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gibrilkoroma
Posts:140
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| 04/01/2007 11:01 AM |
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Letter to editor
"Charles Margai is autocratic"---Hashim Daboh
- Sunday 1 April 2007.
Phone: 07929944563
Mail:Gboyama@yahoo.co.uk
Mohamed Bob Mansaray
Chairman- PMDC Pennsylvania / Delaware
CC:The National Executive-North America PMDC
Mr. Chairman;
I am writing this with a heavy heart, but also confirmed in the
belief that this is the right thing to do. The emergence of the PEOPLES MOVEMENT
FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE (PMDC), and its rapid rise to be a strong contender in the
leadership contest in Sierra Leone has brought hope to many within and without
Sierra Leone .Its inception into the political arena has undoubtedly been a
cause of hope for many in the long-suffering nation.
Indeed the PMDC has demonstrated a strong desire and capacity to
fill the THIRD FORCE gap, making it a beacon of hope for many people in Sierra
Leone . It certainly has generated hope in the resurrection of our highly
challenged nationhood and pride in us as a people worthy of our place among
others in the world.
It was in this vein, and enamoured personally by Charles Margai’s
public rhetoric against public corruption, the chronic lack of transparency and
probity in public affairs in Sierra Leone , that I decided to play an active
role in pioneering the PMDC in North America especially. I had an unvarnished
trust in Charles Margai’s leadership, however untested that leadership was; I
wholeheartedly believed that he would provide an honest leadership for the
country, leading to durable and positive change in the lives of our people.
Since then I and most of you have made tremendous and selfless contributions in
time, money and effort to make the PMDC a viable political force.
However, events in the past year have not been as promising as I
had envisaged. In the first instance, the leadership of Charles Margai is
troubling. I have come to the conclusion, based on what I have seen and heard of
his leadership style, that he cannot make a good president. He has demonstrated
a tendency to be autocratic, intolerant and probably just as corrupt a leader as
those now in power at the moment. In fact some of his actions make the ‘evil’
Berewa/Kabbah gang appear moderate by comparison. I think that Charles Margai is
simply not prepared to assume the mantle of national leadership of the Sierra
Leone we all may have envisaged under a tenable leadership. Any mistake by
anyone to make him President will almost certainly cause distress to many of his
country men and women, and probably trigger instability and violence in the
country.
As well as this realisation, I have been most troubled by the
absolute reticence of many well-meaning and discerning people within the PMDC. I
am talking about people who, like me, were lured into the PMDC by the hope that
it would be different and better than what is on offer in Sierra Leone in the
form of political leadership, but who have now realised that we were badly
mistaken. I have waited for months in agony to see any light from the dark, but
none has emerged.
Within the Movement, disquiet over the glaring abuse of everything
ranging from simple administrative machinery to the party’s meagre finances has
dominated meetings and general discussions amidst disbelief and disenchantment
with the Party leadership. Many honest, respectable and well-known academics are
shaking their heads in quiet recognition of the familiar tendency in the
leadership history of the country, particularly as demonstrated in Siaka
Stevens: an emerging cult of leadership around Charles Margai made worse by the
fact that it is absolutely unearned.
This is very troubling. But many of these discerning people within
the PMDC have decided to keep quiet either not to burn their bridges with the
party top echelons for fear of being marginalized or banking on the hope that
with time Charles Margai can be tamed and his boundless thirst for absolute
power contained. This is obviously a very serious mistake. If history is any
guide, we will all come to grief if action is not taken to stop Margai now.
I have come to the conclusion that it would be a disservice on my
part, borne out of cowardice and lack of patriotism, to sit quietly or collude
in building up this monster.
In the simplest way, I would love to share the aspirations of many
of my country men and women who are disillusioned with the very slow pace of
progress and development, the immense public corruption and the general
ineptitude of the current Kabbah leadership despite substantial financial and
material support from our international friends. But my outrage at the lack of
effective leadership by the Kabbah gang should not blind me to the more
threatening and corrosive force that Margai represents.
In view of this and many more, I implore you, Mr. Chairman, to
consider this letter my official resignation from the PMDC. I have been
agonising about taking this decision for months now, and I hope others will see
it as an act of selflessness and patriotism. I would want to take this
opportunity to thank many of my comrades without whose guidance, selflessness
and patriotic efforts we may not have achieved much of what we have today. To
those who continue to sincerely doubt the leadership of Margai, but who have
decided to keep quiet for fear of intimidation or otherwise, I express my
heartfelt sympathy. But I have no doubt that the Movement has a pool of human
resources that is capable of making the best of a situation in nation-building
provided the old sierra Leonean tactic of ‘SYCOPHANCY’ history does not hold
sway.
Good luck in your struggle to make things work in Sierra Leone
.
