Monday, 16 November 2015

B R E A K I N G N E W S !! U D M PARTY LEADER RESIGNS !

MOHAMED BANGURA LEADER OF THE U D M PARTY RESIGND!, (Resignation letter reproduced below)

Bangura has been the strongman of this party from inception but now feels he must strive to an alternative direction. Bangura has not indicated what path he wishes to follow or will be following!

Would he be taking his past experience to galvanise the APC which many people assumes he will be joining?

Bangura's political experiences thus far suggest he will not be crawling behind doors , putting on his slippers in his bedroom day after day to wallow away the time.

We expect Bangura will soon acquaint us of his New Political Direction (NPD) if he is not to fade away like many budding leaders, into insignificance✈️🚀

Will will wait for Mohamed Bangura's next move.✈️🚀

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Sierra Leone News: “I have an unfinished business in UDM”- Mohamed Bangura

The erstwhile Chairman and Leader of the United Democratic Movement (UDM) party, Mohamed Bangura has in an exclusive interview with Awoko stated that he has an unfinished business in the UDM party, a political outfit he championed in 2006.
“I have an unfinished business in the party which is why I am going to contest for the Chairmanship position again,” Mr. Bangura declared.
The UDM holds its second National Delegates Assembly on Saturday, 10th May instant. The assembly he said will hold in Freetown, at Calaba Town and is expected to attract 26o delegates from across the country, the erstwhile Chairman and Leader revealed.
“I want a fresh mandate from my people to steer the ship of our party for the next two years,” he declared, noting that the party needs a “robust and charismatic leader” who can position the UDM as the much clamored for Third Force Party in Sierra Leone. “I can provide that leadership for the party and my people will repose that confidence in me,” he assured.
According to Mohamed Bangura, making a party prominent is not only limited to winning elections and forming a government. He maintains that it goes beyond that as it also requires shaping the national discuss, providing more leadership space to young people, promoting the participation of women in governance issues and to serve as a bridge for the people and provide alternative.
Bangura explained that so far the party has not received or heard of any other candidate that is interested in the position of chairman.
“I will be declared unopposed come 10th May 2014,” he further assured, noting that the UDM is a democratic party and every member has the right to run for any position he or she is qualified for.
Meanwhile, Mr. Bangura has stated that he detests politicians perpetuating themselves in power endlessly without going through the due process of a democratic election. “I will continue to contest for this position for a very long time to come until a fitting member defeats me a democratic election,” Mr. Bangura stated.
By Betty Milton
Wednesday May 07, 2014

{Courtsey: AWOKO NEWSPAPER/ Tue November 17, 2015}

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The UDM Factor in Sierra Leone Politics

 8 November 2011 at 01:09 | 

{Courtesey: Patriotic Vanguard}

Opinion

By Abdulai Bayraytay in Toronto.

Since the official registration of Sierra Leone’s nascent political party, the United Democratic Movement (UDM), few weeks ago by the Political Parties Registration Commission (PRRC), its founding member and leader, Mohamed Bangura, has increasingly come under scathing attacks from a cross section of both the electronic and print media.

The attacks have been consistent: Mohamed Bangura has just not only been referred to as loquacious and a protégé doing the dirty work of the ruling All Peoples’ Congress Party (APC) , (http://www.sierraleoneview.com/news135.html), a vain, opportunistic and embattled politician on the pay roll of President Ernest B. Koroma, (http://www.thenewpeople.com/front-page/item/1296-the-embattled-udm%E2%80%99s-mohamed-bangura), but, above all, as someone bent on denigrating no other person than the Executive Representative of the United Nation Secretary General (ERSG) Michael Van der Schulenburg, and raining consistent attacks, or rather invectives (my emphasis) on the newly elected flag bearer of the opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), Julius Maada Bio.

While the above could be political actions on the personality of Mohamed Bangura as a strategy to discourage him from actively participating in the national politics of a country that he is a legitimate stake holder, yet there is another side of Mohamed that he has not trumpeted like other “loquacious’ politicians would have done.

