Our Cabinet Ministers and Diplomats

- Tuesday 22 May 2012.

By PV Investigative Team.

The opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party is saying the Temnes, one of the majority ethnic groups in the country, the backbone of the ruling APC, is being actively marginalized in government appointments. This is a very serious charge the government needs to respond to because of the emotional attachment to ethnicity that the majority of voters in the country subscribe to (not just the Temnes, the subject of this disccussion). The government has been silent over this charge and as they say silence might be interpreted as consent or guilt. So as one of the founders of the Sierra Leone Discussion Group, the great Mohm J used to say, let’s go to the evidence and see whether the SLPP accusation is true. Because of space we will only present the full ministers and the High Commissioners and Ambassadors for now. This is not a foray into "tribalism" (a taboo or bogeyman word in Sierra Leone,meaning ethnic loyalty) but a diligent search for the truth. We are doing this because as journalists it’s our duty to provide information to the people, our readers. THE PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW. NOBODY SHOULD SELECT WHAT THEY SHOULD OR SHOULD NOT KNOW. So let’s go:

President Koroma’s Cabinet

3 December 2010 to present

Sahr Sam-Sumana

Vice-President-Kono

J.B. Dauda

Minister of Foreign Affairs-Mende

Dr Samura Kamara

Minister of Finance and Development-Limba

Major Rtd. Alfred Paolo Conteh

Minister of Defence-Limba

Musa Tarawali

Minister of Internal Affairs-Mandingo/Mende

Frank Kargbo

Minister of Justice and Attorney-General-Limba/Loko

Dr. Richard Konteh

Minister of Trade and Industry-Loko

Oluniyi Robbin-Coker

Minister of Energy and Water Resources-Creole

Alhaji Ibrahim Ben Kargbo

Minister of Information and Communications-Limba

Zainab Hawa Bangura

Minister of Health and Sanitation-Temne

Alimamy P Koroma

Minister of Works, Housing and Infrastructural Development-Limba

Dauda Sulaiman Kamara

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development-Limba

Alhaji Minkailu Mansaray

Minister of Mineral Resources-Mandingo/Temne

Dr. Sam Sesay

Minister of Agriculture, Food Security & Forestry-Limba

Capt. Allieu Pat Sowe

Minister of Lands, Country Planning & the Environment-Fula

Dr. Soccoh Kabia

Minister of Marine Resources and Fisheries-Temne

Stephen Gaojia

Minister of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs-Mende/Gissi

Victoria Saidu Kamara-Loko

Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs-Ethnicity unkown.

Hindolo Sumanguru Trye

Minister of Labour and Social Security-Sherbro

Dr. Minkailu Bah

Minister of Education, Science and Technology-Fula/Temne

Paul Kamara

Youth Employment and Sports-Temne

Vandi Chidi Minah

Minister of Transport and Aviation-Mende

Alhaji Alpha Sahid Bakar Kanu

Minister of Political and Public Affairs-Temne

Dr. Komba Kono

Minister of State, Office of the Vice-President-Kono

William Juana Smith

Resident Minister, East-Mende

Moijue Kaikai

Resident Minister, South-Fula/Mende

Alie D. Kamara

Resident Minister, North-Temne.

So, looking at this list of cabinet ministers it seems the Temne are not badly represented, right? Right. So the SLPP is wrong here. Now let’s look at the diplomats:

High Commissioners and Ambassadors

1. Great Britain

High Commissioner Edward Turay-Loko

2. United States of America

Ambassador Bockarie Kortu Stevens-Mende.

3. Nigeria

High Commissioner Henry Macauley-Creole

4.China and Australia

Ambassador Abubakarr Multi-Kamara-Temne

5.Germany

Ambassador Jongopi Stevens-Mende

6. The Gambia