By Alhaji Jalloh,PV Correspondent, Freetown.
Long ago when I was in primary school, my father and boyhood friends often emphasized the difficulties involved in making appointments with senior government functionaries like ministers, heads of the national security apparatus, not to talk of the Head of State.
My father had severally shared his experiences with his friends about how he met with the late Inspector General of Police, James Bambay Kamara, an experience he would never forget even if awakened from deep slumber.
He would also tell in great detail how he met with ex- President Joseph Saidu Momoh on two occasions - the first was an invitation the former president extended to my dad, Alhaji M. S. Jalloh, to State House. Of course, he was a very prominent businessman in Kono from the 1970’s to the late 80’s. But I could not tell at this moment what the invitation was all about.
The second visit my father paid to ex-President Momoh was not an invitation; he was in the company of prominent members of the business community, including the late Bailor Barrie and Jamil Sahid Mohamed. The purpose of their visit was to see the ex-President following the discovery of an over 200 carat gem (diamond) by one Osman Barrie in 1987 at Koaquima, a few kilometers outside the district headquarters of Koidu in the diamond-rich Kono District.
I was about to go for a private lesson in preparation for my last GCE ‘O’ Level paper when I saw some prominent businessmen alighting from the Japanese made Pajero Jeeps, which were the vogue at the time. So my dad had to join the entourage for the 215 miles journey to State House, where ex- President Momoh, Former Mines Minister Birch Momodu Conteh and others were waiting anxiously to welcome them.
Till now, I had never got details of that State House meeting. Even my cherished dad couldn’t reveal the details of that all-important meeting to me. But as a matter of fact, those who were grown up boys at the time would remember how the story of that gem dominated our local and international media. Indeed, it wasn’t and still is not too easy to see leaders the world over without a very important assignment or an official invitation.
Although they are serving us in government as our representatives, I do submit that the doors of our revered leaders should not be knocked for irrelevant issues.
This reminds me of the days of erstwhile President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah when some of his former ministers wanted to use the advantages of personal relationships to break presidential protocol, but he acted swiftly to stop that.
The same unprincipled mannerisms were about to be applied on our current President, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, when he newly assumed office. But thank God his first year in office is now different from his second year.
I have reliably learnt from a senior government functionaries that even some very senior ministers would not just bump into his office as they were accustomed to do during his first year in office. A friend of mine, who is among the first five senior ministers in Koroma’s administration, had confirmed that to me. But as a matter of fact, if you have very important state issues to discuss with the President, it doesn’t matter where you belong or who you are, the President is always prepared to listen to everybody.
This also reminds me of how I had met with the President thrice since he assumed office in 2007. The first was an exclusive interview I conducted with him. I rang up the President and informed him about that special interview and he instructed his Press Secretary to do the necessary arrangements for the exclusive. And I must confess that it was very impressive. Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma was different from the Mr. Ernest Bai Koroma I knew at RITCORP Insurance Company. He was different from Hon. Ernest Bai Koroma I knew as a Minority Leader in Parliament or Leader of the Opposition.
I reiterated it in one of my recent articles and will continue saying that prior to his ascendancy to power many Sierra Leoneans described President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma as "too gentle a politician with a weak character to take on national issues head-on." But I have always disagreed with them. Each time I meet with the president, I always get the feeling that his sense of humor and intellect has sharpened to the highest degree.
Besides, my occasional telephone discussions with him always give me an insight that the President has grown faster in politics than many of our former leaders. I also agree with the Information and Communications Minister, Alhaji Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, who doubles as official government spokesman, when he told me shortly before he left for Kampala, Uganda, very recently that the President’s "decisiveness, thoughtfulness, watchfulness, compassion and the desire to succeed are the magic behind his rapid growth in national politics."
Moreover, as a journalist who has been carefully studying the political landscape of this country over the years, I know before he became President, the political brilliance and maturity he displayed in opposition clearly contravened the wrong perceptions many Sierra Leoneans had about him.
Another observation I have made since he took over as President is that, he always speaks like a true Father of the Nation. When you are talking to him, he listens very attentively. Whenever he responds, you will be impressed with his answers. Take for example, when I asked him in my first interview in March of last year... Mr. President, many of your party supporters have criticized you for traveling with opposition members abroad. Sir, what’s your take on that? This was his response:
“Well, I believe that we have to move the nation forward. I should not only focus on my development agenda and policies, I must also look at uniting the country.
I believe I am president of the country and I have a responsibility to unify the country, I have a responsibility to let everybody develop a new concept of democracy, a new culture of democracy, and that is you are not an enemy to anybody. You are just maybe opponents on political issues, but at the end of the day, we must present ourselves as Sierra Leoneans, united in the development of our country.”
Another answer which left me impressed with the president was when I asked him a personal question about which football clubs he supports in and outside of Sierra Leone?
“I used to support football clubs in Sierra Leone. Now as President of Sierra Leone, I support every football club in the country in and out of Sierra Leone.”
Outside Sierra Leone, the president said: “I am still a supporter of Arsenal.”
Some of these responses explain exactly how intelligent the president is in tackling simple but critical questions that may lead to national debate if the response was not satisfactory.