Undoubtedly, Mohamed Bangura has immensely contributed to the sustenance of democracy and the fight against corruption as a young reporter with the now defunct New Breed newspaper. In 1993, for instance, as a journalist cum human rights campaigner, he was along with writers like Dr. Julius Spencer and Alie Bangura (erstwhile chief electoral commissioner of the SLPP and former High Commissioner to Ghana), among others, incarcerated at the maximum Pademba road Prisons in Freetown by the NPRC. Their crime then was for knowingly publishing a false article that accused the military NPRC boss of a 43 million dollar diamond deal. Critics of Mohamed Bangura then dismissed him as a mere young, novice journalist unnecessarily risking his life, and being used by his mentors whilst scores of his fans hailed him as a young man who would sacrifice his life for the general good of the country.

In spite of this, Mohamed Bangura did not budge down the road as he consistently held on to his incontrovertible belief that a country like Sierra Leone with a fledgling democracy could only thrive if certain people were (are) willing to sacrifice their lives for that cause.

True to his resolve, up to this day, Mohamed Bangura has never reneged in his campaign for human rights and the rule of law as he continues to galvanize the youth across the country from whom he largely draws most of his grassroots support to maintain that cause.

Even when he relocated to Canada in the late 1990s, his hardnosed stance that the worst civilian government could be better than the best military government made Mohamed Bangura an icon among his peers in Toronto as he mobilized his kith and kin in drawing the attention of the Canadian Federal Government and the rest of the international community to support the restoration of the ousted elected civilian erstwhile President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah and his Sierra Leone Peoples’ Party (SLPP) government to power following the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) coup of May, 1997.

So, would the theory hold water that the SLPP was using Mohamed just because his stance then clearly resonated with the interest of the latter?

Recognizing that Sierra Leoneans had fled the country to neighbouring countries including Liberia, the Gambia and Guinea and the horrendous life that was synonymous of refugees, Mohamed Bangura established the Sierra Leone-Canada Watch as a local non-governmental organization in direct response to the plight of his Sierra Leonean brothers and sisters living in the various refugee camps in the sub-region.

During that period, Mohamed would sacrifice his studies at York University in Toronto to visit Sierra Leonean refugees in Guinea, Liberia and the Gambia with largesse in both kind and cash. As if that was not enough, Mohamed Bangura was able to persuade the Canadian Federal Government to grant his organization a sponsorship agreement holder status that saw the influx of Sierra Leonean refugees from the abysmal living conditions in the camps straight to the 58 Davelayne Road residence of Mohamed Bangura in Toronto without asking a dime for any payment of rent and utility bills.

The question then is, how many Sierra Leoneans in the Diaspora, especially during those trying times, would have opened their doors, clothed and fed them without making it to the press on how generous they had been for “rescuing” their kith and kin from refugee life in Africa?

This is where I found it very nauseating that one of those who joined the bandwagon in castigating Mohamed Bangura because his political views are not in sync with his was one of the very beneficiaries of Mohamed Bangura’s largesse!

This is where one finds it very disturbing that a leading political party would buy two hours of air time and spend all of that in not selling its agenda to the people to be voted into office in the forthcoming presidential and parliamentary polls, but rather wasted that time in berating the personality of Mohamed Bangura and in the process concocted the voice of Mohamed Bangura allegedly accepting $800,000 from President Koroma. What a philanthropist President Koroma was to have financed Charles Margai and his now politically superfluous PMDC party?

Through investigative journalism, one of Sierra Leone’s leading newspapers, the Awareness Times newspaper exonerated Mohamed as it turned out to be that the original recording has been ‘butchered” in a puerile attempt to present Mohamed Bangura as a political hustler. What a ricochet effect that was? (http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_200518974.shtml).

The bottom line is, the political history of Sierra Leone in recent times cannot erase the fact that Mohamed Bangura was among the youngest to ever covet the position of national chairman of a then leading political party, the Peoples’ Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC), and that he courageously challenged the dictatorial policies and Machiavellian tactics of its leader, Charles Margai, and resigned his position to the acclamation of lovers of democracy.