Kehtamia.
Abdul H.K. Daboh
Founding Member / Formerly Interim Chairman
States of
Pennsylvania & Delaware,PMDC
North America - USA
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amadu.massally
Posts:20
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| 04/02/2007 10:26 PM |
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Thanks for providing this write-up Gibril. Until a few days ago (2 to be exact) I thought you were a PMDC supporter. Now after your posting of this article by Mr. Dabo that we all acted like we did not see, even though it carries very serious elections implications, I am not so sure. But if you are in fact a PMDC supporter then I admire your journalism loyalty and transparency in posting this 'letter to the editor' on our forum. Since this is not about you per se, kindly pardon me for switching gears here.
The comments by Mr. Dabo have very serious implications for the PMDC party, you would all agree. Can you imagine if the allegation that some of Margai's actions make the Solo B - Kabbah team appear moderate is true, what that could mean for our country?
A question I have is: What is Mr. Dabo's motivation for exposing in very candid terms the leader(ship) of his former party?
Would he now go and join one of the other parties? If so, then he is a perpetrator of sabotage. If not, then we would be more likely to believe him.
But I must admit that he is a courageous man especially when you take into consideration some of the uncommunicative yet discerned members of the PMDC that he makes mention of in a subsequent paragraph (which I will expound on shortly).
According to Mr. Dabo: "However, events in the past year have not been as promising as I had envisaged. In the first instance, the leadership of Charles Margai is troubling. I have come to the conclusion, based on what I have seen and heard of his leadership style, that he cannot make a good president. He has demonstrated a tendency to be autocratic, intolerant and probably just as corrupt a leader as those now in power at the moment. In fact some of his actions make the 'evil' Berewa/Kabbah gang appear moderate by comparison. I think that Charles Margai is simply not prepared to assume the mantle of national leadership of the
Sierra Leone we all may have envisaged under a tenable leadership. Any mistake by anyone to make him President will almost certainly cause distress to many of his country men and women, and probably trigger instability and violence in the country."
This is not the first time, like many of you I am sure, that we have heard about this troubling leadership style of Charles Margai.
One cannot help but wonder even more now about the said autocratic style of leadership that has been attributed to Mr. Margai when it comes from so close to home.
Is this the best type of leadership for SL? Mr. Dabo even goes as far as making the comment that Mr. Margai's Presidency may lead to DISTRESS and VIOLENCE!
What do other members of the PMDC think about these charges and the ultimate resignation of a party stalwart like Mr. Dabo?
Should you (PMDC) just avoid it because it will cause more problems if you try to defend Charles; or does the party have a damage-control plan to salvage some of the problems likely to be caused by these comments?
Mr. Dabo goes on to say: "As well as this realisation, I have been most troubled by the absolute reticence of many well-meaning and discerning people within the PMDC. I am talking about people who, like me, were lured into the PMDC by the hope that it would be different and better than what is on offer in Sierra Leone in the form of political leadership, but who have now realised that we were badly mistaken. I have waited for months in agony to see any light from the dark, but none has emerged."
Is this not typical with the majority of S/Leoneans – a group of people who will shy away from controversy because it makes them uncomfortable but yet will feel and bear the brunt of the said controversy from a disadvantageous position; a group of people that will largely refrain from speaking up for what they believe in?
This is largely the S/Leonean way. I know many of my friends who are just like that and some of yours too… To those Sierra Leoneans we would like to say: "Get up, stand up... Stand up for your rights!" as Peter Tosh would concur. Now could there be ramifications for some of the things we say here and in other public forums? Possibly! Will that stop us? I doubt it! You see some of us with the fortitude to talk candidly about affairs negatively affecting our country and calling for a change in our leadership, the way we do things as civil society etc., without fear of repercussions have to be around. We may not get that contract signed in the future, or may not have those cosy governmental or high civil service positions for some of the things we say and will continue to say because we are selfless to some respect - we put our lives out there to the detriment of our self-interest to push the country progressively forward. And we are so embalmed with the desire and passion to see SL develop that to even risk our lives is normal for us right now! This is what makes the world go around...
This question still remains, however: Who is the best candidate and the best party to rule SL for the next 5 years?
The SLPP has not been productive over the past 10 years because the layman still suffers just like they did in the 90s. They are acting speedily now to have all these dialogs with international community leaders (Peace-building commission, DEPAC, etc.) but yet the President has made a claim that he is too busy to even work with thousands of amputees as his government focuses on the 2007 elections.
Are these all schisms to play the "continuity" card and why they should be voted back into office? At least that is how we see it!
The APC has just recently formed peace and we wonder how sound that could be on the eve of national elections. According to what we know from our sources on the ground they have not shown enough umph! to replace the incumbent party… at least not in our eyes!
