News Story

FREETOWN: NEW PEOPLE CORRESPONDENT: The recent passionate appeal by the APC's Acting North America leader, Mr. Osman Conteh, may have fallen on deaf ears. At a Town Hall Meeting to grace the visit of Vice President Sam Sumana, Mr. Conteh warned the APC leadership against creating a "Monkey Woke, Babu Eat" society, and that APC Diaspora members who had sacrificed their time, career, and hard-earned dollars and even forsaken family and jobs in the USA and other places to consolidate APC rule, must be recognised with fair job placements that fit their qualifications. Reports reaching this press however indicate that far from being acknowledged as the financial and moral backbone of the party, APC diaspora members are being ridiculed and laughed at, and even scorned in some cases by local APC leaders.

Our correspondent requested a variety of views on the diaspora APC. At Marine House (the APC HQ), JCs were described variously as "fake," "too aggressive and loud," "unqualified," and "humbugs who think they know it all and should dictate to us." They also said that some of the job seekers were "too aggressive and unemployable." Asked what he meant by "too aggressive," a local senior APC official pointed out in English and Krio, "We just cannot trust them; den yay tu rehd."

The irony in the statement was not lost as the diaspora APCs are the ones who had aggressively raised funds and reorganised the party base in the diaspora that gave the APC a very strong chance of clinching the presidency and a majority in parliament. Asked again whether the diaspora APC members did not deserve recognition in view of their contribution to the party, the same official agreed that "Yes, they deserve to be recognised. Oh yes, certainly, they deserve it."

Asked but why they have not been recognised, the official continued, "The President is still finding his feet, and we are still shuffling things around, so people have to be patient. There are enough jobs to go around, but people have to be patient and give us just a few more months."

Asked that a few more months will be too much for those diasporan APC members who had run out of funds and had to depend on debts from friends and family in Sierra Leone, the official unsympathetically responded, "well, we did not ask them to take the risk. They knew what they were coming to. Mr. Man, these people are Sierra Leoneans and they know that things work differently here. They need patience; that's all we ask for."

Told that most of these diaspora APC members are not looking for favours or anything because they are qualified professionals with degrees, certificates, and experience in management and engineering in an advanced economy like the USA, the senior APC official acknowledged, "yes, we know. We know they are qualified. We know that. We have seen their CVs. But like I said, if we can't put somebody inthe right post, we can't. The President has had meetings with them and the Minister for Presidential and Public Affairs (Alpha Kanu) meet with these people regularly and brief them on what's going on and asking them to be patient. So I don't know why they are so impatient."

Told that there are persistent rumours that Hon. Alpha Kanu and even the President has stopped seeing/meeting with these diaspora job seekers, the APC official denied that and said that "even some days ago and last week also, Alpha Khan (Hon Alpha Kanu) met with them and assured them that we still had them in mind, but they need to be patient."

Put to him that these diaspora APC members were committed and loyal members who had shown love for the party by risking everything to put the party where it is today, the top APC official said, "we understand; we understand. We're not ignoring them."

Responding to rumours that the APC diaspora members deputy ministers from the diaspora who are always pleading with the APC leadership at Statehouse on their behalf had been banned from State House and other government offices,the top APC official said, "that is incorrect; that is incorrect. The leadership at State House is their leadership just like it is mine; they are free to see those people at any time. The only little problem is that the President is a very busy man and other ministers are also very busy at this crucial time for our country. In addition, there is protocol for seeing His excellency. I think our brothers know that not every Republican from overseas can just walk into the White House and see President Bush without an appointment. Our brothers must be more understanding; they must be more understanding."

Told that the diaspora members were really struggling in Freetown at the moment and that some were going through serious financial hardship, the top APC official said, "give them my number. Tell them they are free to come to my office at any time. If I can help with any problem, I can take care of it. But let them be patient."

Emphasising that this amounted to handouts and this was not dignified for the diaspora APC members, the top official asked back, "but what can we do? What do they expect us to do? The jobs are not just there, and we do have local and qualified loyalists here who are still in their posts. We cannot just sack them simply because someone from America is here with a fake American accent. They are also APC members who deserve to be treated with dignity. Some of these brothers have served the party since Siaka Stevens' rule. Besides, most of them are more qualified than the diaspora candidates. They have postgraduate degrees and more years of invaluable local work experience. We just can't sack them. People have to be patient. APC is for all of us. So let us all show some understanding. Why the rush? We are not even sure that some of these people are not going to start practising corruption if we give them posts. We don't want people to start embarrassing the President. The President has announced zero tolerance and attitudinal change, and the country is warming up to that, so we won't want to just introduce some corrupt elements among us. Let us get to know each other first. For marraid sehf, yu nor dae si fayn fayn ooman nor mor yu take am make yawo; yu geh for wach im trick dem fors (you simply don't propose marraige to a woman because she is beautiful; you first observe her habits"

The official gave the New People correspondent his card and asked him to report exactly what he has said, and that he does not hate the diaspora APC members; it is only a matter of time before they get themselves located.

Editor's Note: The APC official in question did not want to be named, but asked The New People to pass on his details to any APC diasporan wishing to make contact with him and using his offer of help.