To criticize is human, but when such criticisms are ill-conceived to gain political points then the question that begs answers is when will critics of young enterprising leaders learn that had Mohamed Bangura been a bootlicker and a political opportunist, he would have been a yes man all the way and always at the disposal of Charles Margai just to preserve the status quo?.

Indeed, whilst politicians embark on winning votes, they should also be reminded that preposterously besmirching one’s personality for political gain is not just an anathema, but the fact that there is life after politics, and, above all, that there is indeed God overseeing man’s actions on earth be they on politics or otherwise!

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Salone News.

Mohamed Bangura Admits Making Switch to APC or SLPP.

Posted on July 23, 2015

By Ibrahim Samura,

On air, and in studios of radio 98.1, Mohamed Bangura, leader and chairman United Democratic Party, admits making switch to APC or SLPP should there be an opportunity.

He said the APC and SLPP are but the two main political parties, of course, possibly to be in governance forty years to come.

This he said is reason prompting him thinking make a switch to any of the two parties should need be.

Yesterday Wednesday 22nd, Mohamed surprisingly tendered his resignation letter, quitting the position as chairman All Political Parties Association (APPA), an institution he said he has served for over a year and months.

Mohamed’s resignation as chairman APPA, has sparked public debate, and has seen people now say it is because he has been promised ministerial appointment in the ruling APC.

It is true Mohamed was a presidential candidate in the 2012 elections, but at the eleventh hour switched loyalty to opponent President Koroma, then told his supporters not cast vote to his favour but the former (President Koroma) in his bid for second term.

Sources say Mohamed’s resignation as chairman APPA, is linked to alleged political switch to the ruling APC, where incidentally, though unconfirmed, he’s likely to be appointed minister of information.

His interview at radio 98.1 reveals clear that Mohamed is, but on his verge moving to either APC or SLPP, even though the suspicion is that he intends pitched fence with the ruling APC.

Wednesday, 28 October 2015

SLPP NAMBARA!! THE WIND OF CHANGE TODAY!!

HINGA NORMAN FAMILY REJECTS SLPP

SAM HINGA NORMAN Jr. DECLARES FOR APC AT YOUTH CONFERENCE.

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Sam Hinga Norman Jr, son of the late former Defence Minister and strongman of the opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), publicly declared his support to the All People’s Congress party (APC) last week at the APC youth convention in Makeni. He thanked EBK and the APC for standing by his family when SLPP throw his father under the bus.

Listen en learn..

https://www.facebook.com/foryoh.patric/videos/10208341879013166/

Mr Norman, who has served as Deputy Minister of Defence and Minister for Interior Affairs in President Alhaji Tejan Kabbah’s Government, has remained engaged in politics also while detained at the Special Court. President Kabbah has been a supporter of the Special Court for Sierra Leone and local media has earlier reported that Mr Norman felt betrayed by his former colleagues. There have even been rumours that Mr Norman planned to hunger strike in protest of Mr Kabbah’s support for his continued incarceration. [Until very recently, however, Mr Norman has throw his weight behind the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) of president Kabbah. With elections scheduled for July 2007 Mr Norman has been reported to urge support for the SLPP – most likely for fear that his supporters would disturb the election process. In what appears a sudden change of heart, however, Mr Norman recently joined Charles Francis Margai’s opposition party, the Peoples Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC), and thus disassociated himself from the party of the President.

Officer Cadet Samuel Hinga Norman after Pass out military training in 1966 in Britain. A year later he was the spark of the 1967 Coup de Tart.

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DEATH OF SAM HINGA NORMAN- SPECIAL REPORT!

http://wcsc.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/SL-Reports/SamuelHingaNorman_SpecialReport.html

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HINGA NORMAN : A LIFE TIME OF POLITICAL CONTROVERSIES … And Life On A Knife’s Edge………

POSTED BY: PUBLISHER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER KABS KANU SEPTEMBER 16, 2003

HINGA NORMAN : A PLAQUE OF INFAMY OR HEROISM ?

Wilfred Kabs- Kanu looks at a jolly man whose political lifestyle has embodied controversy so far…..

The name Sam Hinga Norman will forever be etched in the memories of Sierra Leoneans, for there is hardly a citizen whose lifestyle in the checquered history of Sierra Leone politics had generated controversy as the Chief’s .

