By Babah Kanu
babbiuskay@gmail.com
+232-927-562
To me, Dr Samura, President Bio and others, Sierra Leone matters (Read it, or you leave it). This article comes by popular demand from well-meaning Sierra Leoneans at home and abroad who read my previous article (Leave Us In Peace, Not In Pieces). The article was followed by well over ten thousand viewers on the Informant website (theinformantsl.com) where it was first published. Most of the issues therein for the success of a peaceful mediation were considered.
This article seeks to eulogise the forerunners of our nation, whose responsibility is to foster and sustain the much-needed peace. This will at least quiet those whose desire direct to political gains over national unity, peace and cohesion.
One time world peace model, Nelson Mandela wrote: “Peace is the greatest weapon for development that any person can have. No single person can liberate a country. You can only liberate a country if you act as a collective. Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace.”
This is where Dr Samura Matthew Wilson Kamara falls within the realm of Nelson Mandela, while the establishment of a peace commission confirms President Julius Maada Bio as a nation builder.
Before an address to supporters of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, I must express many thanks and appreciation to the Commission for Peace and National Cohesion for building the blocks to attain peace and cohesion, the desire of many Sierra Leoneans who have suffered the absence of peace. The mediators demonstrated prowess in interventions of such nature. They did not pay heed to the demands of those who think there is no life after politics, the reason we are backward as a nation. My ears were on the ground and eyes fixed on them for a spectacular outcome. If the mediators had done otherwise, by calling for a re-run of the election, that would have served as a lethal precedent against generations yet unborn. We want work, bread, water and salt for all. And only peace can come with them for our people.
Nelson Mandela continued that:“Intervention only works when the people concerned seem to be keen for peace. “It is easy to break down and destroy. The heroes are those who make peace and build.” My heroes are Dr Sumara Kamara and President Bio.
“Peace is not just the absence of conflict; peace is the creation of an environment where all can flourish, regardless of race, colour, creed, religion, gender, class, caste, or any other social markers of difference”, he told South Africans. Otherwise, that beautiful nation would have ended in doom, as a result of Apartheid retaliation.
Today, Sierra Leone has got the replica of Nelson Mandela; persona dignified, Dr Kamara and President Bio. You have demonstrated love for Sierra Leone amidst cry from your supporters to do otherwise that may have disintegrated this great nation and return to a state of woe.
To the many supporters of the All People’s Congress (APC) and the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), Dr Samura Kamara and President Bio have done no harm by striking a balance for Sierra Leone to forge ahead.
My father was not a politician, but he died a happy man (May his soul rest in peace). Similarly, one does not need to become a President to be called a great man. Even armed conflicts end with dialogue. These two men will go down history books, if only they keep to their words. If they do not, my pen will be heavy to describe them in the simplest form.
Sierra Leoneans, let us put our political differences behind and allow peace and national cohesion, our nation will become a nirvana, a place where Americans will queue to come. All we needed is to support good policies to improve our health, education and till our soil for enough to eat.
As a secret admirer, I will again remind you of the most powerful quote of Mandela: “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
This quote is a powerful reminder that love and compassion are innate human qualities that can overcome hatred and prejudice.
There is a beacon of hope for those who seek a better world. Is there anything else?
Sierra Leoneans let us learn to leave politics for the politicians and guide their path, not to preach hates, leading to divide. The reason I took Article 7 of the Agreement closer to my heart. The political cynics and their antics of our time do not fall within the realm of Freedom of Speech. All national and international legal instruments that justify Freedom of Speech have provisors and exceptions. Social media should be used wisely and responsibly to promote our country, and call on these two men to implement to the letter, what they have agreed.