APC-NA Chairman’s Inauguration speech: Saturday May 8th, 2010
A Call to Peace, Unity, and my Agenda for APC-NA
Distinguished Guests; Fellow Party members; Former Chairmen Mr. Osman Conteh; Former interim Chairman, Mr. Leslie Allen; Our Ambassadors in Washington & New York All Chapter Presidents; Fellow Sierra Leoneans; Ladies and Gentlemen;Good Evening.
It is a great honor to stand before you as newly inaugurated chairman of the APC North America branch. We are here today to demonstrate our strengths and commitments to our party as people of one nation. Our determination and resilience to mend our differences and to negotiate and agree in unity is the corner stone of our success!
The APC North America branch had its convention in January this year and a new executive was elected to run the affairs of the branch for the next two years. With profound humility and, on behalf of the entire executive, I want to thank all members for the mandate given to me and the executive on that day to take over the affairs of the branch.
No elections can be won or lost without the flexing of muscles on values of diverse perceptions. After the negativity that we experienced in the last eleven months, we have learned to respect the values and rights of individuals.
As a new administration, we will listen to every voice and pay attention to every concern that members may bring forward as we work to map the way for lasting peace in the NA branch. We will utilize the greatness in all of us to create a mechanism that will help us represent what we all believe in.
My administration will be inclusive and will continue its hard work to unit and reconcile all members. Reconciliation is the main philosophy and true spirit of my leadership. This administration will also work hard to recruit more members into the fold. We cannot sit by and compromise our party’s win in 2012 because we have greater things to do in 2017.
We should once again demonstrate, to all Sierra Leoneans and all APC supporters here and around the world that, when it comes to the APC, our commitment to make the party succeed transcends our individual pettiness and personal gains. By simply tolerating one another and respecting the voices of our members, we will again re-establish the foundation upon which we could regain our lost glory and restore our strength and sense of oneness and dignity.
Before going further, let me take a minute to thank the interim chairman Mr. Leslie Allen for leading us to one of the most successful and transparent conventions in the history of APC North America. I also want to thank former chairman Mr. Osman T. Conteh for what he has done and continue to do for APC North America.
My thanks also go to the Hon. Dauda Tombo Bangura and Hon. Almamy G. Kargbo for the patriotism and kind support they rendered on the ongoing peace process. If I did not mention your name this evening, it is not in any way intended to diminish your importance and I want you to understand that you are a valuable part of the genuine effort of bringing peace to our party.
We cannot afford to lose what we believe you can bring to the table. Under my leadership; and with the help of the fine men and women who constitute this administration, I will make sure we utilize the potentials of every member of the APC North America branch to the fullest.
The APC NA will be stronger because of the interest and hard work you put into it, and I look forward to working with all of you in the coming weeks, months and years in order to promote the attitudinal change message of our president Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma. This is what we need to do in the long term.
But today, I want us to focus on what we must do in the short term to lift up our party, ease the unnecessary struggle many of us are facing right now, and restore a sense of fairness and balance to our party and our country.
When I look around this room tonight, I feel fortunate and hopeful that I am in the company of fellow party members who are already doing their part to lead us in the right direction. As a branch in the US, we deserve the opportunity to be given the chance to administrate the affairs of our branch and help our party succeed.
I know we have the opportunity for this to be one of those times when we succeed in making North America the place where good people who care about their country do great things. We have the opportunity to re-build the credibility of the APC North America branch to our advantage.
This day is a clear demonstration of a successful landmark of achievement through the unique teamwork that the APC party is known for. We have been able to achieve many things in a very short period of time.
As we continue to see our efforts bearing fruits in the form of bringing every member into the fold, we have also put in place various committees through a broad-based selection process: The committees we have set up so far are:
The Advisory Committee; The Legal Advising Team; The Planning Projection and Development Committee; The National Youth Leader; The Women’s Leader/Committee, National Electoral Officer and Director of Regional Affairs
I therefore urge you all to continue to do your best in the form of bringing more ideas and demonstrate your willingness to continue our work in the best interest of our party and country.
Fellow party members, in the coming weeks, months and years ahead, we know of the major tasks that lie ahead of us. The NA branch is on the cross roads but I have confidence in my administration that we will work very hard to restore the respect and dignity we all deserve. I look forward to gaining your acceptance and support so that we could implement some of these ideas that we have in our Action Plan. Your active participation in this endeavor would be part of the key to our success.
Major tasks lie ahead of us as a party. Our president and the APC party would be seeking re-election to complete the good work that we have started. As an organ of the party here in the US, we need to broaden our network of sharing information to enrich ourselves professionally while strengthening our bond of loyalty and commitment to our country and to the great people of Sierra Leone.
God bless you all! God bless the APC! And God bless the Republic of Sierra Leone!
I thank you all and let’s go to work!
Al- Aziz Turay, Chairman – APC NAStay with Sierra Express Media, for your trusted place in news!
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