPP went back to the drawing board. The APC started having beaming faces as they swam in the country’s wealth at their disposal, forgetting about their promises to the people.
The SLPP again started crying foul and returned to their again with bitter cry and fresh wounds by calling the APC all kind of names in negative words. They made sure that their people believe in their promises. They lured their people and as well as making sure that they believe in their same old promises. The SLPP campaigned for 11 years against the APC with odds and hurdles.
Then again, they were voted for into governance through Dr. Julius Maada Bio in 2018 and the APC wasted no time to return again with eye-bloody cry that the SLPP is not good for their people. Shortly, the SLPP has mended their wounds and wiped the bitter cry from their eyes while their faces continue shining with state resources.
As the APC continue to complain foul play to their people and the outside world, the same was the SLPP doing. Both parties will say that they win the elections as none them want to loss.
Today the SLPP is in control, forgetting that one fine day, the APC will take over governance and the SLPP will run again with cry to their people to confuse them again to vote for them using the same adjectives but with different words. They will cry to their people about the APC.
This has been the conventional type of politics in Sierra Leone by politicians since sovereignty was given to them in the manner of independence in 1961.
Both parties will always say badly about the party in governance so long as the one is not in control. So APC should stop pretending that they mean well for the people when in fact they busy fighting for their selfish gains when they will soon wipe their tears and mend their sore by chopping tax payers money.
In a nutshell, both the APC and SLPP are just the same guys clad in different political clothing.