His antagonists like to say that he is such a loyal supporter of the SLPP and South/Eastern hegemony in Sierra Leone that he even accomplished one of the most inglorious achievements in our history , in his quest to maintain the status quo he wants — the first man to interrupt the democratic process and stage a military coup in Sierra Leone. However, if you ask his supporters and some Sierra Leoneans who respect him for his role in bringing peace to Sierra Leone,( whose ranks have now swollen due to the popular support he is receiving after his indictment and arrest by the Special Court) , they will paint you a picture of a hero and a yeoman who could span any frontier to see Evil reversed and ensure that the Good prevails . They believe that the reason that Norman has always found himself in trouble is the fact that he is a man who delights in fighting injustice anywhere. Others, even members of the rebel RUF whom his miltia fought to a virtual standstill before peace was restored in Sierra Leone, will tell you that in real life, you would not meet a nicer, more congenial and jollier person than Chief Norman. It was interesting how he and rebel leaders Foday Sankoh, Issa Sesay and other RUF operatives embraced and shared jokes after the Peace Accord that halted hostilities in Sierra Leone. Years of bitter animousity and bloody war had melted into a broad-faced smile and hug for the very rebels who inflicted unimaginable suffering on the people.

Chief Norman’s critics often make political capital out of that infamous 1967 event when he stormed State House as a young Lieutenant in the Sierra Leone army and interrupted the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister-elect Siaka Stevens , whose APC party had just been declared winner of the epic General Elections , by the Governor-General, Sir Henry Lightfoot-Boston.The then Lt. Norman and his troops closed the big gates of State House and placed under house arrest all those at the ceremony, including Her Majesty The Queen’s representative, Governor-General Lightfoot-Boston, the just sworn-in Prime Minister Stevens and his ministers. This was followed by the declaration of Martial Law throughout Sierra Leone by Norman’s boss, Brigadier David Lansana , whose coup however lasted only a day as junior officers of the army staged a counter-coup and formed the National Reformation Council (NRC).

When the APC were restored to power by another coup a year later, Norman was charged with Treason by the incoming government and spent a long time in Prison, though he won his case on a technicality. APC supporters and his antagonists believe to this day that Norman acted impetously and hot-headedly in a diabolical attempt to thwart democracy .Brig. Lansana shared blames with him, as the late military chief was accused of introducing the army into politics to impose his brother-in-law, SLPP’s Sir Albert Margai on the electorate. SLPP supporters, on the other hand, argue today that Norman’s intervention at State House was his first act of heroism in Sierra Leone’s politics.They justify the move he took, asserting that the Governor-General acted improperly by declaring Stevens winner when the results of the Paramount Chiefs’ elections had still not been announced.But the nation as a whole did not buy that. They thought that Hinga Norman acted improperly,” treasonously ” and dangerously by interfering with the democratic process. History will confirm or dispute the veracity of these adolations. APC political commentators during the Stevens era said that Hinga Norman was lucky to survive that incident. They pointed out that Norman committed Treason of the first order by placing under arrest a representative of the Queen. Under British law then , Treason was punishable by hanging.

Norman came back from incarceration to live with his people , and was later crowned Chief. There is no doubt that Norman is loved and reverred by South/Easterners who consider him their hero emeritus (it must be conceded that even many Northerners and Westerners love him for his role as CDF Chief ), though they believe that justice must be done for the atrocities committed during the Sierra Leone war by all combatants. .

After a distinguished time spent serving his people, the elements of adventurism and danger that must always dog his steps resurfaced when the SLPP returned to power 28 years after the 1967 fracas and as Deputy Minister of Defence , Norman was called upon to head the Civil Defence Force (CDF), which was then conceived as an auxillary force to counter the RUF, and renegade soldiers who had abandoned their sacred duty to protect and defend the people, and had joined the rebels. And here lies the appeal that Hinga Norman enjoys , even while Sierra Leoneans crave justice. The Sierra Leone army , which had taken an oath to defend the people and the territorial integrity of the state, had become contaminated , rebellious and unpatriotic. When they joined the rebels to kill, loot, burn, rape and maim the people, they all placed the survival of the nation in jeopardy. Hinga Normam filled in the void left by the renegade army with his Civil Defence Force , which immediately took the battle to the rebels and sobels and acted as a foil and killjoy to the RUF and the AFRC. The pages of Sierra Leonean folklore will be adorned one day by glorious stories about many a gallant battle fought by the CDF to save the nation from being overrun by the rebels and mutinuous soldiers.