Now the PMDC, who has been showing some sense of transparency and positive action towards hope for a new leadership, as articulated by Mr. Dabo, has suddenly hit a brick wall with the allegations made in a well-written resignation letter.
Here is a guy who obviously believed in the "Movement" but has woken up to smell the salt. The "movement" may be flawed at its core.
So as you can see we still do not have a party or candidate fit enough to run with the pedals of progressive governance that our country is desperately in need of.
So-so aratas!
Who will save Salone is the million dollar question?
Cheers,
Amadu Massally
CAVEAT - In spite of using we, where I could have easily said I, these comments are all mine and mine alone (redeeming all association with organizations that I may be a part of). I like to believe there are some spirits hanging around me now (since my friend Foday Ceesay appears to be fixated on ancestral spirits these days- smile) so I prefer to use the word "we".
On 4/1/07, gibrilkoroma@aol.com <gibrilkoroma@aol.com> wrote:
Letter to editor
"Charles Margai is autocratic"---Hashim Daboh
- Sunday 1 April 2007.
Phone: 07929944563
Mail:Gboyama@yahoo.co.uk
Mohamed Bob Mansaray
Chairman- PMDC Pennsylvania / Delaware
CC:The National Executive-North America PMDC
Mr. Chairman;
I am writing this with a heavy heart, but also confirmed in the belief that this is the right thing to do. The emergence of the PEOPLES MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE (PMDC), and its rapid rise to be a strong contender in the leadership contest in Sierra Leone has brought hope to many within and without Sierra Leone .Its inception into the political arena has undoubtedly been a cause of hope for many in the long-suffering nation.
Indeed the PMDC has demonstrated a strong desire and capacity to fill the THIRD FORCE gap, making it a beacon of hope for many people in Sierra Leone . It certainly has generated hope in the resurrection of our highly challenged nationhood and pride in us as a people worthy of our place among others in the world.
It was in this vein, and enamoured personally by Charles Margai's public rhetoric against public corruption, the chronic lack of transparency and probity in public affairs in Sierra Leone , that I decided to play an active role in pioneering the PMDC in North America especially. I had an unvarnished trust in Charles Margai's leadership, however untested that leadership was; I wholeheartedly believed that he would provide an honest leadership for the country, leading to durable and positive change in the lives of our people. Since then I and most of you have made tremendous and selfless contributions in time, money and effort to make the PMDC a viable political force.
However, events in the past year have not been as promising as I had envisaged. In the first instance, the leadership of Charles Margai is troubling. I have come to the conclusion, based on what I have seen and heard of his leadership style, that he cannot make a good president. He has demonstrated a tendency to be autocratic, intolerant and probably just as corrupt a leader as those now in power at the moment. In fact some of his actions make the 'evil' Berewa/Kabbah gang appear moderate by comparison. I think that Charles Margai is simply not prepared to assume the mantle of national leadership of the Sierra Leone we all may have envisaged under a tenable leadership. Any mistake by anyone to make him President will almost certainly cause distress to many of his country men and women, and probably trigger instability and violence in the country.
As well as this realisation, I have been most troubled by the absolute reticence of many well-meaning and discerning people within the PMDC. I am talking about people who, like me, were lured into the PMDC by the hope that it would be different and better than what is on offer in Sierra Leone in the form of political leadership, but who have now realised that we were badly mistaken. I have waited for months in agony to see any light from the dark, but none has emerged.
Within the Movement, disquiet over the glaring abuse of everything ranging from simple administrative machinery to the party's meagre finances has dominated meetings and general discussions amidst disbelief and disenchantment with the Party leadership. Many honest, respectable and well-known academics are shaking their heads in quiet recognition of the familiar tendency in the leadership history of the country, particularly as demonstrated in Siaka Stevens: an emerging cult of leadership around Charles Margai made worse by the fact that it is absolutely unearned.
This is very troubling. But many of these discerning people within the PMDC have decided to keep quiet either not to burn their bridges with the party top echelons for fear of being marginalized or banking on the hope that with time Charles Margai can be tamed and his boundless thirst for absolute power contained. This is obviously a very serious mistake. If history is any guide, we will all come to grief if action is not taken to stop Margai now.
I have come to the conclusion that it would be a disservice on my part, borne out of cowardice and lack of patriotism, to sit quietly or collude in building up this monster.
In the simplest way, I would love to share the aspirations of many of my country men and women who are disillusioned with the very slow pace of progress and development, the immense public corruption and the general ineptitude of the current Kabbah leadership despite substantial financial and material support from our international friends. But my outrage at the lack of effective leadership by the Kabbah gang should not blind me to the more threatening and corrosive force that Margai represents.
