By Abdul Malik Bangura
Sierra Leone is a tiny West African nation widely known for its decade-long bloody civil war which claimed the lives of thousands of harmless compatriots. The effect of the carnage of the apocalyptic civil war still runs through the veins of many as it has divided our post-war nation more into ethno-regional and ethno-political grounds.
Moving fast forward, the country made its mark in the sphere of the international criminal justice system. This is the first country in the world where a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was held together with a Special Court which according to the Special Court for Sierra Leone Statute had “the power to prosecute persons who bear the greatest responsibility for serious violations of international humanitarian law and Sierra Leonean law committed in the territory of Sierra Leone since 30 November 1996, including those leaders who, in committing such crimes, have threatened the establishment of and implementation of the peace process in Sierra Leone.” However, the reconciliatory approach and the war crimes trial approach have both not addressed the issue of our regional divide in the country.
Indeed, this prompts the need for a more vibrant approach to get someone onboard at this time in our history. The person needs to unify us based on his experience in the peace process and as a key figure in pushing through the peace process. This person is Ambassador Omrie Michael Golley.
Of course, many enthusiastic youths will refer to Ambassador Omrie Golley as the Nelson Mandela of Sierra Leone. Safe to say, it is true. Here is a man who had unfairly and unjustly suffered the brunt of being in prison for an alleged crime that was never justified. Hence he was acquitted and discharged.
But like always, for his love of his country, Omrie Golley who is a businessman, lawyer, philanthropist and politician working and living in Sierra Leone and the United Kingdom, continues to use his official and personal connections to bring goodies and development into Sierra Leone. The landmarks are everywhere for us to see. Like the construction of the Korean-funded City Hall project, and the assistance to health, education, and social welfare brought by Ambassador Omrie Golley when he was the head of Sierra Leone’s mission to the Republic of South Korea, the construction of the demonstration centres have again shown that our esteem Ambassador Omrie has development initiatives that navigate across all the regions of the country.
Meanwhile, unifying a nation is always the bastion for peace. In the Biblical Matthew 5:9, it was said that: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.” Hence as Christ continues his lesson on the characteristics of believers, it is no surprise that only those who daily conquer sin in their own lives—who work to bring peace to the civil war in their own hearts—that are ready to help others fight this battle as well. Indeed, from prison to diplomacy and to philanthropy, Omrie Golley is the pure in heart who can unify an ethno-politically divided Sierra Leone. The time is right!! The time is now!!!