Sadly though, the CDF allegedly committed atrocities , like the rebels and soldiers, though on a smaller scale and the Sierra Leone government has argued that it had no hands in the indictment of Chief Norman, a decision the government said was taken by the Special Court, which is an independent body. Norman is being vicariously held accountable for the alleged atrocities by the CDF.

While Sierra Leoneans await the commencement of the case , only watertight evidence against him placing him on the scenes of atrocities as direct participant or inspirer will derail the sympathy he once enjoyed from the generality of Sierra Leoneans . His yeoman act of being one of the few who stayed in Sierra Leone to fight back , after the bloody May 25, 1997 military Coup , when President Kabbah and other government functuionaries had run away, and his marshalling of the CDF to help defeat the rebels, will for now ensure that he enjoys the distinction of being a hero in the eyes of many Sierra Leoneans.But his 1967 role will equally confine him a place of infamy. It remains to be seen whether the Special Court can provide enough evidence to topple the Chief’s reputation of being the Sierra Leonean hero to his fans.

Tuesday, 27 October 2015

Ooooooooohhh KKY! WHY???... KANDEH YUMKELLA BLAB-BUSTER!✈️

{Courtesy: Voices Of Sierra Leone-Robert Malcolm Taylor}

EDDIE TURAY PUNCTURES YUMKELLA

Salone High Commissoiner to UK

I listened with rapt attention to a couple of speeches delivered by Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella alias KKY on Whatsapp. I surely congratulate him for his admirable education in his own field.

In his first statement, he boasted of being the strongest candidate in “this race”. Good- that is his perception and I respect that. He said further “I am a committed”, a passionate man, a strategic thinker. Bravo SLPP, you have got a great thinker to take you out of your political wilderness. He said further that he would make sure the next generation live in prosperity, and that he would teach some of them how to hold people accountable so that “they don’t rob you of your future.” Oh yes!

The next speech made me confirms Yumkella’s juvenile political experience. Listen to what he said, I quote: I will offer you the possibility of having hundreds of international elections observers to make sure the APC does not cheat you again. I offer you the possibility of raising millions of dollars to make sure the APC cannot buy your freedom and your votes again.” Really Mr Yumkella? Hear him again: I will bring my 30 years of international experience.” To whom? Of course the SLPP.

I wonder what percentage of those 30 years of developmental experience he offered to his party when it lost two consecutive general elections in 2007 and 2012 without grabbing a seat in the Western Area. I love you, pa Yumkella; I admire you as well but what I heard from you confirmed my assessment of your political standing as a juvenile with little or no political wisdom. Yes sir you may be well educated to the highest level, but political common sense is vital in the African spectrum.

It is unwise to condemn other political parties by portraying yourself as the saviour who sacrificed a fantastic and a well-paid job of thousands of dollars in salary and perks. Yes, I considered your sacrifice as your investment to become President of Sierra Leone. Therefore as in any investment, you expect a profit- or even profiteering.

At this stage, I would my peace, but please sir, I suggest you stop making criminal, inflammatory, and defamatory statements against the APC of which you have no evidence to support. This is not good politic.

It is my style not to interfere or meddle into the affairs of other political parties, but accusing the APC of cheating and buying votes from your supporters borders on political bigotry ( an is even an insult to your own supporters). Stop that it is cheap politics.

If your intention is to off-load the APC, I alone can offload you-not by violence or abuse, but by mature political thinking, wisdom and experience. I know your party is in deep political wilderness- for a party that ushered in independence to this country to contest two consecutive general elections and lost without a single seat in the capital (in fact the whole Western Area) you need to first do some deep internal reflection to address that sir than abusing the APC.

