Abdulai Mansaray: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 27 Might 2025:
It’s a tragedy that we now our lives alongside the bandwidth of politics. What passes for democracy in our nation is strictly “Partisan Antagonism”. We changed our 10-year expertise of abject barbarism with a societal chasm that’s considered by means of get together political lenses. Partisan antagonism has grow to be the palm oil with which our nationwide political discourse is eaten.
Even in circumstances the place nationwide pursuits are in danger, or appear to be threatened, our penchant to place our party-political pursuits above the nationwide ones is now the brand new norm.
Our want to make our particular person political get together rating playing cards look higher on the expense of the get together reverse leaves one feeling that our nation is in a everlasting state of political campaigns. As a nation, residents anticipate our political events to return collectively the place nationwide pursuits are in danger and to criticise the place obligatory.
Sadly, this isn’t the case. What we’ve got in Sierra Leone immediately is: My Political Celebration First, My Nationality Second.
What began as an industrial dispute, apparently round pay and dealing circumstances has now descended right into a political battle for the hearts and minds of the general public. The ensuing dismissal of the employees of Koidu Holdings (KH), a mining firm in Kono District is unlucky. Caught between the fangs of political antagonism, there’s a actual threat that the plight of the individuals shall be misplaced in translation, due to get together politics.
Whereas the battle for hearts and minds has been in overdrive, the routine finger -pointing has began in earnest, following the dismissal and suspension of the employees and mining actions respectively.
Within the absence of any first-hand data, due to my present submit code, a lot of the narrative is just not solely second- hand however largely sourced from the amphitheatre of public opinion referred to as social media. Would you like a disclaimer? Others had questioned the rationale behind her involvement within the first place, citing her non-elected place.
In accordance with a video clip by The First Woman Fatima Bio, she was invited to intervene between KH and the employees. She mentioned this together with her husband and later engaged the paramount chiefs within the district. It led to direct talks with the administration of KH, following which mutual concessions have been made into agreements to deal with the deadlock.
Whereas ready, Mrs Bio who had reportedly undertaken this enterprise with the blessings of her husband President Maada Bio, later acquired a letter from KH. She acknowledged that the letter confirmed that KH was not honouring the mutual settlement. In accordance with her, this coincided with The First Minister, David Sengeh being copied into the correspondence and dialogue for the primary time. Fatima questioned why the Chief Minister was copied into the correspondence and never the Ministers of Labour and Mining.
At this stage, the least stated concerning the conspicuous absence of the Ministries of Mining and Labour, the higher. It’s apparent that a number of allegations, PR battles and the combat for the hearts and minds had triggered this video for the courts of public opinion.
Fatima talked about obtain a letter threatening to sue her from Lumley Seashore to Soweto (my phrases) to which she had additionally counter sued. Allegations of properties owned by Fatima and her household in Banjul and elsewhere have been circulated on social media. One of many allegations talked about that Fatima nonetheless owns a council flat she had throughout her time within the UK, the kind of lodging supplied to low-income earners within the UK. That was pre- First Woman.
No matter the veracity of those allegations, some consider that the timing couldn’t have been extra telling, as they appear to disclose some political fingerprints on them. By the way in which, our nation at all times engages within the “new broom” ritual referred to as Fee of Inquiry every time a brand new authorities takes over. As everyone knows, some huge cash shall be spent to inform us what we already know. Ultimately, will probably be “buff case”. Do we want a reminder that the Pope is Catholic?
Different information retailers have launched copious reams of knowledge detailing KH’s affiliation with the chequered historical past of mining operations world wide. Seems like a marketing campaign to discredit.
Is there an inner Political Witch hunt within the SLPP?
The battle that’s fought within the amphitheatre of social media has seen the PR machines, Spin docs, bloggers, Influencers, commentators and plenty of others have their say. This has raised eyebrows across the larger echelons of the SLPP ladder.
Whereas taking into account that these are social media allegations, views and opinions garnered for replica right here, some ponder whether a much bigger battle brewing right here, particularly with President Bio’s inevitable succession race? What’s fermenting contained in the underbelly of the SLPP hall?
Was Koidu Holdings Proper to dismiss the employees?
With the employees dropping their jobs, the darkish arts of finger pointing have begun in earnest, with some sections blaming Fatima Bio. The dismissal of the employees is lamentably regrettable however was KH proper to take action, whereas negotiations have been ongoing about its employee’s phrases and circumstances of service.
