What was all the noise about?

My first visit to the United States as Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister was in early 1998 when I  accompanied President Tejan-Kabbah to address a special session of the United Nations Assembly on Sierra Leone. After President Kabbah had made his preliminary statement, both Dr. James Jonah and I made presentations. These were followed by statements from various delegates. Of the whole lot only the Permanent Representative of the Peoples Republic of China made a categorical statement that Liberia was behind the war in Sierra Leone. After New York our delegation flew to Washington DC for briefing sessions at the State Department. A gentleman who sat quietly just outside our meeting room was introduced to us almost in a whisper as President Bill Clinton’s nominee to the Senate as the next Ambassador to Sierra Leone. The impression I got was that it would have been presumptuous on his part if Mr. Joseph Melrose had allowed himself to be publicly introduced as the next US Ambassador to Sierra Leone before his Senate hearing.  (Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to China, Joseph Koroma)

Our relations with the government of the Peoples Republic of China have been excellent ever since the establishment of Diplomatic relations between our two countries. I can’t distinguish Minister Joseph Koroma from Eve, let alone from Adam. I had only read of his appointment first as Minister for Presidential Affairs and later as Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources. About a fortnight ago when the outgoing Chinese Ambassador went to take leave of President Koroma at State House, I assume that in the course of their conversation, the President wanted to underscore the importance of our cordial relationship when he may have said to the Ambassador, “Look, by virtue of the high esteem in which I hold your country, I have nominated one of my Ministers who is also a diplomat as my next Ambassador to China.” I doubt whether there is much variation between President Koroma’s intention and statement and what I have written here.

But suddenly all hell broke. “Koroma had been sacked; oh no, he has been promoted; but how can he be promoted when an Ambassador is junior in rank to a minister? No it is a demotion.” And so the discussion, rather argument continued between the self-proclaimed experts on such matters and others who claimed to be equally knowledgeable. Was any of it necessary, or useful? My understanding is that an Ambassador is the direct representative of his head of state to the country to which he is accredited which means such an appointee has the confidence of his boss. Where does being sacked or being relieved of his post come in? But again nar so e  be nar Salone. D experts den bokuu too much. Bon voyage Ambassador Joseph Koroma and remember to uphold the reputation, honour and dignity of mama Salone.

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