My second time meeting him was with consummate ease. I had informed him about the visit. He assured me that he would get back to me the following week through his Press Secretary. And indeed, as usual, his words are his axioms. I was not prepared going to State House that afternoon when the Press Secretary called me up and informed me that "your name had been listed to see the president today at 4 PM."
I wasted no time to jump at the opportunity of seeing the President. It was a private meeting but we used the opportunity to discuss very important issues bordering the development of our country. And, indeed, it ended very well. The third time of meeting with the president was a few days ago when I was in the company of the Information and Communications Minister, Alhaji Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, and some family members of Sierra Leone’s latest author, Dr. Hamid Charm.
They include Sierra Leone’s former Ambassador to the US, UN and AU, Ibrahim Mbaba Kamara, former Deputy Commissioner NaCSA and now Director CORD/SL, Justin Buya Bangura. We were at the Office of the President to present an autographed copy of Dr. Charm’s book, “It took a broken leg to go to school’’. It is a very interesting book that deals with cultural conflicts and offers’ readers an odyssey through a maze of raw African tribal beliefs, customs and practices. I must say that it’s a book worth reading.
Before the presentation, I had made several attempts to see the President through a very prominent minister (name withheld), who kept assuring me that we should see the president and it took nearly a month without seeing him. After I realized that it was not too easy for him to see His Excellency, I used the opportunity to call him. This was our telephone conversation.
After extending my greetings to him and welcoming him to the country from his trip to China, I said to him, “Mr. President, I have tried to book an appointment with you through one of your ministers to see you, but to no avail. And I really don’t like calling you Sir, because I don’t know your busy and leisure hours. In other words, I hate disturbing you with calls, “The president responded in soft spoken words: “So, what’s your problem, Alhaji?” he enquired.
“I have just received a book autographed in your name for formal presentation. And the author of the book is a Sierra Leonean Professor based in New York, USA,” I told the President.
Responding, he said: “That’s okay. Do you have the contact of my Chief Protocol Officer? “He asked. “No,” I replied. “Well, I will give him your number and name and he would call you in the next two hours,” he assured me.
As usual, the president is always conscious of his words. I was called upon by his Confidential Secretary, Mrs. Taego, who informed about the confirmation of my appointment. She asked me to give her the names of those going with me to present the book, which I did. The lady, however, warned me strictly to be very brief in our presentation as the president had too many engagements on that day. Readers may want to know why I was among Dr. Charm’s family members to present his book. Apart from being a close friend, I have been very active in the US publicizing the book before and after its release in Rochester, New York, March this year.
Back to our presentation, we assembled somewhere around downtown Freetown the following day to go to State House for the presentation. On arrival, we got a very good reception from the security personnel at the gates and Staff of the CPO’s office. At the waiting room of the President’s office, we were greeted by Mrs. Taego a few minutes after we sat down. After shaking hands with all of us, she asked: “Who is Alhaji Jalloh?’’ I responded and she reiterated that the presentation should not be more than 15 minutes. “I would interrupt you guys if you decide to go a second beyond the said time,” she strongly warned. And I.B. Kargbo turned to me smiling and shaking his head. “There is no joke here anymore.”
A few minutes later, she came back and said “Gentlemen, H.E is now ready to see you.” On arrival in his office, the smiling, good looking, hale and healthy President Ernest Bai Koroma welcomed us and the eloquent Information Minister, Alhaji I.B. Kargbo, wasted no time and
took the stage by introducing Dr. Charm to the president, who happens to be his former college mate at Njala in the mid 1960’s before he made an introduction of the book.
The next speaker was Ambassador Ibrahim Mbaba Kamara, who spoke for less than 3 minutes. As coordinator of the State House presentation, I felt relieved after I realized that we were still on time and that we wouldn’t be interrupted by the principled lady. It was now the turn of the president, (he wouldn’t be interrupted by anyone, no way). So, I knew we were safe. The president thanked the author for autographing a book in his name and personally sending it to him. He expressed delight with the progress Dr. Charm has made in the US by transforming himself into an great academic.
The President said about the author: “We are proud of Dr. Charm as a nation and for him ascending to the level of writing a story of what the Sierra Leone traditional life is all about. Indeed, I am proud of him and Sierra Leone is proud of him.”
His Excellency the President added: “I want to extend my profound appreciation and congratulation to him on behalf of Sierra Leone for projecting Sierra Leone and earning himself academic laurels.”
President Koroma promised that he would find time to see Dr. Charm whenever he pays an official visit to the US.
After the president had responded, I watched my wrist watch and realized that we were completing our presentation in 12 minutes and 45 seconds, which means we completed it before time and the president will have the opportunity to address other important state issues on that day.
So, that explains exactly why some restrictions should be introduced in the Office of the President and that all important offices should not be used as a place to mark time, hold unnecessary meetings or discuss family affairs, but to address very pertinent state issues.
Besides, the president is cognizant of the fact that he had signed an agreement with the people of this country from 2007 to 2012. After the completion of his tenure, the tenancy agreement would be reviewed and he would be asked difficult questions before the people would renew his tenancy agreement to continue at State House from 2012 to 2017.
So, the Office of the President should be taken very seriously. I know everybody wants to see the president and I always pity those working at the Presidential Protocol Office because they will always encounter problems with people for appointments with the president. I think the Office of our President, like any other president’s office should be treated with the respect it deserves.
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