Bu Paul Kamara (Salone Malema)
Samura Kamara is my very blood; my first cousin from the same original Kamara chieftaincy house and our great grand father Pa Kamara or Momo Botmoneh; the founder of Kamalo at Maparray.
But I only came to know him when both of us served Bio in 96. But we were never close as Bio’s Finance minister, or Kabbah’s financial secretary or EBK’s Finance minister. We hardly spoke with the same greetings: Hi Coz! Hi Coz!
I wasn’t surprise; for we are two extremes: I am a journalist who told truth to power; a human rights activist, a youth promoter; and the most persecuted freedom fighter in Salone history.
Samura is a technocrat; who worked in the financial world all his life. He allowed EBK to bring him thru the backdoor; and selection is not democratic. His best friends in the same masonic lodge; were Tolla Thompson and Edmond Cowan; who jailed me for six months, denied me right to appeal and pauperized me by illegally seizing all my properties.
I told Tolla that he kakaed on the law before the full glare of the world; and how those who interpret the law allow a corrupt Judge to convert the football association into his own personal property; registered as a trader company at Trade ministry. Also, that funds from Fifa and Caf meant to develop futbol are used instead to kill futbol. And allow him to be President of the Appeals Court of Salone; and the same time, President of the Sierra Leone Futbol Association! And how can an entire nation of activists: judiciary, especially Salone Bar Association, parliament, executive branch and a whole nation sit by and allow one man to broke the law with impunity! And so doing, brought down the reputation of the entire judiciary; into disrepute, shame and ridicule!
Samura is the No 1 financial guru. The system he lives by to me is a killer system; that kills the spirit of Saloneans, especially the youths. It also opened my eyes; that truth and God-fearing seems not to exist in most Saloneans. And that the bitter fact is that those who rule are the true convicts; and the people they convict are the innocent. It is typical example of: Kill Jesus Christ the good man! Free Barabas the murderer and thief! And they constitute the three arms of govt; their princes and principalities; they are evil, wicked, heartless, unforgiving, merciless, unrepentant. They operate the evil and tyrannical or Babylon system.
We are Bio’s two ministers from Kamalo; but we are different. I took the job to ensure Bio did not abort democracy. I did not take a salary or a single land. I could’ve been a rich man with many houses and other assets. I worked tirelessly with pro- democracy groups, elections observers; and the women’s movement to bring multi-party democracy to Salone.
I was the only one in the entire Bio cabinet that stood for Elections Before Peace; the rest for Peace Before Elections. On the day Salone voted 26 February 96; I was ambushed and the soldiers in balaclava said: You bastard! Democracy will come; but you will not live to see it. But in the end, Dr Swee Chai Ang of the London Independent Hospital said: it was a miracle I survived the AK 74 bullet. That she took me three times to the theatre bcos of damage done; and could’ve bled to death. But the miracle is that the veins and nerves remain untouched. And how could that be possible when the bone was smashed into smitherens? The rest is history. God can resurrect one like He did for Lazarus.
We only met again under EBK. It was my experience with the truth; and the fact that APC established For di People newspaper; that made me the man I am today; and the motivation to lead a new APC for God and Country. Interestingly, I was the only aspirant not invited to the two dinners hosted by EBK for aspirants; the only one that was attacked by thugs led by Bai Mamoud and Dr Minkailu Bah and my vehicle damaged; the only one not in the Ministers Club; and wife not in the Ministers Wives Club. But when EBK came up with him; I was by his side and for the first time in my life; was in the campaign trail at Radio Kolenten to give the people positive vibes. So, I have no grudge or malice whatsoever against Samura bcos I believe we have different life-styles and character.
I was therefore, absolutely shocked during the Bintumani debate; when Samura said Bio stole USD 18m; but Bio raised the amount to USD 24m. Why did Samura allow Bio to loot the state treasury; when he is the keeper of the national kitty? Why did he open it to allow Bio to loot! This means, Samura condones corruption; and such a man cannot bring about economic recovery. This was why Kabbah said Bio cleared the state treasury. But the donors stopped donor funds to Kabbah bcos he left Le 500bn in the kitty; and Samura was his financial secretary for two terms. He also served as Bank Governor and finance minister under EBK but removed. Can you rate him a success or failure?
Will Samura bring salvation to Mama Salone; when his hands are already tied by so many competing interests? If you can’t fight corruption and you are weak, you cannot rule Salone well. A technocrat like Samura cannot easily convert to become an effective politician. It is politics that damaged his reputation. Samura was surprise when I took him before the Supreme Court as a test of integrity. But it was not him per se but the entire defacto APC executive that; they are corrupt, lawbreakers and a gang of hoodlums who believe in violence and other illegal acts. They have no regard for the COI and White Paper; and condoned the chopping of over Le 8bn party funds including other assets; the party cannot violate the law with impunity; trampled upon by a vacated executive and their Team A puppets; who imposed themselves on the will of APC voters.
The problem for all the troubles in the APC is that they don’t believe in democracy but selection; a line towed by the rest aspirants who condoned the sabotage of the 2022 constitution. And now ready to throw Samura under the bus; in their tampalay ways to always sell the party to the devil without profit. And for Samura to go for a third term is not helpful to the party. That does not mean if God marks that power; it can still come from Kamalo: the land of Pa Salone and Ma Salone and the rites: oshem e tank e than ar chain kor ka karain kitank kithan in Ma Salone and Pa Salone. It is the original message from our ancestors; that the ruler from Kamalo will be called Mama Salone! Papa Salone! This is embedded in the rituals of the Loko people as revealed by Pankilla or Pa Salone; at Batkanu the colonial headquarters; when he was asked his name. He replied: Pa Salone. My grandmother Ya Bonkapr Kaibala is the first Loko chief in Salone. This is an ancestral message I deliver to all Lokos; especially Sanda Loko Kamalo of Maparray; from the great ancestral roots of our great fore-fathers. And it comes from the son of Pa Momo Farray of the Kamara family.
Ask any aspirant to tell you what he has done for the country; confront the system and ready to sacrifice everything including the happiness of his family? All they flount is their ill-gotten wealth as their easy road to power. But God’s integrity test shall come one day; and we pray 2028; will be the Year of the Youth Revolution to free Mama Salone forever!
