Concord Times (Freetown)
Ibrahim Tarawallie
18 August 2008
Freetown — Former President Alhaji Dr. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah Friday said he planned to urgently meet with President Ernest Bai Koroma to find a solution to the recent violence in Freetown by the two major political parties.
Alhaji Kabbah was speaking at the Concord Times Lecture at the Miatta Conference Centre. He added: "I am not happy with the way politics is being played in the country, especially between the APC and SLPP".
He described himself as non-partisan. "Now, I am an elder statesman," he said.
Resolving the problems leading to violence requires a bi-partisan approach and dialogue among Sierra Leoneans, he observed.
The former President bemoaned the absence of many ministers at the event, observing that an event of such significance should attract more policy makers.
"How many ministers are here," he asked, to which four persons raised their hands. "Where are the rest? This is about Sierra Leone; this is a very serious event and policy makers must attend an event such as this.
"It is really sad that majority of government ministers could not come to such an important occasion to discuss the way forward in a post conflict country like ours.
"In fact I suggest that next time we organize such a forum we must insist that sixty per cent of the audience must be policy makers," he told the jam-packed audience inside the Conference hall.
Information and communications minister Alhaji Ibrahim Ben Kargbo made a brief appearance on behalf of the president and left in the thick of discussions. He however told organizers that he was on his way to the provinces on very important official assignment.
But Dr Kabbah was apparently not happy with his abrupt departure.
"Even after I appealed to I B Kargbo not to leave at the time he left because the discussion was pertinent, he could not stay behind. But I have told him to tell President Ernest Koroma that I would like to have a discussion with him on this very important topic," Kabbah said.
In his statement earlier Dr Kabbah said memorial lectures were not only for statesmen, politicians or university dons alone but that they should also be organized to honour the legacies of other professionals who have excelled themselves in their respective vocations.
"By initiating this lecture, Concord Times is also sending a message to us all that James Oguogou was a role model in his own right. This fact is enough evidence that there are role models in the Sierra Leone media," he said.
Kabbah said that it was unfortunate that some media houses were in the practice of demonizing and assassinating the characters of well-meaning individuals.
"Let us research our stories, confront its subjects with our findings before publication. Do not rely on retractions. We should concentrate on building a profession which all citizens will respect," he said.
The Lecture which was on "challenges of good governance in a post-conflict democracy" was given by former President of Liberia, Professor Amos Sawyer.
The lecture was organized in honour of the newspaper's editor, James Oguoguo, who was killed during the January 1999 invasion of Freetown.
Guest Speaker Professor Sawyer said that, "unless there is a vibrant, educated and informed citizenry, we may not be able to sustain the hard-won peace in our countries." He suggested that women and girls too should be given priority to contribute to national development.
"There should be no apology for giving girls and women edge in the development of a nation," he said, adding that a generation of young minds has been deprived of quality education including moral values in both Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Professor Sawyer is head of Liberia's prestigious Governance Commission, a think-tank that looks into various governance-related issues and makes recommendations to government.
Meanwhile, one time chairman of the opposition Sierra Leone Peoples Party Dr Sama Banya said "the absence of President Koroma and some of his ministers is conspicuous." (Exclusive interview with President Tejan Kabbah will be published later this week.)
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I want to advice Concord Times to stick to their good reporting and try to improve on their reporting and standards of first rate journalism, in the absence of any assistance from 11 years of Kabba's governmentto the Press. It is now time for GAME CHANGE. Game change for all of us on deck to adhere to the new President's efforts to eliminate graft and corruption, blatant disregard for law and order, pervasion of justice by corruption in the Courts and endermic poverty that a majority of sierra leoneans are subject to daily. We are literate and should be conscious… [Read Full Text]
Concord Times James Oguogou may have been a role model,But ex-president kabba is not in the remotest sense one of them, and I stand to be disputed and I will respect that.Only a role model as chairperson on such an occasion will promote the event and attract a huge following to attend and I repeat, something I hardly do as a matter of intellectual principle that Pa Kabba is a zero.WHY Pa Kabba made a huge mountain out of a small quarry is that the old trickster wanted to turn the lecture event to his post presidential pose up within… [Read Full Text]
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You low standard writers that lack a big vision are really going to get a hard time in the new dispensation being designed by Ernest Koroma's government.You see how swift the Anti-Drug smuggling and the new Anti-Corruption Act were passed in parliament? That's going to be the clean-up of the century- old dirty tricks, thinking and attitudes of unpatriotic sierra leoneans. In the next four years we will see how a country is being governed and what exactly is good governance you ignorantly talked about. stop being naive and be a patriot.
You low standard writers that lack a big vision are really going to get a hard time to adjust in the new dispensation being designed by Ernest Koroma's government.You see how swift the Anti-Drug smuggling and the new Anti-Corruption Act were passed in parliament? That's going to be the clean-up of the century- old dirty tricks, thinking and attitudes of unpatriotic sierra leoneans. In the next four years we will see how a country is being governed and what exactly is good governance you ignorantly talked about. stop being naive and be a patriot.
It is a shame our brother and sisters has become so unruly that the humble character we used to acclaim is being rob off in our history as peace loving people. we know times has change globally but for sierra leonean it is not for the good at all. Folks dont respect authority anymore , disrespect for elders have become rampamt, no role models. Am worried for our children . This is , sad reality. SOME FORTH ESTATE AGENT even find comfort in destroying the image of the country. what kind of patriot are we ? Only God know… [Read Full Text]
No meeting on governance by soupists such as Kabba and Koroma can be productive for the captured post-modern slaves in the soupist captured territory of Sierra Leone: same "bitta taste," as always.
On Kabba, a publicly declared thief, please: what do you expect on governance from a five finger mousE guarding cheese?
On Koroma, you waste your words: Koroma has publicly stated that he intends to restore "the old [soupist] APC."
Upon reflection, he HAS a right to do so, EVEN IF HE CAMPAIGNED UNDER A DIFFERENT MAXIM; as conditions change, level headed human beings are… [Read Full Text]
I suppose the "the proverbial sledge hammer," a.k.a. "goat," "God," Chappie, the self-proclaimed Stalker from the soupist occupied TERRITORY OF LIBERIA missed this one.
I want to advice Concord Times to stick to their good reporting and try to improve on their reporting and standards of first rate journalism, in the absence of any assistance from 11 years of Kabba's governmentto the Press. It is now time for GAME CHANGE. Game change for all of us on deck to adhere to the new President's efforts to eliminate graft and corruption, blatant disregard for law and order, pervasion of justice by corruption in the Courts and endermic poverty that a majority of sierra leoneans are subject to daily. We are literate and should be conscious… [Read Full Text]