Writing her political history: Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
From time to time, we shall be constrained but to take a detailed look at the current political situation and leadership of our country Sierra Leone, in a way that would help raise awareness of what is currently obtaining there. In one of the articles recently, I endeavoured to take a pragmatic look at the role of the present Minister of Information and Communications Alhaji Ibrahim Ben Kargbo’s role in bringing about the fall of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party. In that article, I attempted to dispassionately ask several questions as to whether the way and manner in which that country is handled (governed) was actually what he was advocating for. I and the numerous readers are yet to hear from him since he believes himself to be the Squealer of the Animal Farm he helped to create. But good luck to them.
After spinning the wheel of (mis)fortunate, following the article on the Minister of Information and Communications, that wheel finally rested on the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, now known as Haja Zainab Hawa Bangura. It thus stands to reason why I am sketching her political history here for the consumption of the Sierra Leone public. It’s merely a way of making our leaders known.
Whilst I would not want to dig deep into her personal history for the exigencies of time and ethic of this profession, I wish to inform readers that the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation hailed from one of those poor families (actually just like most of us) in Yoni, Northern Sierra Leone. Understandably, the Minister has been able to walk her way to the pinnacle where she is today through the help of her husband Sheki Bangura. Lucky woman!
Zainab Bangura is known to have come to limelight during the years she served as the Co-ordinator for Campaign for Good Governance especially when the most infamous and dastardly rebel war (perhaps yet in human history) occurred in Sierra Leone.
During those bitter and dark moments in the history of that country, Zainab Bangura’s voice was something that was mostly loved and admired as she claimed to be nothing other than an ardent believer in democracy and fervent campaigner for good governance. Whilst at the Campaign for Good Governance for those years, Zainab Bangura succeeded in carving out an empire for herself, manipulating things at will. Eventually, those that Zainab Bangura liked and appreciated mostly for some personal and tribal sentiments were allowed to work for that organization as long as they liked.
At the heat of the rebel war in Sierra Leone, the current Minister’s voice was heard even crying in international conferences and other fora in her bid to help raise awareness of the treachery and ruthless and total destruction that was carried out by the rebels of the Revolutionary United Front, of late Corporal Foday Seybana Sankoh. Whilst doing all that, there were no indications of Zainab Bangura’s interest in national politics at that moments.
However, following the return of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party led Government after the 1997 Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) coup; it was like Zainab Bangura was deluded by her role during the interregnum, into believing that she was growing important and therefore a presidential material of that country. Thus she began nursing a quiet political ambition while still at the Campaign for Good Governance.
It is important to note here that during her latter years at that Non- Governmental Organization, Zainab Bangura surreptitiously embarked upon using that organization to be promoting her hidden political agenda.
Using the veils of Campaign for Good Governance, Zainab Bangura subjected the then ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party and opposition All People Congress Party to caustic criticisms. In her views, both parties were not a solution to the problems of Sierra Leone and its suffering masses.
Whilst still at the Campaign for Good Governance, Zainab Bangura viciously targeted then President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party as a weak leader, one that cannot provide the leadership that Sierra Leone actually needs. To her, the only problem of Sierra Leone was the lack of good leadership.
Zainab Bangura publicly came out with her attack on the leadership of then Sierra Leone Peoples Party when she wrote a whole page article in one of the editions of the Focus on African Magazines in which she clearly spelt out that the problem of Sierra Leone was nothing but the lack of qualitative leadership. That article to all intents and purposes did not only sought to undermine the leadership of then President Kabbah (in spite of the fact that he was busy putting democratic structures in place) but also had the tendency of eventually undermining the Sierra Leone Peoples Party as a potent political force to reckon with in Sierra Leone.
After that Focus on Africa Magazine article publication, Zainab Bangura continued her mission by working covertly to destabilise the Sierra Leone Peoples Party by subjecting it to ridicule and making people believe that the Sierra Leone Peoples Party cannot be the solution to that country’s political leadership.
