Visiting USA, VP Sumana addresses John Benjamin’s Claims
Anthony Abdul Karim Kamara, Jnr.

He was on a private visit to witness his daughter, Sia Sam Sumana, graduate from Anoka High School in Minnesota where he was commencement speaker. Anoka High School graduates felt honoured that the Vice President of Sierra Leone, Alhaji Sam-Sumana was at their school to offer them words of wisdom; words that they hope to put to practice in making a difference in the lives of others. With their parents, friends and well-wishers in attendance, it was clear they will forever cherish the moment.

But that was not the only group he met with; he visited his Alma mater, the Metropolitan State University and also met with the Sierra Leonean community. This was the same community that he once belonged to. That he could come back and meet with long time friends and acquaintances were a reminder that even though he no longer sees and talk with them regularly, he has not forgotten about them. In fact, it is not an “out of sight, out of mind” affair.

In another engagement, he met with state authorities to discuss matters of bilateral interests between Minnesota and Sierra Leone. Governor Tim Pawlenty accorded him a very warm welcome, promising to send a trade mission to Sierra Leone and work for the mutual interests of their people.

Then, it was time to turn his attention to the nation’s capital where a flurry of activities awaited his arrival. It began with the APC Women’s Wing Fundraising Dance where he was guest speaker. That was just the beginning; from meeting with Sierra Leoneans and friends of Sierra Leone, he was more than happy to convey good greetings from President Koroma and his government. He talked about President Koroma’s government desire to improve and make Sierra Leone a better place for all her citizens. He called on all to be active participants in rebuilding our nation.

For those who have never met him and having listened to all he said and observing his demeanour, the general consensus from folks within the community was that they are immensely proud he is the second in command in Sierra Leone. He listened attentively and responded with straight forward questions underscoring the fact that he knows what goes on in government and understands the worries and concerns of the fifth region, the Diaspora. He did not disappoint! He is soft-spoken and leaves you with the impression that he genuinely cares and will do all he can to help make a difference. Is that not what we require of our leaders?

The highlight of his visit was the disclosure that modalities are being put into place for the Peace Corps to return to Sierra Leone. The meeting between his entourage and Dr. Judy K. Olsen, acting director of the United States Peace Corps was by all measures a great success. Then, there was his meeting with the Sierra Leone American Business Association. He was impressed with SLABA’s desire to contribute to nation building and the other projects they have embarked on.

He also visited the local mosque to worship with his fellow compatriots. After prayers, he met with them privately. They were happy he was there and wanted to spend time with them. They saw a genuine desire of the government coming to the people they are working for. And so far, folks continue to be impressed.

With his tight schedule, I called his office and requested an interview and after a brief consultation with Embassy officials about my identity since they have never had any contacts with me as a reporter, their answer was in the affirmative. I have never met him and had no idea what to expect. The only thing I knew about him was when then candidate Koroma chose him as his running mate and that he was returning home from Minnesota to actively participate in the electoral process that brought them to power. That was it!

At this moment, it was clear I had only one thing to do; get to work and prepare to meet Sierra Leone’s Vice President, one that I did not even vote for. Well, who will blame me? No provisions have so far been made for those of us outside Sierra Leone to vote in elections. In fact, my first vote was voting for Hillary Clinton during the democratic primary and voting for Barack Obama in the last US elections. Never voted in Sierra Leone! Never! I was always too young. Now that I am old enough to vote, I am now a member of President Koroma’s fifth region, the Diaspora.

As I watched him listen attentively to many people who came to see him and how he interacted with Sierra Leoneans at the embassy and during my one-on-one interview, I came out feeling he was not only funny but cool. My personal impressions are that he is a man who makes friends easily. He is genuinely interested in moving our nation forward and together with his boss, HE Ernest Bai Koroma, looks like they will, even though we would all agree, there is much more to be done and accomplished.

Whether we hit it off or not I cannot say, but I am honoured he gave me some of his time and answered my questions sincerely, I believe. Oh, did I say “I looked the man in the eye. I was able to get a sense of his soul?” Remember those words? Remember the first meeting between former President George Bush and ex-President Vladimir Putin? Well, no, I did not say that! All I can say is he seems very genuine and is accessible more than you can imagine. And I love that about him.

