Mbayo wrote:
Five Sierra Leonean organizations of pro-democracy orientation were represented at the meeting, including CODISAL, STARFISH, MRD (Movement the Restoration of Democracy), OSLIN (Organization of Sierra Leoneans in Indiana), and SACSL (Society for the Advancement of Culture and Welfare in Sierra Leone)
And what a meeting, indeed. It was as though the usual rules of engagement when SaLeoneans meet were set aside in favor of our national interest. The usual long speeches, the ego trips and the general agreement to talk and talk about nothing were all absent from this meeting along with so many of our fellow citizens who should have been there. Even the perpetual technological glitches that usually bring an abrupt end to many a telephone conversation with Conakry and Salone were not there.
Obviously, the telephone conversations with Norman, Jonah and President Kabbah were the highlight of the day. The frank and to the point Jonah and the eternally optimistic and loyal Hinga Norman lit up the room with excitement. Even the overly cautious Kabbah turned his final comments into a five minute praise rally for the CDF, ECOMOG and SaLeoneans abroad to keep on keeping on. And the Chinese buffet afterwards was fantastic, too.
Like I said, what a meeting.
SMF