Ambassador's Speeches

Ambassador’s Remarks for the July 4th Reception, 2007

Deputy Minister Dr. Kamara, Honorable Ministers, My Lord Chief Justice, My Worship the Mayor, Distinguished Guests.

Good evening and thank you for joining us in celebrating the 231^st anniversary of the independence of the United States of America.  Although we have observed our national day on President’s Day in February for the past two years, we have returned to our traditional July 4^th Independence Day because this beautiful new Embassy offers an appropriate indoor venue during the rainy season.

Like President Kabbah, I am approaching the end of my tenure in office.  I think it is very appropriate that as Sierra Leone moves into a new era with a new president and a new parliament that the American Embassy should also enter a new era under my successor, Ambassador June Carter Perry who will arrive in September.  Regardless of who is ambassador, Sierra Leone can rely on the continuity of America’s foreign policy and the friendship of the American people.  The bonds between our countries will continue to strengthen, particularly with the anticipated return of Peace Corps teachers in the coming months.

My three years as ambassador have passed all too quickly.  But I am gratified by the legacy that I shall leave.  Recently, I re-read the statement I made at my presentation of credentials to President Kabbah.  I am pleased that virtually all of the priorities that I established at the time have been fulfilled, as well as some that emerged later, such as renovation of Fourah Bay College’s JFK Building that we are undertaking through CRS.
Sierra Leone’s national anthem, which we have just listened to, has always been very meaningful to me.  The music is beautiful and dignified, and it brings back memories of my years as a Peace Corps teacher in Gbinti where we sang the anthem every day before school.  I still remember those lyrics, but they are regrettably rarely sung at public occasions these days.

The anthem concludes: “We pledge our devotion, our strength and our might, Thy cause to defend and to stand for thy right; All that we have be ever thy own, Land that we love, our Sierra Leone.”    Those lyrics are not only beautiful, but also still pertinent, and should be sung proudly more often.

As Sierra Leone approaches a milestone in its resurrection from war with the first transition from one elected leader to another, the devotion of Sierra Leoneans to democracy and to their country will be put to the test.  The respect that the Government and political parties have shown for the constitutional independence of the National Electoral Commission and the Political Parties Registration Commission augurs well for the credible, free and fair elections that Sierra Leoneans and the international community are expecting.  The mere fact that people do not consider the election results to be foregone conclusions is a positive indication of Sierra Leone’s progress in democratization.  Sierra Leoneans and the international community also expect those results to be respected and the transition to the new Government to be smooth, and every indication is that they will be.  By showing that 2007 is unlike 1967, Sierra Leone’s stature will rise in the global community of democracies.

The United States is pleased to have contributed to the electoral process through USAID funding to the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and IFES, for example to help the PPRC become established throughout the country.    The United States has contributed to Sierra Leone’s development during my tenure in too many ways to enumerate, but most notably to the peace and security that Sierra Leone enjoys today and to the food security that the country is striving to achieve.  I am also pleased that the United States is the largest contributor to the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and we will continue to support the Court as it brings those most responsible for Sierra Leone’s suffering to justice.

Sierra Leone is making progress, but like the proverbial glass half-full, much more remains to be accomplished.  The outgoing Government and Parliament are to be commended for the many laws that have been enacted that now provide a structure to enable the next Government to address the challenges ahead.  Those challenges, such as the war on corruption, are daunting, but they also offer opportunities for improving the condition of the country.  Particular concerns to me as a former press spokesman that I stipulated three years ago are improving professionalism in journalism and reforming the anachronistic Public Order Act of 1965 to protect press freedom, a chronic issue that I urge be addressed after the elections.

As I depart, I want to remind Sierra Leoneans that private sector enterprise is the engine that will power Sierra Leone on the path to prosperity.  It is business that generates sustainable employment and produces the capital necessary for continued development, not Government and not donor assistance.  We look to Government to both facilitate and regulate the private sector, including foreign investment, and to respect contracts and international agreements.  In that respect I applaud the recent passage in Parliament of new business legislation.  As with all legislation, its value lies in its implementation, another challenge for the new Government.

I also want to draw attention to what I see as a growing threat to Sierra Leone’s security, namely transnational crime.  Smugglers, such as narcotics traffickers, are increasingly transiting Sierra Leone.  Some have been intercepted at the airport, which serves as a warning to others, but Sierra Leone must become even more vigilant lest narcotics become corrosive to Sierra Leonean society as they have elsewhere in the world.  In this context, I am concerned that Sierra Leone’s porous borders may be seen by international terrorists as an invitation to do mischief within your country.  Although Sierra Leone is peaceful and seemingly far removed from trouble elsewhere in the world, the reality is that terrorists can strike anywhere and often do so where least expected.  In this respect, America’s security assistance to Sierra Leone will continue.

I must now conclude by bidding farewell to a country for which I have great affection.  When I left Sierra Leone in 1970, I did so with a few tears in my eyes because Sierra Leoneans, particularly my neighbors, colleagues, and students in Gbinti and friends in Port Loko, had helped me to grow as a person through their generosity despite their poverty.  I feared that I might never return, but indeed I did.  I will be leaving again soon with the hope that I have repaid that generosity by helping Sierra Leone to develop as a country.  Unlike 1970, however, there will be no tears in my eyes because I intend to remain engaged with Sierra Leone in my new position as a professor of international relations, and I most certainly expect to return.

In closing, I once again thank all of you for being for being here because you represent the larger community of people who have made Sierra Leone a wonderful personal experience for my wife Jill and me.  Please continue to enjoy the rest of the evening.