Political Militarism Not Political Membership

 

By Alpha Amadu Jalloh

 

Sierra Leone is a nation rich in culture, history and resilience. We have endured a brutal civil war, deadly disease outbreaks and a relentless cycle of political betrayal. Yet one of the most toxic phenomena now plaguing our democracy is what I call “Political Militarism”. It is a dangerous departure from civic political engagement toward blind loyalty and aggressive defense of individuals, not principles.

 

This militarism is not defined by uniforms or guns. It is more insidious. It is the mental, emotional and social weaponisation of political support. It is the willingness of ordinary citizens to destroy friendships, family ties, community bonds and moral decency just to please a politician who in most cases neither knows their names nor cares about their welfare. It is when a man is prepared to shed blood or be beaten or imprisoned for a political party he cannot even define in ideological terms. This is not political membership. This is fanaticism.

 

Many Sierra Leoneans sincerely believe they are loyal members of political parties. But let us interrogate this loyalty. Ask the average supporter of the Sierra Leone People’s Party or the All People’s Congress to explain the foundational ideology of their party and you will get blank stares or shallow answers. “Na we party”, “Na we tem don cam”, “Den nor lek we tribe”, or “Na den give me rice”. Loyalty is rarely rooted in ideology, vision or policy. It is anchored in tribe, region or personal gain.

 

What we call political membership in Sierra Leone is not built on issue-based politics or shared aspirations for national development. Rather it is deeply rooted in identity politics and this identity is often used as a weapon against fellow Sierra Leoneans. This warped understanding of political allegiance has turned the average voter into a soldier. Not a soldier of justice or nationhood but a soldier for a politician who sees them as pawns in their selfish game.

 

Thomas Sankara:

“When politics becomes a battlefield, the people become casualties.”

 

This is exactly why Thomas Sankara’s words ring true today. In Sierra Leone, the people have become the first and last casualties of every election, every campaign and every lie.

 

One would hope that religion would guide our moral compass. Whether Muslim or Christian, Sierra Leoneans overwhelmingly profess faith. We pray, fast and flock to mosques and churches. But what is the value of religion that does not transform behaviour?

 

Islam teaches Taqwa, God-consciousness, the idea that we must live with the awareness that Allah is watching. Christianity teaches that we must love our neighbours as ourselves. Yet despite our mosques and churches being full, our hearts remain empty. We betray one another. We lie for politicians. We slander our friends for positions. We sell our votes for a few cups of rice or a bottle of cheap whisky.

 

Even in religious spaces, partisanship is alive. Religious leaders who should be voices of morality are instead seen dancing at political rallies, endorsing parties or attacking perceived enemies of the regime. When religion becomes a cover for political interest, the spiritual becomes political ammunition not moral guidance.

 

How did we become a nation where a sac of rice can sever a thirty-year friendship? Where a neighbour will betray another just to impress someone in authority? We have normalised betrayal, treachery and selfishness under the pretense of “na me yone tem dis”.

 

Many Sierra Leoneans do not realise that they have become foot soldiers not for a movement of justice or truth but for crooks in suits who will abandon them at the first sign of trouble. And the saddest part? These political elites have their children in plush private schools abroad while they use the children of the poor to cause violence in the streets.

 

A man will fight and die for a politician he cannot call on the phone. A woman will insult her sister to defend a minister she has never met. People refuse to attend family gatherings, weddings or funerals simply because the host supports a different political party. Is this democracy? No. It is political madness.

 

Let us clarify the difference. Political membership means subscribing to the ideas, visions and manifesto of a political party. It involves peaceful political engagement, civic education, debate and critique. It means demanding transparency from your leaders even if they belong to your party. A political member holds the party accountable because they believe in the betterment of the country through political channels.

 

Political militarism on the other hand is blind. It is rooted in emotional loyalty rather than rational analysis. It is characterised by aggression, intolerance and a win at all costs mentality. Political militarists do not care about the truth. They care about dominance. They view the opposition not as fellow citizens with different ideas but as enemies to be crushed.

 

Nelson Mandela:

“You cannot liberate the people by enslaving their minds with propaganda and violence in the name of loyalty.”

 

Nelson Mandela’s warning perfectly captures the tragedy of Sierra Leone’s political terrain. Minds have been chained to party colours while communities burn and hospitals rot.

 

This mentality is destroying Sierra Leone. It is why elections are tense. It is why institutions are politicised. It is why justice is selective. It is why the police can brutalise a citizen for wearing the wrong party colour in the wrong place.

 

This brand of politics breeds violence and discourages critical thinking. It suffocates the possibility of national unity. It keeps the youth poor, restless and angry. And it allows the political elite to flourish, stealing billions, while we the so-called loyal foot soldiers fight and die for crumbs.

 

Political militarism blinds us to national interest. It convinces us that loyalty to a tribe is more important than loyalty to the truth. It makes us despise our brothers and sisters just because they come from a different district or belong to a different party. This is how nations fall apart. And this is why we are not making progress.

 

Sierra Leoneans must rise above this. We must understand that political participation is not about worshipping politicians. It is about holding them accountable. We must vote for policies, not parties. For visions, not tribes. For service, not slogans.

 

We must embrace civic education as a national priority. Our youth must be taught that their future does not lie in chanting party slogans but in building businesses, pursuing education and demanding good governance. Our religious leaders must return to the moral high ground, not the political battlefield. And our communities must prioritise unity over division.

 

We must begin to celebrate those who speak truth to power, not those who sing for their supper. We must reward honesty, not sycophancy. We must build a Sierra Leone where your political views do not define your humanity.

 

Political militarism is a disease. It has infected our national consciousness. It has turned decent men into propagandists, wise women into gossipers and young men into thugs. It is time to heal. It is time to remember that Sierra Leone is bigger than SLPP or APC. It is bigger than Bo or Makeni. It is bigger than any one politician.

 

Let us choose political maturity over political militarism. Let us become citizens, not soldiers of deception. Let us reclaim our dignity, our unity and our future.

 

Qur’an 13:11:

“Indeed Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.”

 

John 8:32:

“You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”

 

Truth is the antidote to political militarism. And it is time Sierra Leoneans begin to live by it.