If you are interested, I recommend you read m y soon-to-be published book “The prophecies of a father” vol 2- there’s a chapter “The SLPP in political wilderness” from which you may learn something that might help you in re-shaping your political thoughts. The old adage says “a word for a wise is quite sufficient”

With Love

Eddie Turay

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COMMENTS:

Clifford Mohammed Deen (Athens of West Africa).

I have been fortunate to listen and observe many great Politicians in speech and active service but My High Commissioner sadly is not one of them. Maybe Pa Eddy relied on age and past destructive politics of the Late Stevens era to justify some semblence of matured politics. Is it any suprise that he and the likes of Pa Stevens old guards were soundly beaten by the APC new generation breed to take the leadership of that party. First canal sin by my High Commissioner, which shows that aged in politics doesn't necessary resonate to political maturity, was never indulged in party politics whilst holding the position of the highest representative of every Sierra Leoneans regardless of party political affiliation, residing in the UK and any other European Nation he maybe accreedited. HE Turay should keep a tight lip and not let his emotional political affiliation to the APC cloud his interlect and judgement. Any welled seasonned politician will know the difference between being a party political free hand and that of a High Commissioner representing an entier nation. Politics should have informed Pa Turay that he must at all times keep a guarded thought process in check and wait for the right time in his case when election campaign officially start. Kandeh Yumkella must have touch a raw nerve in Pa Turay, that he forgot his official role as a representative of all Sierra Leoneans and as such must show political maturity by staying out of the political sparring until further notice. Pa Turay, I do not see any political novice in Kandeh's utterance but rather the opposite. Which is doing what politician the world over do. Peach your tent and try to convince the electorates. Sadly High Commissioner, as painful as it is for you and being a strong APC Member, you do not have the privellege engaging in party politics whilst as the same time representing Sierra Leoneans of all political affiliation. The only Blab buster Pa Turay has actually bust is his own novice of political maturity.

Jimmy Kandeh, Donald Roberts, Columba Blango, M Alieu Iscandari, Foday Daboh

Tuesday, 13 October 2015

THE ALL PEOPLES CONGRESS: founders and foundation builders!

SIAKA PROBYN STEVENS
(1905-1988)
FIRST EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT OF SIERRA LEONE

Siaka Stevens was born on August 24, 1905 at Moyamba in what is now the Southern Province. He was educated at Albert Academy Siaka Probyn Stevens and much later at Ruskin College, Oxford, where he studied Trade Unionism. On leaving school, Stevens jointed the Sierra Leone Police Force and rose to the rank of First Class Sergeant and Musketry Instructor. From 1931 to 1946, he worked on the construction of the Sierra Leone Development Company (DELCO) railway, linking the Port of Pepel with the iron ore mines at Marampa. He later became station master and stenographer at Marampa. A co-founder of the United Mine Workers Union, he was appointed to the Protectorate Assembly in 1946 to represent the interests of workers. Elected to the Legislative Council in 1951 as second protectorate member, he was appointed in 1952 as Sierra Leone's first Minister of Mines, Lands and Labour. In 1957, he was elected to the House of Representatives as member for Port Loko East Constituency, but lost his seat as a result of an election petition. He later fell out with the leadership of the ruling S.L.P.P. and broke away to help found the People's National Party, of which he became the first Secretary-General and Deputy Leader.

When the United National Front (U.N.F.) government was formed in 1959, Siaka Stevens was not included in the cabinet since he had earlier lost his seat due to an election petition against him. He did however participate in the Independence Talks in London as the Deputy Leader of the P.N.P., which had then become part of the U.N.F. On the conclusion of the talks, however, Siaka Stevens was the only delegate who refused to sign the Independence Agreement on the grounds that there had been a secret defence pact between Sierra Leone and Britain. The U.N.F. position that there would be no elections before independence may have been the main reason for Siaka's refusal to sign, since this position would have effectively shut him out of the political process. Siaka was promptly expelled from the party on this return from Britain, but less than a month after his expulsion, he launched his Elections Before Independence Movement (EBIM) which was later to be transformed into the A.P.C.

