In the trending main opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) party’s discussions about a new flagbearer, the party should be reminded that old times have passed and we are in a global political dawn where previously disadvantaged people or groups are making great strides and accomplishing great things for parties and countries.
The party should consider these trends as they prepare on who is the best person and running mate to take on the ruling party fully cognisant of the SLPP’s threats not to hand power over to the APC, which also includes if the party actually wins the election, as many people believe about last year’s presidential elections that many say has not been completely resolved in light of the dialogue that produced the communiqué that established the unfinished tripartite process.
For example, in the great United States of America, a new thing has happened. Not only does that country has a female vice president, it now has a female that has been nominated as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate for the November 2024 presidential elections. By all indications and from credible surveys, Kamala Harris will defeat former president Trump.
The APC, in their quest for a committed, educated partisan with a proven service delivery record that is not only popularly at home with the grassroots supporters of the party, but also has a proven track record in the area of public administration, is being advised to recognise the strength of a woman.
As the search for the party’s next flagbearer proceeds, ten women were profiled last week from which by popular demand, four of them need to be looked at in a special way. The ten that were profiled as potential female flagbearers are: Haja Zainab Hawa Bangura, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Mariama Lowe Bangura, Diana Konomanyi, Nanette Thomas, Isata Kabia, Sunkarie Kabba-Kamara, Madina Rahman, Miatta Kargbo, and Kallah Kamara.
For this edition on the trending topic of the next APC flagbearer, FORUM will take a special look at Haja Zainab Hawa Bangura, Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyer, Isata Kabia and Sunkarie Kabba-Kamara. These women according to party supporters can stand as potential flagbearers or running mates to whichever male candidate that the delegates would elect. The party must be reminded that our population is female dominant, so we should not forget or ignore the female vote, even as a matter of solidarity that crosses party, tribal or regional ties or boundaries.
Haja Zainab Hawa Bangura has a vast public administration track record that is replete with accomplishing her set objectives that would be an encouragement to many young girls. Her educational accomplishment aside (advanced diplomas in Insurance Management at the City University Business School of London and the University of Nottingham), Ms Bangura is a seasoned UN diplomat, a social activist of great standing for her advocacy that drove the NPRC from power in 1996 and restored democratic government. A fearless speaker of the truth this lady endangered her life by publically and fearlessly speaking against the atrocities committed against the civilian population by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), and survived several assassination attempts by the RUF. What really pushed Haja Bangura’s stock to the top of the pile is that despite her tough life, including escaping Sierra Leone in a fishing boat to Guinea when fighting engulfed the nation in June 1997, was before and after running against Kabbah for the presidency of Sierra Leone in 2002, she spoke against the corruption in Kabbah’s government and the atrocities committed against civilians by government soldiers during the civil war. Her political party, Movement for Progress (MOP), was believed to have been cheated out of gaining parliamentary seats. As the APC is looking for a strong flagbearer to take on Julius Maada Bio and boldly expose the flaws in his regime, Haja Bangura should be high on the APC list.
To her credit, and according to top party stalwarts, second term and back to back winning Mayor of Freetown, Yvonne Denise Aki-Sawyerr, Order of the British Empire, has been called a young Kamala Harris. When Yvonne speaks, people say they have visions of a young Barack Obama. Under Mayor Aki-Sawyerr, Freetown has been ably led despite running issues that cannot be attributed to her tenure but which she and her team of councillors are working hard at resolving.
Madam Mayor has a great educational background (Sierra Leone and UK), sound fiduciary training and has played crucial roles in governance, various charities and public service projects in the UK and Sierra Leone, including participation in the fight against Ebola in 2014, the subsequent recovery initiatives and as a key member of the President’s Recovery Priorities (PRP), serving as delivery Team Lead.
Isata Bussoh Kabia is another strong female flagbearer potential for the APC. The staunch activist has also had several leadership positions for which she was exemplary, both as a government minister (heading two critical ministries: Foreign Affairs and Social Welfare) and member of the Pan African Parliament. Kabbia is an organiser, someone the party desperately needs to form a lasting and much stronger bond with grassroots Sierra Leoneans from all the divides. With her background and training Kabbia will play a great and leading role in the review of the country’s constitution and make it fit for purpose.
When Sunkari Kabba-Kamara stepped onto the political scene, she did so with a bang that was heard all over Sierra Leone. The little known Kabba-Kamara not only surprisingly defeated the incumbent mayor of Makeni, Moses Musa Sesay, in a landslide in the APC primary in Makeni, but she went on to win the 2012 mayoral election with 86.95%, over her main opponent Abu A. Koroma of the Sierra Leone People’s Party. Her administration was one replete with success after success that ensured her viability as a flagbearer of the APC.
The APC must consider the strength of a woman. Women play a great and critical role in public administration that has largely gone unnoticed in this male domineering world. But with women’s issues taking global centre stage and with many leading democracies having women as prime minister and president, the rise of Kamala Harris in the 2024 US presidential race and the excitement she has brought to the race not limited to inspiring billions of women around the world, the APC delegates must and should consider the strength of the women in the party.
Our women have long managed and headed many of our homes; maybe if given a chance at the helm they will make a success of this great nation yet!
