John Baimba Sesay – CHINA
Sierra Leone Telegraph: 01 November 2017
Ahead of the Presidential and Parliamentary elections slated for 2018, the governing All People’s Congress has selected Dr. Samura Kamara as flag-bearer. I wrote, prior to the ‘Makeni Family Meeting’ that events leading to such historic Convention were not only sounding positive and intriguing but were “generally, excellent for the growth of the APC.”
I submitted that notwithstanding the number of intending flag bearer aspirants, one choice and only one person was to emerge flag bearer of the Party.
That person, we all today know, is Dr. Samura Kamara. And since he is the person, the chosen candidate, the Party must come together and work collectively in support of him. The APC’s interest must be the primary focus.
The Party should not afford to let go the growth efforts the country has pursued in the last decade, by handing over governance to an Opposition Party. An APC victory is victory for all.
The choice of Dr. Samura Kamara is one that will take the Party to VICTORY and one that has a National Appeal. His choice will ensure a continuation of the legacy of President Koroma.
The SLPP, as we have seen, is going to the elections through two different patterns; an entity-the Party itself and secondly, through Political Party surrogates in the form of the National Grand Coalition. Check the membership of the NGC, the conclusion will be it is SLPP part 2. What that means for the APC therefore is, it must remain united behind a common purpose and candidate.
Dr. Samura Kamara is a respectable figure nationally and globally. He has successfully built a rich pedigree we are today proud of. His rise to becoming flag-bearer for the governing APC comes in with huge expectations but above all, with a promising future, firstly, for growth of the country and secondly, a strengthened Party.
By 2015, Africa’s premier Bank – the African Development Bank was working on having a new president. In the race for the best to take over the huge governance responsibility was Sierra Leone’s foreign minister and former finance minister- Dr. Samura Kamara. He was seeking that job at a time that he was tremendously contributing to his country’s growth process.
As Finance Minister, he effectively hosted the African Union Caucus of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in Freetown. As Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Sierra Leone was to Chair the African Union Committee of ten on the reform of the Security Council, leading negotiations on the issue of fair global representation.
He remains an eloquent, consummate and unpretentious Diplomat, having served the International Monetary Fund as Alternate Executive Director for Africa Group I Constituency- Commonwealth Secretariat as Senior Economic Officer (Economic Affairs Department) and as Chief Programme Officer.
His years of experience in International Economic Cooperation, and Partnership Agreements with bilateral and multilateral development agencies successfully positioned Sierra Leone’s international profile.
Both as Finance and Foreign Minister, he succeeded in lifting ties of cooperation with the country’s development partners and friendly nations. As Foreign Minister, he was a key player when, by December, 2016, Sierra Leone signed six cooperation agreements with China.
Under his watch, both nations also scaled up their bilateral relations through comprehensive, strategic cooperative partnership in a bid to fully exploit the ten point cooperation package announced during the 2015 Johannesburg FOCAC Summit.
The country has expanded her bilateral relationship, reaching out and strengthening ties with countries such as Brazil, India, South Africa and Middle Eastern countries. We have got mechanisms in place for promoting growth through strong private sector participation in the country’s economy.
This was against the backdrop that, active participation of the private sector is central to the country’s transformation process.
We have witnessed a paradigm shift from depending completely on donors to being able to fund our own development, with the National Revenue Authority playing a lead role. But for the troubling effects of ebola and drop in price of commodities like Iron Ore, etc in the global market, Sierra Leone was having a robust economic growth.
Through the efforts of this Government, we have had a surge in international investors in various sectors of the economy.
We broadened the tax base by the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), modernized and increased our revenue collection efforts, by introducing the Automated Systems for Customs Data-ASYCUDA and tax payer identification numbers, aimed at tackling tax evasion and tax avoidance. (Photo: John Baimba Sesay).
We are in a post Ebola recovery period and despite all of the achievements, we still have a long way to go with huge challenges ahead.
The election of Dr. Samura Kamara would therefore help in ensuring a continuity of what the current government has been working on and handling the challenges we have ahead of us.
About the author
John Baimba Sesay is the information attaché at the Sierra Leone Embassy in Beijing – China, and a staunch member of Sierra Leone’s ruling APC party.
