By KABS KANU :
Yesterday, Tuesday April 28, 2015, was President Ernest Bai Koroma’s day at the United Nations in New York as Sierra Leoneans successfully staged a demonstration in support of his government’s policies and his handling of the Ebola crisis and other governance issues in the nation.
An appreciable crowd of Sierra Leoneans from Washington DC, Maryland , New Jersey and New York turned out at the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza to support the demonstration which effectively countered the dissident rally staged at the same venue on Monday by the self-styled “Concerned” Sierra Leoneans group made of supporters of the opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party ( SLPP) and relatives , friends and hangers-on of the dismissed former Vice-President, Alhaji Sam Sumana.
PRESS ATTACHE PASCO TEMPLE ENGAGES A FOREIGN DIPLOMAT AND EXPLAINS THE PURPOSE OF THE DEMONSTRATION TO HER
YOUR HUMBLE SERVANT KABS KANU AND OTHER COMRADES ENGAGED CURIOUS FOREIGN DIPLOMATS AND TOLD THEM THE PRESIDENT KOROMA SIDE OF THE ISSUE. TWO OF THE DIPLOMATS BEING BRIEFED ABOUT THE ISSUES.
THE SLPP THUGS WHO TRIED TO DISRUPT THE DEMONSTRATION ARE BEING EJECTED BY THE POLICE
Chanting slogans like “We support our President” ; “We stand with our President ” ; “Orsai Orwai , We love our President ” ; “Victor Foh must stay ” ; “Thank you, Mr. President” ; “We want peace, not war” ; “Thank you for ending Ebola ” etc and also waving placards that called for peace and respect for the Supreme Court , the Sierra Leoneans For Peace effectively demonstrated to the international world that the SLPP supporters who demonstrated in the U.S. and the UK did not represent the views of the generality of Sierra Leoneans , who still trust and love their President.
Police officers and plaza workers said this demonstration drew a larger crowd than the so-called Concerned Sierra Leoneans’ who , they said , had about 30 demonstrators on Monday, Independence Anniversary Day.
The demonstrators drove home the message that the opposition SLPP was very unfair to President Koroma when they blamed him for the deeds of officials accused of tampering with Ebola funds , considering the fact that it was President Koroma himself who called for the audit of the ebola funds in the spirit of accountability and transparency when he realized that something was wrong . The demonstrators blasted the SLPP for picking on the wrong person because President Koroma himself was never found culpable by the audit.
The demonstrators accused the SLPP of hijacking the Sam Sumana issue to further their own ends.
The Sierra Leoneans For Peace also articulated the fact that the matter of the dismissal of the former Vice-President was in the hands of the highest court in the land, the Supreme Court , and called on the SLPP to respect the law and wait for the verdict of the Supreme Court.
The demonstrators lauded the socio-economic and political developments that have been launched in Sierra Leone since President Koroma came to power in 2007. They asked the SLPP to appreciate the fact that it was the APC Government that had paved the highways and streets in their stronghold and brought in solar lights to their towns and villages.
Two SLPP supporters materialized to disrupt the demonstration, though no APC supporter interfered with their own demonstration yesterday. The two guys were booed and given no chance to wreak havoc before an officer of the New York Police Force ejected them from the plaza, after threatening them with arrest if they did not leave.
After successfully demonstrating, the Sierra Leoneans For Peace were treated to a very sumptuous lunch provided by the wife of Ambassador Amadu Koroma and the New York APC Chapter. The food was very abundant and the Ambassador’s wife and the New York Chapter received high commendation for providing so much food and refreshments for the occasion.
WE WILL BRING YOU A SPECIAL PICTORIAL