A number of diaspora views have questioned whether or not KH would have taken an identical motion, say within the UK, the place “summer season of discontent” is a part of the calendar. Each summer season, employees of a number of firms together with prepare firms mount sequence of strike actions over pay, over time or working circumstances. They often come around the desk ultimately by way of tribunals, however do they dismiss their workers in the course of the negotiations?
KH has a South African DNA to it and a few individuals appear to insinuate a racial superiority complicated at work right here. Nonetheless, others consider that half a loaf is best than none, they usually blame Fatima for biting greater than she may chew. Lots of her critics appear to remind her that this could have been the area of the Labour and Mining Ministries. That in itself has sarcastically raised the query about their deafening silence or dormant involvement in the entire saga. Are you pondering what I’m pondering? ……No, it may well’t be.
Did KH get the PR struggle improper?
When KH reportedly dismissed the workers, was this in response to Fatima’s involvement or a query of “hen wan fly”? Whereas some consider that it was meant to make Fatima a scapegoat, others noticed it as a tactic to push the employees into destitution and onto their knees. How this might have endeared the corporate to the neighborhood is anybody’s guess.
Others ponder whether KH misinterpret the room. From Burkina Faso by means of to Niger, Mali, Senegal, Ghana and neighbouring Guinea, the seeming wind of change casts international firms as symbols of monetary, financial and useful resource pushed leeches and parasites. KH would discover little or no help from the Sahel Brigade.
In subsequent door Guinea, President Mamadi Doumbouya cancelled Bauxite Mining concessions to Kebo Power South Africa, revoked Emirates World Aluminium and Guiter Mining SA mining licences for failing to fulfil their commitments on promised investments (Reuters-12 Might, 2025). In Kono, KH sacked its workers after a failure to resolve an deadlock.
The obvious wave to nationalise and cultivate resource-based firms appears contagious throughout the continent. In different nations, firm contracts are re-negotiated.
So, was Fatima Traore…sorry Fatima Bio improper to intervene on behalf of her hometown?
By advantage of her place or in any other case, Fatima divides opinions rightly or wrongly. She claimed to intervene on invitation from KH to intervene and with the information and blessings of her husband, president Bio. Whereas some see her intervention as an umbilical matter to the land, her critics see her as interfering in issues that don’t concern her.
Though some see her as an unelected individual partaking in issues for the elected, others stay uncomfortable together with her bucking the pattern of First Women in our nation. Compared, most of our First Women have been political and social equipment. Fatima’s audacity to enterprise into the testosterone-dominated cage preventing ring may appear an excessive amount of for some.
Some would favor her job description and individual specification be restricted to kitchen duties and making infants. Effectively, she bagged the President; sufficient to induce the inexperienced eyed monster in some quarters.
So, what occurs to the employees now in limbo?
The saying that when two elephants combat, it’s the grass that suffers can’t be extra apt right here. With virtually 1000 employees dropping their livelihood, disaster doesn’t start to explain the state of affairs.
Some persons are blaming Fatima Bio for the dismissal of the employees; that she was pushed by partisan antagonism for EBK’s alleged monetary affiliation with the corporate, whereas others help her for standing as much as a bullying international conglomerate. With former Vice President Sam Sumana,
The First Woman and Second Women all hailing from Kono in the course of the reign of EBK, many are questioning how lengthy the individuals will sit by the river and wash their palms with spittle. Whether or not inexperienced, purple or fight, have our mining sectors been the Cinderella providers to feather the nests of our elected and appointed officers, on the expense of the welfare, sustainability, wealth, and well being of the individuals?
With its deafening silence and dormant posture, an fascinating letter purporting to be an appointment of a Director Normal of Nationwide Social Safety Authority was made final week, with the remit to “deal with the gaps in social safety programmes and enhance coordination throughout private and non-private sectors”. I ponder what which means in English and whether or not it was in response to the KH-Fatima Bio present.
Irrespective of the place you stand on this matter, the lives and livelihoods of those employees shouldn’t be ignored. No matter how properly that means the intentions have been and proceed to be, the hope is that the employees is not going to be deserted. All they requested for was their rightful rights.
We hope that they aren’t used as pawns on the political chess board or caught within the cross hairs of the partisan witch hunt, within the battle for hearts and minds.
Politics is just too severe a matter to be left to the politicians. Don’t neglect to show off the sunshine while you go away the room.
