“I Will Form A Government Of National Unity” APC Ernest Bai Koroma Assures Sierra Leoneans
The Presidential Candidate of the APC, Hon. Ernest Bai Koroma has revealed plans of what his government would look like if he wins the August election. Mr. Koroma was speaking to a cross section of journalists at his office early this week when he said that he is not a tribalist, and strongly believes that tribalism is not the solution to the country’s problem.
“Tribalism has done nothing good for Sierra Leone, nor has it promoted Sierra Leoneans” He emphasized, and went on, “We should be talking as a family and not playing tribal cards for the sake of gaining votes from the electorates. He cited the eleven-year-old war that devastated the entire country not on tribal lines “The war that every individual suffered from was enough to tell us that tribalism cannot solve our problems as a nation. We can forge ahead as a family and develop Sierra Leone so that everyone of us can be proud of” He remarked
He released what some of the journalists described as the “unexpected statement”, “Most people would be surprised to hear names of members of my cabinet, names of people from the SLPP, UNPP and the other parties who can deliver for the progress and betterment of the country” The APC flag bearer said he has never known what is tribalism and has never practiced it throughout his life.
He commended the United Nations and its agencies for the collective role played in the elections, the youths he said would benefit immensely from his government through the provision of jobs and vocational trainings “The youths are the future of this country, so we should be able to prepare them for the task that lies ahead of them” he went on, youth development is the backbone of any nation, this can be done when the leadership considers the youths as integral part of national development.
Commenting further, the APC leader said that he was very concerned about the development of Sierra Leone which he hopes would be achieved when he assumes office. He believes that if elected as president, he would do his best to upgrade the standard of living of his people, citing areas such as employment, electricity and a lot more. “No development can take place in the absence of electricity, referring to a number of areas that electricity can be used to empower the people.
He advised his colleague politicians not to play the tribal card for power and later dump the people after achieving their goal. “This is the time we should be talking about how we can transform the lives of our people and make them proud of their leader and country, not how we can divide them” Mr. Koroma emphasized.
The APC leader said that he was happy with the timely merger of the PMDC as it would prove to the ordinary man that we are all brothers. This will give confidence to the Southeasterners and Northerners that there is a healthy relationship between the two dominant tribes (Temnes and Mendes) in the country and urged all Sierra Leoneans to work for the good of the country. The elections this time round, Hon. Koroma said, is not about tribe, region or race but about the development of the country.