Siaka Stevens successfully exploited the disenchantment of northern and eastern ethnic groups with the S.L.P.P. to forge the A.P.C. with such northern leaders as S.I. Koroma, C.A. Kamara-Taylor, M.O. Bash-Taqui, S.A.T. Koroma and S.A. Fofana, and to forge an alliance with the prominent Kono political leader, PC T.S. M'briwa, and his Sierra Leone Independence Movement (S.L.I.M.) In the 1962 general elections, Stevens' A.P.C. became the main opposition party, winning sixteen seats, while Stevens himself was returned to parliament as member for Freetown West II. He served the municipality as mayor in the same year. His party won the 1967 general elections, with Stevens retaining his seat in the Freetown West II constituency. He was appointed Prime Minister, but was detained by the military and denied the Premiership until the overthrow of the military government of the National Reformation Council (N.R.C.) in 1968, when he was reappointed Prime Minister. In April 1971, he introduced a Republican Constitution and became President of the Republic a day after the constitution had been ratified by parliament.

The first general elections under the Republican Constitution were held in 1973, but the elections were marked by so much violence that the opposition S.L.P.P. withdrew. The year 1978 saw the introduction of a one party constitution, and this marked the end of opposition parties in Sierra Leone. Siaka Stevens survived two attempted coups d'etat, and met violence with violence. However, as he succeeded in consolidating power in his hands, violence and political tensions gradually subsided.

Siaka Stevens sought to open the ranks of the party to all sectors of the community and to maintain a rough balance between ethnic groups, academics, clerics, businessmen and traditional rulers. His later years in office saw the gradual moulding of diverse groups into a unified nation, the progressive lessening of cultural and regional tensions, and the creation of a more homogeneous political community. The overall impact of these developments was to provide relative stability and gradual acceptance by all Sierra Leoneans of the authority of the A.P.C. government. It was little wonder therefore that there was no hitch when the time came for Siaka Stevens to pass on the mantle of leadership to a younger man. He will long be remembered for his wise sayings, and it could be said that he heard "Sh Sh..." and, being the wise chicken he always has been, got out of the way before a stone hit him on the head.

Doctor Stevens died on 28th May 1988 in Freetown.

CHRISTIAN ALUSINE KAMARA-TAYLOR
(1917-1985)
ASTUTE POLITICIAN AND FOUNDER MEMBER OF THE A.P.C.

Popular known as "C.A.," the late Christian Alusine Kamara-Taylor was born on June 3rd, 1917 at Kafanta, Tonko Limba Chiefdom, in what is now Kambia District. A political activist, educator and trade unionist, he contributed much to the political and socio-economic development of Sierra Leone.

He was educated at a local primary school, the Methodist Boys' High School and the London School of Accountancy, where he obtained a diploma in Business Methods. He returned home and gained employment as a clerk for the Sierra Leone Development Company. He later joined the Sierra Leone Regiment, rising to the position of sergeant. He saw service in Burma during World War II, but left the army after the war. He then joined the United African Company, and became public relations officer and secretary to the general manager.

Mr. Kamara-Taylor became active in local politics and was a foundation member of the A.P.C. He served as the first secretary-general of the party, a position he handled admirably for over fifteen years. He entered parliament in 1957. He contested the 1962 elections, and was elected M.P. for Kambia East Constituency. He retained his seat in the 1967 general elections and, after the return to civilian rule in 1968, was appointed Minister of Lands, Mines and Labour. Following a cabinet reshuffle in 1971, he was appointed Minister of Finance. He became Prime Minister and Minister of Interior in 1975. After the introduction of a one party constitution in 1978, Mr. C.A. Kamara-Taylor became Second Vice-President, and held that post until his death in 1985.

As a politician, he tried to foster integration among the various ethnic groups. Many will recall his selflessness when, at a crucial point during opposition days, he volunteered to answer to charges preferred against Siaka Stevens. The conviction and possible imprisonment, of Siaka Stevens then could have spelt the end of the A.P.C.

The solemn state funeral that was accorded him at his death was a fitting tribute to the contribution he made to the development of Sierra Leone.