Dear Dr. Samura Kamara
Please in case you win election do the following to develop the country
1) stop corruption in Govt offices
2) make energy supply steady
3) Give foreign investors preference to develop the country’s economy as many youths are unemployed; give some facilities to investors
4) Improve education systems
5) improve water supply – there is no water in communities, they have to buy pure water
6) Improve medical facilities in the country
The choice of a Presidential candidate is solely the business of the APC. But what we have witnessed shows how undemocratic the APC is. People like Foday Yansaneh knew very well that he stood no chance of retaining the position of Secretary General if an election was conducted.
One thing for sure is that the party is trying hard to paper over the cracks as discontent is brewing underneath. The insincerity of President Koroma in selecting a successor, clearly shows his chicanery and lack of judgement that has characterised is leadership.
We now know that the President had a succession plan. But why raise the hopes of many up to the 11th hour. He could have been more assertive from the start. I wish Samura Kamara well, but we should remember that the current state of Sierra Leone economically is ‘nothing to write home about’ – if I could borrow from President Koroma in 2007.
With double digit inflation, huge budget deficit and high cost of living; and with the country living beyond its means, I beg to differ that the APC has improved Sierra Leone, when all the benchmarks and economic ratios say otherwise, except if one is living in another planet.
The agenda for change and prosperity have become mere catch phrases, with no effect on the lives of the ordinary Sierra Leonean. We will go in to this election informing our people of their power to use their votes wisely to elect a government that will serve their interest.
“The ELECTION of Dr. Samura Kamara would, therefore, help in ensuring a continuity of what the current government has been working on and handling the challenges we have ahead of us.”
There is no shame in your game is there? There was no vote count, no coin toss, and no die cast. For you, that’s how elections in Sierra Leone go. Did your all-powerful president not merely choose him? Who is fooling whom?
I feel like having the earth underneath my feet split in two so I can sink in. Ashamed of my once glorious country.
Mr Sesay, I understand that you have been brainwashed by the Chinese that the communist system is best for our country but based on the past results when the APC government under the late president Stevens and Momoh, the consequences was devastating for our nation .
So why should president Koroma repeat the same mistake? The APC party is only focusing on peace and unity within the party instead of doing justice to the nation by maintaining the democratic process that gave them the opportunity to govern after thousands of people sacrificed their lives. How can Mr Samura or late Joseph Momoh value something that is handed over to them on a silver platter without any effort, fight or struggles?
But since President Koroma believed that the other contestants are thieves who are bent on running him out of office instead of begging him to stay for life so he has no choice but to publicly humiliate them rather than giving the APC delegates the opportunity for an election .
My advice for the President is to ask both Mr Samura to step down from his current position as foreign minister and Joseph F Kamara as attorney general, because just in case any irregularities occurred during the upcoming election the judiciary will have a role to play so we need a non partisan to hold that office.
It’s a bit like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic while it sinks. As futile as putting a fire out with a leaking bucket. Is there no common sense in people anymore?
I am in doubt of all the APC politicians. Truly, they will surely follow the footsteps of the person who put them in politics. I do hope for the best and not the worst. Corruption will not easily vanish under the APC government.
No way for us in Kono to support your ungrateful APC political party this time round and mind you we are the strongest key players for the winning of any political party in this country. This time round, the support of we the people of Kono is going purely for the opposition Sierra Leone people`s party and i am fully confident that the SLPP will win this 2018 presidential election hands down. Your APC party is full of tribalism and regionalism. Indeed no way for you guys this very time in Kono. GO, APC. We don`t need you any longer to rule this nation. God bless SLPP forever amen.
In my book “ORIGINS AND SOLUTIONS TO AFRICA’S REBEL CONFLICTS (Sierra Leone Chapter), published in 2013, I discovered during my research that Mr. Samura Kamara was unable to produce his credentials to the cabinet of Sierra Leone as it was kept into his briefcase safely in his house in London, UK, and he was going to ask his child to send it to him to Freetown through DHL service immediately.
He made this request at the time he was already a member of parliament in Sierra Leone getting his salary paid by the tax payers of that poor country.
Why has he been keeping his family in UK whilst living in Sierra Leone and looting that country to keep his family alive in UK?
Once again let me ask this question: Is that a fair behaviour of any Sierra Leonean who call himself a member of parliament serving pur country?
I support the choice of the president and victory is ours for the 2018 election.