Coverage of the launching of the New Jersey Branch of the APC Party at Somerset, New Jersey by the COCORIOKO Newspaper Limited.
ERNEST BAI KOROMA
By Wilfred Leeroy Kabs-Kanu
Saturday September 28, 2002
The All People’s Congress (APC) escalated it’s
rhetoric against the ruling Sierra Leone People’s
Party (SLPP) today during the launching of the New
Jersey Branch of the party at Somerset , New Jersey.
In a Grand Ceremony graced by the presence of the
leader of the party, Mr.Ernest Bai Koroma; his running
mate at the last elections Mr.Dauda Kamara and many
top members of the party both in Sierra Leone and the
U.S., APC members blew their minds about what many of
them described as the mismanagement of the country by
the SLPP and the APC’s strong plans to return to power
in 2007 .Party leader, Ernest Koroma charged that the
SLPP cheated at the last elections , but the APC
decided to accept the results in the interest of peace
and reconciliation .
Ernest Koroma said that from the voters’ registration
exercise , which was a fiasco , to the voting itself,
the APC was cheated at the last General Elections by
the ruling SLPP.He stated that his party would have
rejected the results of the elections, but in the
interest of peace and reconciliation, the APC decided
to accept the results .However, delegate after
delegate remarked that the APC would not tolerate the
same situation in the 2007 elections, which they
claimed that they were going to win.
As a community Elder and reknowned Minister of the
Gospel in New Jersey, I was asked ,
along with Muslim Cleric Alhaji A.S.G.Kamara of Jersey
City , to officiate the religious portion of the
program.
Before accepting the invitation, I reminded
the APC officials that I had criticised
the party and the SLPP a lot in the past in newspapers
and on the internet but I had realized that the APC
was the only hope for Sierra Leone. Mr. Dauda Bangura, the
Chairman of the occasion, and the main organizer, Alex
Mansaray ,reminded me that the “beauty of APC
Philosophy” was that a man did not become the enemy of
the party just because he criticised it.”We accept
constructive criticisms from everybody.We are not like
other parties who hate to be criticised. We are a
democratic party ,” they both assured me , “and so
there is no problem with that”. I told them that the APC
was unique because it was the only party you would criticize
but go all around and find no other party as progressive as
it and return to declare for the party. Mr.Bangura said that
even within the party, members spoke out about things
they did not like. I was to notice this later at the
program when some speakers highlighted things going on
in the party that they did not like.
With this in mind, I went to the ceremony
this evening at the East Somerset Fire House in
Franklin Township where I found an impressive occasion
in the making, with APC red banners and flags
fluttering on the walls and adorning tables.The APC
officials and supporters of New Jersey, many of whom
regularly read my articles, who had arrived and were
in attendance, gave me a rousing welcome and
introduced me to members from other branches as “our
Reverend here”.
Iimmediately felt at ease and I joined those who had
arrived to await the arrival of Ernest Bai Koroma and
his delegation. While waiting, Alhaji Kamara and I
discussed religious issues , another beautiful aspect
about Sierra Leone where the two major religions
peacefully existed alongside each other. I saw some
SLPP members like Muniru Kallon and Brima Alpha and we
hugged each other and also spent some time cracking
jokes and discussing different stuff.
While we sat there chatting , I saw several party
members , to whom I was introduced..Conspicuously
present at the program were the two daughters of APC
founding father Dr. Siaka Stevens. They were
Mrs.Francess Tejan-Jalloh , who is a spitting image of
Pa. Shaki, and Mrs .Mabel John.I also saw sons and
daughters of former leading APC functionaries and
Paramount Chiefs from the North, who have now become
key APC operatives.
One subject of discussion ,which was to even become a
recurring theme at the occasion, was that Sierra Leone
had inadvertently been polarised into two political
parties–the SLPP and the APC. People said that
whether one liked it or not, the last General
Elections clearly showed that there were only two
major paries in Sierra Leone and one was either an
SLPP or APC member.They explained that regardless of
how many other minor parties emerged, the political
dynamics ultimately boiled down to SLPP vs.APC .
Then it was announced that the leader of the party,
Ernest Bai Koroma, had arrived with his
delegation.They came to New Jersey from Washington
D.C.where they had received “encouraging” welcome from
the U.S.Congress and the State Department, under
water-tight protection from the Police.
Ushered in by party officials from New Jersey, Ernest Koroma
and hismen entered the hall, the opposition leader carrying
his usual broad smile.When he saw me, we were both so
animated , not having seen each other since we
graduated from Fourah Bay College (FBC) where we were
both students in the late 1970s. We hugged each other
warmly and remarked about how much we have both
changed. We shared courtesies and said we were
delighted to see each other. Then APC members
overwhelmed him and his delegation with hugs ,
handshakes and embraces.
APC supporters cheered the entrance of their leader and his delegation.
Accompanying Mr.Koroma on what party supporters
regarded as a “historic visit” by an opposition leader
, were Osman Yansaneh, the National Secretary; Alhaji
Abubakar Jalloh; parliamentarians Dauda Kamara, Alfred
Gombu-Smart and Alhaji Rashin – Bundu . Other top APC
members from the American Branch who came in with Mr.
Koroma included the North American National Chairman,
Mr.Raymond Kabia ;Martin Bash-Kamara ; Daniel Koroma
,Alhaji J.Kargbo, Mohamed H. Bangura, Osman T.Conteh ,
Santigie Santos Sesay and Allieu Pat-Sowe. During the
introduction of members, Mr. Kabia lauded the valuable
contribution of other members of the American Branch
who were absent this evening : Lawyer Allieu Iscandri,
Victor Doherty, Mabinti Bangura , Fatmata Shaw and
Limatu Bangura.
When they had taken their seats, it was time for the
program to start.We sang the national anthem and it
was so euphonious and enjoyable that we almost had an
encore, before we were stopped for time
constraints.The Chairman of the program , the eloquent
and impressive Dauda Bangura, former Editor of THE
ORACLE and SIERRA LEONEAN NEWSLETTER, having been
introduced by Ajibu Tejan-Jalloh, son of the late
President’s daughter, Francess , started the program.
We then proceeded to the Muslim prayers conducted by
Alhaji A.S.G.Kamara followed by the Christian prayers
conducted by this writer( Rev. Kabs Kanu ) , who doubled as religious
leader and reporter.
COCORIOKO will bring you in
series details of the speeches made in the launching
ceremony by Ernest Koroma and other APC delegates, to
break the tedium of a very long , single write-up
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