Moreover, he made me laugh when I kept asking about the problems that the North American arm of his party is going through. He was very smart; but was not ready to get to details when it comes to the APC-NA problems. Realizing that I was looking for more, he followed up with “I hope you like my answer” and all in the room burst into laughter. It is often said that first impression goes a long way and if that is true, all I can say is that he surely left an impression.

Ladies and gentlemen, here now is my interview with the Honourable Vice President of our Sierra Leone, Alhaji Chief Samuel Sam Sumana conducted at Sierra Leone’s embassy in Washington, District of Columbia.

AK: During your last visit in January 2009, you met with Dorrin Rolle, Commissioner of Miami-Dade County with the purpose of promoting trade, economic and cultural relations. In fact, you also expressed Sierra Leone’s interest in opening a consulate in Miami- Dade and establishing sister cities relationship with Freetown. How is that relationship coming along? Have there been any positive developments since your last visit?

VP Sumana: Let me just say that my visit to Miami-Dade County, Florida was an invitation from Commissioner Dorrin Rolle and Global Voice Communications. During that visit, we took the opportunity to meet with various stakeholders of the county. Yes, you are correct that in our meetings we requested for a mutually benefiting relationship between SL and the county. When we talk about twinning cities, there are a lot of procedures involved and our discussions are ongoing.
The minister of internal affairs, minister of state at my office as well as the minister of information were all part of my delegation. Our visit has set the stage for us to achieve some of the issues we have been discussing and I am convinced that both Miami-Dade County and Sierra Leone will benefit from.

AK: On this trip, you spent time visiting Minnesota, a place where you used to live. This afforded you an opportunity to bond and renew old acquaintances though in a different capacity. What is the feeling like to be returning as the VP of Sierra Leone and to be accorded such a warm welcome from people you used to spend time with and perhaps discuss issues about our homeland as an ordinary citizen?

VP Sumana: I was in Minnesota to attend my daughter’s graduation at Anoka high School. In fact, I gave the keynote address and during my visit took the opportunity to meet with the Sierra Leonean community; a community I used to belong to. I worked with that group to bring Sierra Leoneans of different organizations together. What is most impressive is that even though they still have their individual organizations, they have all come together to maintain one umbrella organization called the Sierra Leone Community Movement (SLCM). It brings together friends and natives of Sierra Leone to work together for their progress and common good that eventually benefits our homeland.

We also paid a visit to my Alma mater, Metropolitan State University where I met with President Sue Hammersmith, faculty and students. Among the many issues we discussed, was a request for faculty-student exchange programs and exploring how best the university can help enhance high impact synergies to support the educational sector especially in technical, vocational training institutes to be set up in Sierra Leone.

We also visited with Tim Pawlenty, Governor of the state of Minnesota at the State capitol in St. Paul’s. I have to stress that we had very fruitful discussions about our relationship which we both agree will be beneficial to our people. In fact, he informed me that his state’s trade relationship is with many countries but will now endeavour to bring Sierra Leone higher on their trade agenda not only because of my visit but because, as he puts it, I am one of them, a Minnesotan. Of course, I told him that I appreciated his sense of humour. From our discussions, He is also ready to look into what his state can do to help our health sector. I know for sure that Minnesota has a very robust health sector. The governor is willing to work with us and we will do a follow up on our meeting.

AK: In your town hall meetings with Sierra Leoneans, you called on all in the Diaspora to participate towards the realization of president Koroma’s development goals. However, many in the Diaspora are not sure the office of Diaspora Affairs is serving their interests. In fact, many don’t seem to know what the office does and who is the office really serving. There are even complaints that the board does not even have any representative from the Diaspora. What do you think can be done to facilitate better relations between president Koroma’s fifth region and the ODA?

