By Alusine Sesay
As the debate on Ambassador Omrie Golley’s credentials to lead the All-People’s Congress (APC) party to the next polls in 2028 gathers steam, this writer would attempt to lay some facts bare about one of Sierra Leone’s greatest diplomats and political icons.
Golley who was a leading candidate in the 2023 APC National Delegates Convention was clearly no stranger to Sierra Leonean politics – having played a prominent role in the negotiations that led to the disarmament of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), the ultimate cessation of hostilities and an end to the country’s 11-year civil war.
Being a lawyer, diplomat, businessman and grassroots politician, Golley’s leadership credentials may have been grossly underrated probably due to his humble demeanor and refusal to prominently showcase his milestone achievements as a veritable servant of the state and a bona fide contributor to the peace and tranquility we enjoy today.
While his role in the war years has been grossly misunderstood and, in some instances, unfairly misrepresented by some people, it is evident that the highly educated and eloquent British-trained lawyer was one of those Sierra Leoneans who chose to risk his personal safety and unblemished image for the good of Sierra Leone in the delicate and complex peace and disarmament process.
The Western Area -Southeastern Heritage
Born to a Krio Mother from Freetown and a Mende Father from Pujehun in the Southern Region, Golley’s cross-cultural heritage is considered by many observers as a critical factor in our quest to bridge the tribal, regional and political divide in Sierra Leone. Observers of Sierra Leonean politics believe that the APC, as one of the two dominant political parties since independence, has a far better chance of returning to State House in 2028.
However, for this to happen, the party should go back in History when a certain President Siaka Stevens whose tenure brought greater promise for a unified Sierra Leone had Northern and Southern-eastern roots. Stevens galvanized support from every tribe and region to the extent that it became relatively easy for him to govern Sierra Leone under a one-party state. I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, suggesting a return to a one-party state. I believe the APC can achieve easy electoral victory in the next elections if it chooses to reject the temptation of following the path of the SLPP in electing candidates that would end up polarizing the country with divisive and corrosive tribal shenanigans.
Adopting a radical shift from these tribal considerations (which are often the antithesis of choosing a flagbearer in contemporary Sierra Leonean politics) can present the APC as the party for all Sierra Leoneans.
While Omrie Golley’s cross-cultural identity would certainly appeal to voters in the Western Area as well as his kinsmen in the south-east. He also made very strong political alliances in the Northern Region where he has invested time and capital, establishing agricultural training centers and demonstration farms in Kambia, Port Loko, Tonkolili and Bombali Districts. These investments have equipped hundreds of young people with the practical skills they need to thrive within their localities.
Ideally, we now see a man who has left his footprints in the sands of time. A man who could just be the proverbial missing piece of the puzzle to unite and redeem Sierra Leone from the clutches of penury and deprivation.
Omrie Golley Can Unite a Divided Sierra Leone when given the opportunity.