Who will shepherd our reconciliation? Part II Signs have lit showing prospect of reconciliation. Will it be a wholesome reconciliation or a patched one? Reconciliation is not only a process, unfortunately it is a long-term process. It is not a bottle-top that can be screwed taut. There is no quick –fix to reconciliation. It consumes time. Once a conflict has happened, reconciliation takes its own time: its velocity cannot be dictated by any pedal. The process of reconciliation has nothing to do with whose portrait is up or down. It does not require land marking where the evil was perpetrated or the excessive challenges on petty promulgation of who is not fit or carries undefined baggage. It is a deep process that involves coming to terms with perfect and imperfect realities which demands changes in attitudes, aspirations, emotions and feelings, perhaps even beliefs. Such change is vast and often painful challenge that could not be pushed or imposed. For John O. Benjamin to change is aspiration of leading SLPP in preference to Julius Maada Bio is painful. For Bernadette Lahai to change her emotions and accept the popularity of the General is a challenge painful. For Azonto Sillah, Sunday Moses and sundry to change their attitude of character assassinations of Maada and toe the line of marketing the correct things about my General is painful. For many to drop the feeling that Maada scored 38% because he hadn’t have the national appeal and accept the fact that our personal egos had smeared the entire process is another pain. To also replace the belief that H.E Ernest Bai Koroma would not want to hand power over to Maada but a softer misfit and belief that H.E is not a determiner of who succeeds him is painful for those who have limited campaign messages to give to our people. But the fact is that The General (Maada Bio) is the strongest character for the position. The process of reconciliation is a broad one. It applies for everyone. It is not just a process for who are connected directly, centrally though these people are. The attitudes, beliefs that underpin violent conflict much more generally sediment through the unit and must be addressed at that level. How can the common supporter come to terms with electing Ali Bangura as the chairman and leader of the party when as the chairman of the national election committee of the past presidential and parliamentary elections he has not produced even a polling station result? How can we elect John O. Benjamin as a flag bearer when it is rumored that he is a signatory to the last result that was challenged by the party in court? Or how can anyone accept me as a mediator when they 99% know I am a Maadabyte? So while there is a crucial need of reconciliation, there is also a party-wide element that demands a questioning of the attitudes, prejudices and negative stereotypes that we all have developed about our declared enemies. This is because the way we have defined our enemies rarely limits to individuals or cabals but rather grows to encompass a whole system and its followers. The state of reconciliation is not a goal in itself but a process, a long term objective which can only be reached after all the important elements of justice, truth and healings are addressed. If you think the remedy to a conflict is to put the conflicting parties aside and the unit moves on without their participations, then you are giving way to a more violent and persistent conflict. The conflicting sides should be a part of the process of rebuilding the structures that they have destroyed. If the reconciliation process dumps “The General”, I bet you that out of his 38%, he can derail 25% of us from any process. John O. Benjamin or Karmoh Keilli could take 10% and perhaps 3% are sure to take the PMDC course. Christopher Columbus (the helicopter flag bearer) I do not think will get 3% of that 38%. From a realistic point of view, if John O. Benjamin or Andrew Karmoh Keilli should lead SLPP after dumping Maada, then 2018 elections is likely to look thus John O. Benjamin or Andrew Karmoh Keilli (SLPP) 18% Julius Maada Bio (Sufferers Party) 35% XXXXXXXX XXXX (APC) 40% Rest of Mankind parties 6.7% Christopher Columbus (Unintelligent Naïve Idle Detractors Organization) 0.3% Who then benefits from such result? Neither my General nor your godfathers but our real enemies. Is that what we want? Imagine if Maada leads and has the full backing of JOB or Ngo Keilli. Clean sweep. Our reconciliation should therefore be thoughtful. It is never a theoretical matter. Who so ever could dear to shepherd our reconciliation, with all limitations or imperfections, should strategize stratified strategies that embed new and peaceful patterns of interaction in this deeply divided party. Someone should, irrespective of the trying nature of the process, shepherd our reconciliations. Standing aside and looking at your conflicting brothers bringing down your family house is not a show of gentlemanliness neither does it absolve you of blames. It is an egregious show of cowardice. Allowing fear of failure to overcome the possibility of success. Where are all the honorable men of this oldest party in West Africa? Can anyone of you shepherd our reconciliations? Who will shepherd our reconciliations? Credit Maada Bubuakei Bawoh of Benghazi Unit
Posted on: Sun, 06 Jul 2014 22:25:12 +0000