VP Sumana: Coming into office, we realized that there was the need and the involvement of people in the Diaspora to give back to Sierra Leone using the many skills and talents that they have at their disposal. We needed to have a medium to know each other better with what ways they are willing to join in nation building and how government can help them realize their goal or dream of giving back.
However, to achieve the kind of relationship that we as a government would like to have with the Diaspora, we saw that we needed to have an office which will coordinate the affairs between the Diaspora and the government. This is the very first time that this has happened.

Since this is the first time such an office has been set up, it is clear there is going to be a learning curve, mistakes will be made and success oriented people will see these mistakes or failures as an opportunity to grow, adjust strategy and learn from past mistakes. However, it is premature at this moment to bash the leadership of the Diaspora. I think we should all try to contribute to making the ODA function well for our common good. We will surely look into whatever suggestions that you have and my hope is that the leadership will look into those to see how best they can learn from others. You should give a sense of direction to that office.

I am particularly not very pleased some in the Diaspora that all they have is a negative perception of the Office of Diaspora affairs. When we talk about this, it is not only limited to what government offers in the form of employment but opportunities that are there and what members of the Diaspora can do to avail themselves of such.

I am very proud of the Sierra Leone American Business Association (SLABA) for the many things they are undertaking and the various investment opportunities they are working on to bring to our country. It is not always about government but what the private sector can also do. They are indeed a proud bunch of Sierra Leoneans who are bent on making a profound difference and we look forward to working with them. It is our government’s role to creating a favourable environment for all to contribute to nation building. This should be the essence of the Diaspora office and we should consider that it is like a new outfit which may need some adjustments but we should all work to making it be a great office that will assist in making our relationship with the government and the people of Sierra Leone better.

AK: Have you heard about the Direct Expatriates National Investment-Sierra Leone (DENI-SL)?
VP Sumana: Yes I have heard a lot about the DENI-SL poverty reduction program and one of the members, a lady by the name of Agatha Johnson was in Freetown at the Diaspora Luncheon we had at State House on January 3, 2009. I think it is a very good program because it brings a sense of ownership, a sense of patriotism for and by Sierra Leoneans. All the areas that we’ve looked into like privatization, it only makes sense for us as Sierra Leoneans to own all of or part of Sierra Leone. These national assets can and should be owned by natives of Sierra Leoneans. This will give us the inspiration that we have to give back to our beloved home. It will inspire us to know that we have to do it ourselves. In my view, the DENI-SL program is very good for our country. Looking at the terms of reference (TORs) tells me it is a program that can be sustainable. I say this because the average Sierra Leonean will start something but then come the issue of sustainability. It makes absolute sense for us as citizens to own our assets instead of non-Sierra Leoneans. We can all look into this and see how we can manage these assets and transform our homeland.

AK: So, Mr. Vice President is this a ringing endorsement of the program that whoever is involved and as long as they are sincerely interested in making Sierra Leone a better place for all her citizens especially to managing our national assets and then reinvesting profits back into the local economy and providing jobs with the aim of reducing poverty, the government of Sierra Leone is ready to support them in achieving their goals, right?

VP Sumana: Absolutely! There is no reason for us to back off from that project. This is something we have to support. We have called on Sierra Leoneans to come together and help in nation building and if this is one way that our nationals can come together, they have our support. We are serious about involving every citizen as long as he/she puts the country first. DENI-SL seems to be doing just that. Let us give them their fair chance for it is their right to be partners in developing our nation. Our government is committed to doing all we can to transform Sierra Leone to a place we can all be very proud of.

PV: Sir, what is your response to claims by the SLPP opposition party chairman John Benjamin that he “suspects the government of President Ernest Bai Koroma was behind his brief detention and interrogation at Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C. on June 2nd” as a way of stopping from meeting with his supporters in the United States?

