Commentary The Tale Of a Former Presidential Candidate Solomon Ekuma Berewa is perhaps one of Sierra Leone’s finest criminal lawyers. He served as Attorney-General and Minister of Justice in the last tenure of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) government led by the late President Kabba. Solomon Ekuma Berewa became the blue eyed-boy of the late President which catapulted him to become the 2007 Presidential Flagbearer of the party after the 19 man aspirants’ convention in the Northern City of Makeni. The devastating blow of that convention still hunts the SLPP. There came splinter group from the party just after the convention. Charles Francis Margai, the prodigal son of the SLPP formed the Peoples Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC). Perhaps that was the most severe blow to the SLPP’s chances of winning the 2007 General Elections and indeed it came to pass that the SLPP lost that elections after a run-off, although it was a defeat that came after the cancellation of votes in the party’s stronghold. The then opposition, the All Peoples Congress (APC) was declared winner and the learned man did not challenge the results as according to him peace must reign in Sierra Leone-imagine an African aspirant making such decision that could hardly be found in an African politician. Berewa was never criticized for the right reasons but the wrong ones. He suffered because he had been in the thick of what most Sierra Leoneans believed a failed government. Many Sierra Leoneans particularly those already eating fat from the national cake never wanted a Berewa President and even if they do, they did with deep consideration. This was exhibited when most of his bench men disserted him before even his defeat was made public. Even after all this bitter experience, Solomon Ekuma Berewa still remains committed to the development aspirations of his country, Sierra Leone. Some have even suggested that he would have been the type of President Sierra Leone needed. Being a disciplinarian, his government should have instilled strict discipline in the Sierra Leonean, but alas he could not win the minds of the voters, who had resigned to fate that a Solomon Ekuma Berewa Presidency would mean a Kabba Third Term. This was how Solomon Ekuma Berewa lost the chances of winning the election to President Koroma, who came with bright prospects encapsulated in his ‘Agenda for Change’ during his first term and now the ‘Agenda for Prosperity’. Being a plain speaker, Solomon Ekuma Berewa would never mince his words when he is given the opportunity to talk, perhaps the reason for his vilification within the rank and file of the party. Many could not believe when he told a party gathering that it was a mere waste of time going to the ECOWAS Court and stopped them from such moves. This is the kind of personality one would find in Solomon Ekuma Berewa. He lived a very distinct life before even he came into the political battle field. He does not mind what hurts, but he just believes in saying the truth, this resulted to him being branded with all sorts of names within the party. That he could go on radio eulogizing President Koroma, a man he lost the Presidency to, tells us the type of character he contains. You may not like him but he stands by what he believes. He talks like a philosopher and no one can take that from him even if it means deserting his friends. Sierra Leone has a lot to offer him despite the wrong toes he stepped on during the course of his service
Posted on: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 10:59:52 +0000
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