SORIE IBRAHIM KOROMA
(1930-)
POLITICAL ORGANISER AND TACTICIAN

Sorie Ibrahim Koroma was born in Port Loko, Maforki Chiefdom, Port Loko District, in 1930. On of Sierra Leone's most vibrant political figures, S.I. Koroma was also involved in the labour movement of the 1950s. He blazed the trail for the implementation of the self-help idea which was an important aspect of rural development during the 1970s.

Educated at the Government Model School, Freetown, and at the Bo Government School, Mr. Koroma worked in the co-operative department from 1951 to 1958 and took a course during that time at the Co-operative College, Ibadan, Nigeria. In 1958, he resigned from government and went into private business while also becoming the first secretary-general of the Sierra Leone Motor Transport Union.

He was one of the founder members of the A.P.C., formed in 1960, and became the party's first National Propaganda and Organising Secretary. In this role, Mr. Koroma did his best to educate the people about their political rights, and won astounding success in bringing the A.P.C. to the people and increasing the popularity of the party. In 1962, S.I. Koroma was elected to parliament as M.P. for Freetown Central I Constituency.

In 1967, he was returned to parliament for the same constituency. Following the return to civilian rule in 1968, he became Minister of Trade and Industry in Siaka Stevens' first cabinet. In a cabinet reshuffle in 1969, he was appointed Minister of Agriculture and National Resources. On the attainment of republican status in 1971, S.I. Koroma became Vice-President and Prime Minister, and in another cabinet reshuffle in 1975 he was made Vice-President and Minister of Finance. Following the 1978 one party referendum, he was appointed First Vice-President, a position he held until his retirement from politics in 1986.

Popularly known as "S.I.," Mr. Koroma epitomised the hard-working, disciplined and relentless leader who was willing to lead his forces against any foe. He led the A.P.C. in many skirmishes during the early days then the party had to fight for its very survival. As the second-in-command in the party hierarchy, many people believe that his faithfulness and his untiring dedication to the defence of the A.P.C. at all costs sustained the party up to his retirement. For this relentless defence, he earned himself many enemies.

Mr. Koroma was for a long time the number two man of the party, but bowed out of the race for succession to Siaka Stevens when it became clear that Major-General Momoh had the support of the rank and file of the party as well as of the general populace. Mr. Koroma continues to be a high-ranking member of the ruling A.P.C. party, but has retired from government to devote his time and attention to the management of his oil palm plantation near his home town of Port Loko.

TAMBA SONGU M'BRIWA
(1910-1968)
PROMINENT KONO LEADER

Paramount Chief Tamba Songu M'briwa was born at Jagbwema, Fiama Chiefdom, in what became Kono District, the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. He was an active politician who formed one of the Sierra Leone's few political parties before independence.

He was educated at a local primary school before proceeding to the Bo Government School. He worked as a government dispenser before he became paramount chief. As a paramount chief in the colonial era, Tamba Songu M'briwa did much to improve the lot of his people. He established schools in his chiefdom and was generally devoted to the education of the young.

As a politician, he formed the Sierra Leone People's Independence Movement (S.L.P.I.M.) later renamed the Kono People's Union (K.P.U.) As leader of his party he tried to inculcate a sense of responsibility in his followers, and did his best to educate the Kono people on their political rights. His party became so popular and famous in the Kono District that the S.L.P.P., a rival political party, never won a single seat in local government elections in the Kono District during the existence of the K.P.U.

He was a fearless leader who was highly respected for his selflessness, which won him the admiration of many positive-thinking Sierra Leoneans. Convinced of the need for unity, he did much in the way of bringing together the various and varied ethnic groups in cosmopolitan Kono into his political party.

He remained a popular politician and a prominent paramount chief until he fell out with Sir Milton Margai. He was subsequently suspended from office and banished to Kamakwie in the Bombali District, Northern Province. He was eventually reinstated and later joined forces with the A.P.C., assisting in the victory of the A.P.C. over the S.L.P.P. in the 1967 general elections.

T.S. M'briwa, the fiery Kono leader, died in 1968, a few days after winning the by-elections as Paramount Chief Member for Kono District in the Sierra Leone Parliament.