VP Sumana: Mr. Kamara, let me tell you that such a claim is absolutely preposterous! It is unfortunate that he had to offer such an explanation; one that has no merits. It is completely contrary to the truth and all that our government stands for. The government of Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, the current All Peoples Congress (APC) is one of tolerance and a government of inclusion. It is no secret that our government has members of the PMDC and even a former member of the current SLPP opposition party in cabinet. This is so because we believe we need everyone to be a partner as we try to develop our nation.
When we came into office, HE had invited all ministers of the three parties to a meeting and he asked all of them to stay in their positions until he found replacements. You will agree with me Mr. Kamara that this was the first time such a thing had happened in our country. The tolerance that our president has demonstrated shows to the rest of the world that at this defining moment of our country’s history, Sierra Leone is ready for a change and will continue to promote the noble aims of democracy. This is what we have been doing. As a party, we do not have any reason to disturb Mr. Benjamin’s peace of mind.
Very recently, when we had our convention, we invited the opposition SLPP and the PMDC. They even made statements at our convention. Has that ever happened before in our country? Never! No! This is the very first time, all during the government of President Ernest Bai Koroma and the current APC. How about the communiqué that we all got together and signed? Mr. Kamara, by now you should know that our president’s tolerance is simply unmatched. Compare that with past leadership that our country has seen so far.
If Mr. Benjamin has any issues of detention at the airport, in my view, I think it is something that he should resolve with the American government and not the government in Sierra Leone. We have no reason to meddle in the affairs of another government and how they conduct their affairs especially with regards to their security procedures. We have nothing to do with it. I think it is best for us to let the American government deal with the situation or any other agency that is looking into it. Believe me, there is nothing we stand to gain from this as a government. We have so much on our table that we are dealing with and are concerned only about moving our nation forward so that we can improve the lives of our people and the socio-economic development of our Sierra Leone. We simply want to continue with the political tolerance that we have established. We came to office in a very transparent and democratic way and to this day, the world is not only proud of us; we are equally proud of ourselves and our political maturity. You have to look at other nations and compare and you’ll be amazed with the way our nation has blossomed. We have been recognized all over the world. I think we need to continue working hard for the good of all Sierra Leoneans.

AK: In other words, what you are saying is that, what he and his party are doing is just to tarnish the good image of the country that your government has asked everyone Sierra Leonean to rebuild and maintain right?

VP Sumana: Well, Mr. Kamara, we all have a duty to rebrand our native land. Our quest to doing so will include everyone. Obviously, some members want the image of the country to be in negative way. We want positive changes and we are called to do that which is right for our nation especially in this rebranding effort. Mr. Kamara. Like I said earlier, our tolerance is unmatched. No witch hunting! If one’s credibility is at stake with the international community, then, the person involved has to deal with it. It is not for the government of Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma. We are not a party to John Benjamin’s detention. We did not in any way shape or form interfere or incite any or offer any information to any country or law enforcement agency about anyone, any Sierra Leonean. No one is above the law and John Benjamin is not an exception.

AK: The North American arm of the All People’s Congress is in disarray. Victor Bockarie Foh, the secretary general of the party was here a few weeks ago to settle the internal battles but it seems as if his efforts have been to no avail. Many in the party were waiting patiently for your arrival. What have you done to settle the divisions that continue to be widely acknowledged? Is this good for the image of the party? Are you at all worried that the North American base is treading on the wrong side for the party?

VP Sumana: Mr. Kamara, the word disarray is a very strong word. There are only minor internal struggles which are pretty common in any family. That’s all we’ve been dealing with. The APC is known to be a family; we share the same ideology and we believe in each other. I think the issue in the North American branch has been overblown way out of proportion. We will take care of it. We believe that from where we’ve come to this point, we need to rebuild the image of our country rather than spending time on petty stuff. The truth is, no individual is bigger than the party. The party is above all and comes first and whatever it takes to sustain and maintain the peace and the right leadership of the party, you can be rest assured, we will do. Make no mistake, Anthony, our party is very strong and we continue to work hard each and every day to serve our people. My presence here will be to look into the issues and then deal with them amicably.

AK: Sir, are you satisfied with your visit to the United States?

VP Sumana: Oh yes, I am very satisfied and happy to meet so many of you.

AK: Thank you sir for granting me this interview. I have truly enjoyed spending this time with you.

VP Sumana: Well, it is my pleasure to be able to answer your questions. Thank you too for your time and good work.

Anthony Kamara, Jnr. is Deputy Editor (Ag) and USA Bureau Chief for The Patriotic Vanguard.