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.)
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2008 Concord Times. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
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 that we are obliged to take the moral high ground in our lives and profession, to adhere to moral and just causes. Former President Kabba is gone and left a mitigated record that even those illiterate sierra leoneans were able to detect his unmotivated and undevoted cause to serve the poor and the nation of sierra leone during his time.he is stale news. Lets us now focus on the huge task ahead and Concord Times should be in the fore front in educating the new dispensation being designed by the new government and its consequencies for the nation of sierra leone.Lets stop to create personality cults in sierra leone.
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 the country but, it never work out because people dont want to hang out with him.Remember,the only semblance of publicity he gets this days is outside of the country, whether in Zimbabwe or elsewhere.In the future, role models should be memerialized by their peers not by some controversial figure wearing the wig of statemanship.
This post was deleted because it contravenes AllAfrica's commenting guidelines.
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 what wrong with we Sierra Leoneans. What i want to remind folks is that " What goes round comes around ". Do not forget that some of this chants will no daubt hunt you back so hope you find it welcoming , when you guys come to power one day. Dont get me wrong am not saying folk should criticised the government and politician . but do that with substance and constructively and not at the detriment of the countries image. cocaine was discoverd in a diplomatic briefcase in 2005 in london and at the time Pa kabba was in London , published and is still in the TIMES NEWSPAPER achieve . Thank God neither the opposition newspaper at the time nor the nation make a big deal out of it. There is blessing for this discovery of cocaine in this government 1. it will bring the menace in our country to the international community attention .2. we has got a plane to transport our cassava leaves from kalaihun to Makeni . what about that.3.Now there is a chance for studies to be conducted , by the government and the people to create way and means to improve in our security measures. Dont forget right now in term of everything global our country is last in position. We have become very very dishonest people, even in our ordinary dealings with each other. We have turn our country to a mines Field . I am writing this reply because I love my country and I am countributing right now to it development . So please let put our country first , which for so long have being destroyed by the very educated and unpatriotic politician that we are campaigning for. I am non patisian when it come to my country's development. I can nolonger bear the pain of seeing other country in the sub region developing rapidly while we are travelling without moving. REMEMBER. " RULER'S ARE GOD'S AGENT. Let be more cautious and respect others has we will like to be respected. IBRAHIM YANKAY SEISAY LONDON
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 best advised to change or, even REVERSE previous averments, if their JDUDGMENT new conditions demand a change or reversal; the consequences, however, are his to carry.
On your accusation of a violence prone soupist APC, my friend, if your intention is to cleanse the soupist SLPP of the same, then I make a offer to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge.
Bottom line: From Milton Margai through Albert Margai and Stevens and lesser soupists, it has been violence all the way: soupist political structures have no other weapon but violence in face of DISAGREEMENT, principled or no. When your only tool is a hammer, every problem is a nail, if only you would understand. The historical record is a museum of the infamy of both soupist occupier parties.
I await your reasoned response, a response that addresses the issues, not me, the author, for, obviously, my views are not "me." Of course, any personal attack, SHALL BE IGNORED as irrelevant and, SHALL BE urbanely construed as a glaring sign of BAD BREEDING. LONTA.
See all comments (24).
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 that we are obliged to take the moral high ground in our lives and profession, to adhere to moral and just causes. Former President Kabba is gone and left a mitigated record that even those illiterate sierra leoneans were able to detect his unmotivated and undevoted cause to serve the poor and the nation of sierra leone during his time.he is stale news. Lets us now focus on the huge task ahead and Concord Times should be in the fore front in educating the new dispensation being designed by the new government and its consequencies for the nation of sierra leone.Lets stop to create personality cults in sierra leone.