President Koroma has an inclusive character
President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma is a president that has tried as much as he can to portray himself as a president of national character.
But he is being misconstrued in many quarters of tribalism. His tribe came up when SEM made an attempt to discuss him following the fuss about his declaration of support and loyalty for the Loko minority ethnic group on an occasion to mark an annual cultural event at the Miatta Conference hall in the capital Freetown, which the Lokos host every year.
Sequel to this, President Koroma has always said no tribe is inferior to him as he hardly ever considers a single tribe in the country as a minority tribe. To him all ethnic groups are a suave of tribes to him and he sees and regards all of them in an equal realm.
As President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, President Koroma considers himself a selfless president, the first gentleman of the republic and fountain of honour. And again, it is his thoughts that by calling or grace and by the people’s popular demand that he became president of the Republic of Sierra Leone, which does not differentiate him from any other Sierra Leonean.
Like in a football team, each player is coming from a family, tribe, religion, region and section. Assuming he scores for Leone Stars, it is a goal in favour of Sierra Leone and not in favour of his tribe, family and all the sorts.
The Lokos are one of the minority tribes in Sierra Leone who feel dejected; in this light, one presidential assurance is capable enough to make them feel Sierra Leoneans.
It could also be implied in the case of religion. We all know, President Koroma is a Christian, but he keeps attending Muslim functions. Each year, he visits the Jalsa Thalaana of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jammat in Sierra Leone and nobody accuses him of transferring allegiance of religion. All of such are a showing spirit of tolerance.
Again he is not disabled but kept his solidarity in charity for member of the disabled community, he was not born in Abuja, Lagos, or Ivory Coast, you name them, but has been representing such countries in the ECOWAS common platform, yet as a Sierra Leonean.
Some tribes on a specific note and reason need to be assured more on the note of establishing a government of national character. President Koroma has emerged that type of president to have portrayed an inclusive character, and this is no disrespect for members of the Temne speaking tribe.
Some issues don’t draw conclusions for public figures. With much relevance the president can even apply the literary values of synecdoche by using half to represent a whole. Coming as closer to identify himself with the Loko tribe tells a lot about a president who knows the origin and semantics of tribal origin. The Lokos are one of the oldest speaking tribes whose language is still preserved but with a few majorities to be identified with the true merits of its culture and tradition.
When the president talked about going back to the relics our culture and tradition, he meant an inclusive coming to root. To our understanding, the president can attend any gathering as he is free to be in Makeni, Bo, Kenema, Kailahun, etc, where he deems fit to attend any function. And as tradition demands, if he finds himself in a farm hut, he speaks the language that belongs there that appeases its audience’s understanding.
Better still for him to have said he belongs to the Lokos means he is just emotional and passionate for his tribe. This is becoming madness in this country as it often has happened that Sierra Leoneans always talk about tribe. I can remember vividly what ex-president Ahmad Tejan Kabba went through during his tenure as president, the Mandingo mosque at Magazine was set ablaze because it was being associated to his tribe. We begin to see ourselves as tribesmen and not as Sierra Leoneans; this is too bad for our democracy and maturity of our spirit of tolerance and unison in the country. It is high time we dumped such tendencies and focus on constructive nationalism.
Stay with Sierra Express Media, for your trusted place in news!
© 2012, https:. All rights reserved.
