By Dadson A . Musa
The drama book, “Dilema of A Ghost,” written by the Ghanian dramatist, Christiana Ama Atta Aido was an ‘O’-level- prescribed literature book back in the late 80s and early 90s. A young man in the book, Atto Yawson, was strenuously educated by his poor parents and came back from college to settle with his people and started working. But he brought with him a western-style wife. The wife, Eulalie Rosh, lived an extravagant life style to the embarrassment of her husband. As a young man, he needed to settle down quickly so staying with the parents together with the wife proved to be a serious headache for him. His earning was supposed to be carefully spread between the parents and his loving wife. It was a miscalculation as he realized later because the wife was insensitive and aloof to his husband’s tradition, indifferent to the family and at the same time wanted to live a life that could not allow her husband to save and help his people who struggled to educate him.
That was in Ghana, now to our current day Sierra Leone. Our soldier who has become President of this loving republic, Julius Maada Bio, came back to be president after handing over as a military man in 1996. He was elected in 2018 to national and international acclaim. His credentials as peacemaker during our war and as a democrat because he oversaw a multi-party democratic election and willingly handed power over. His political party, SLPP, has firmly stood behind him to be elected twice to office as president. As the looming succession battle surfaces, some ugly incident has raised its head in Sierra Leone’s body politics. Most people in Sierra Leone have decided to be silent on the issue not because they don’t want to but because it involves the first couple.
Nevertheless, some light needs to be shed on this thorny issue. Honestly, the SLPP is embarrassed, the President is embarrassed and the country is portrayed wrongly. From the recent statement of our First Lady in Kono, it is evident that there is a rift and fallout between herself and one of the president’s trusted henchmen, David Moinina Sengeh. President Bio does not want to miss out on a young man who won the award of “best minister” in the world and who has been very instrumental in the party coming to power, staying in power and winning a second term. At the same time, he does want to naturally offend his legally wedded wife who has also been there for him. In a situation like this he is at a crossroad. And taking a cue from the book again, where it is quoted “shall I go to Elmina or shall i go to gold coast?” It is clear that he cannot live without the two of them. It is getting bitter and our president is on a tight rope and needs to strike a fine balance or else.
The book ended with us the readers not knowing who the beleaguered protagonist, Ato Yawson not choosing either the wife or his parents. Back to our situation, the president has not publicly condemned either his wife or his minister. Credit to the minister, he has been quiet and respectful. But this wrangling within the government and the SLPP must stop somewhere, or else. Senior party elders must rein in to save the chances of the party winning the 2028 elections. And we all know that “a house divided cannot stand.”