Interestingly, Zainab Bangura during her latter days at the Campaign for Good Governance could not spare even the All Peoples Congress party of her criticisms. When her personal views were sought on the leadership of current President Ernest Bai Koroma (then opposition leader), Zainab Bangura always dismissed it with the wave of her hand, explaining that rather than Ernest Bai Koroma, it will be better to continue with President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah’s “moribund” ways of doing things. In her views, which she expressed several times, Ernest Bai Koroma would be worse than the late President Joseph Saidu Momoh of the “new order” fame. Her claims and assertions were justified by the fact that she has known and worked with Ernest Bai Koroma at RITCORP, an insurance company. Owing to that perception held about Ahmed Tejan Kabbah and Ernest Bai Koroma, she saw it as a great impossibility of even dreaming of working with one of the people she subjected to systematic and ruthless criticisms over the years.
Coming back to the issue of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party and the All Peoples Congress party, Zainab Bangura in those days strongly believed that both parties were not ideal for that country. Owing to that belief, her dream was to form a political party that will provide all the solutions to the problems of Sierra Leone. Thus news of Zainab Bangura’s intention assuming a political dimension was gradually mooted out by some media houses in Sierra Leone. She however kept denying any such tendencies until 2002 when she came out openly.
From campaign for Good Governance to a national political platform, Zainab Bangura lifted the veils, and hastily formed her own political party; Movement of the People (MOP). Under this political party, Zainab Bangura contested for the Presidency of Sierra Leone in 2002 elections. There is every need to emphasise here that she was desperate about clinching the presidency of that Republic believing that her women folks would support her into winning and governing that country. Thus with her political desire, that over ambitious young woman was noted and seem traversing the length and breath of that country prior to the 2002 elections.
On the question of why she resigned from a prestigious job at the campaign for good governance to form a political party, she mentioned everywhere that the Sierra Leone Peoples Party and the All Peoples Congress party cannot provide the solution that Sierra Leoneans need. Additionally, she made it clear to all that, she got into main stream politics because she wanted to give the best of service to all Sierra Leoneans. Her views were that staying outside the political arena whilst advocating for the people was totally different from being at the helm of political affairs. Thus according to her, she came into main stream politics to be comfortably placed to be helping her people. Good intention by every means.
Whether Zainab Bangura miscalculated her entry into main stream politics or not, the result of 2002 presidential and parliamentary elections gave her a rude shock. Rude shock because even the so-called women she boasted of their support in the capital city of Freetown could not vote for her. It was a shameful result which left vociferous Zainab Bangura with her tail in her mouth.Â
Following that elections and her woeful loss, buoyant Zain went underground and she only re-surfaced in a United Nations job, as Head of Civil Affairs in the Republic of Liberia. That’s were she stayed whilst the 2007 elections were conducted in Sierra Leone. Following that crisis election in 2007 and the delay that followed in President Ernest Bai Koroma forming his cabinet, Zainab Bangura re-emerged in the politics of Sierra Leone after being nominated for the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The circumstance that led to her nomination and subsequent approval by that rubber stamp parliament will be delved into in another piece.
Having taken this marathon journey so far, it is prudent to state that I had aimed at two things. Firstly, to bring to light that Mrs. Bangura is now in main stream politics, one that gives her the opportunity to serve her people better. But is she doing so? Secondly, she is today in the All Peoples Congress party and working with or under the man (Ernest Bai Koroma) she subjected to sarcastic criticisms over the years. Is that not interesting? The next piece will look at how Zainab is performing and her political vision. Hoping to help her gain nomination for ‘Woman President to take over after Ernest Koroma’ Â Â in the words of Mohamed K Senesie SEM’s article of 21/10/2009.
By Bartholomew B. Bockarie who is a postgraduate student at the London School of EconomicsStay with Sierra Express Media, for your trusted place in news!
© 2010, https:. All rights reserved.