In view of this and many more, I implore you, Mr. Chairman, to consider this letter my official resignation from the PMDC. I have been agonising about taking this decision for months now, and I hope others will see it as an act of selflessness and patriotism. I would want to take this opportunity to thank many of my comrades without whose guidance, selflessness and patriotic efforts we may not have achieved much of what we have today. To those who continue to sincerely doubt the leadership of Margai, but who have decided to keep quiet for fear of intimidation or otherwise, I express my heartfelt sympathy. But I have no doubt that the Movement has a pool of human resources that is capable of making the best of a situation in nation-building provided the old sierra Leonean tactic of 'SYCOPHANCY' history does not hold sway.
Good luck in your struggle to make things work in Sierra Leone .
Kehtamia.
Abdul H.K. Daboh
Founding Member / Formerly Interim Chairman
States of Pennsylvania & Delaware,PMDC
North America - USA
-- "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not."
~ Robert F. Kennedy
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gibrilkoroma
Posts:140
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| 04/03/2007 12:22 AM |
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Brilliant analysis, Amadu. To respond to your opening salvo: No, I'm not
PMDC. Those who know me will tell you I'm too radical for any of the
parties out there right now. I think I know this Daboh guy but not
yet sure; if it's indeed the Daboh I knew at FBC in the early 80s then I'm
not surprised by this "master-blaster".
But please allow me to inject a little humour here: I know brother
Mohm J, on reading Daboh's diatribe, would be saying to himself, "Autocrat? But
where is the evidence? Please set it forth. You should always back your
statements with solid evidence." Have a good night, bro.
gibs
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amadu.massally
Posts:20
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| 04/03/2007 9:07 PM |
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Mr. Koroma: First of all thanks for all your postings! I particularly like the ones that are one-word(ers). When I grow up one of these days I would want to be like you... a journalist, a radical one for that matter! I like radical (not likened to violence). So why don't we form our own RADICAL party since none of them meet your standard? That is what SL needs today -- a new radical party dominated by good women, good youth, and some few good adult men. Women and youth are you listening? If combined, these two groups can win any elections in SL.
Continue with your good work Gibril.
Regards,
Amadu Massally
On 4/3/07, gibrilkoroma@aol.com <gibrilkoroma@aol.com> wrote:
Brilliant analysis, Amadu. To respond to your opening salvo: No, I'm not PMDC. Those who know me will tell you I'm too radical for any of the parties out there right now. I think I know this Daboh guy but not yet sure; if it's indeed the Daboh I knew at FBC in the early 80s then I'm not surprised by this "master-blaster".
But please allow me to inject a little humour here: I know brother Mohm J, on reading Daboh's diatribe, would be saying to himself, "Autocrat? But where is the evidence? Please set it forth. You should always back your statements with solid evidence." Have a good night, bro.
gibs
-- "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not."
~ Robert F. Kennedy
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gibrilkoroma
Posts:140
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| 04/03/2007 10:25 PM |
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Thanks, bro. Aluta Continua Siempre !
gibs
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wundemoi
Posts:7
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| 04/04/2007 7:50 AM |
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No Gibs, It is not the Daboh you knew at FBC.
He is too quiet these days.
--
Cillaty "Wundemoi" Daboh
Lithonia GA.
The hottest places in hell, are reserved for those who, in great moral crisis maintain their neutrality-Dante
-------------- Original message --------------
From: "Amadu Massally" <amadu.massally@gmail.com>
Mr. Koroma: First of all thanks for all your postings! I particularly like the ones that are one-word(ers). When I grow up one of these days I would want to be like you... a journalist, a radical one for that matter! I like radical (not likened to violence). So why don't we form our own RADICAL party since none of them meet your standard? That is what SL needs today -- a new radical party dominated by good women, good youth, and some few good adult men. Women and youth are you listening? If combined, these two groups can win any elections in SL.
Continue with your good work Gibril.
Regards,
Amadu Massally
On 4/3/07, gibrilkoroma@aol.com <gibrilkoroma@aol.com> wrote:
Brilliant analysis, Amadu. To respond to your opening salvo: No, I'm not PMDC. Those who know me will tell you I'm too radical for any of the parties out there right now. I think I know this Daboh guy but not yet sure; if it's indeed the Daboh I knew at FBC in the early 80s then I'm not surprised by this "master-blaster".
But please allow me to inject a little humour here: I know brother Mohm J, on reading Daboh's diatribe, would be saying to himself, "Autocrat? But where is the evidence? Please set it forth. You should always back your statements with solid evidence." Have a good night, bro.
gibs
-- "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not." ~ Robert F. Kennedy
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gibrilkoroma
Posts:140
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| 04/04/2007 12:03 PM |
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And you are the same "Orlangboos" ? No change?
gibs
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