United States Congressman Gregory W. Meeks has hailed Sierra Leone’s democratic trajectory, describing the country as a “shining example” on the continent.
Meeks, who is Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, praised the leadership of the Bio administration for the direction it is leading the country.
The US lawmaker was speaking at a ceremony organized to coronate him as honorary Paramount Chief of Sierra Leone, according to a video report released by the presidency on Monday.
Meeks is at the head a seven-man delegation of the US House Committee which is on a four-nation Africa tour, including Liberia, Tanzania and Cote d’Ivoire. The delegation include Representatives Ami Bera, Ilhan Omar, Joyce Beatty, G.K. Butterfield, Brenda Lawrence, and Troy Carter.
Sierra Leone was the first stop of the delegation which arrived in Freetown on Saturday night.
During their two-day stay in the country, the delegation held several meetings with government officials, including President Julius Maada Bio and members of his cabinet, as well as opposition political parties and civil society organizations, according to media advisories issued by both the Sierra Leone government and the US House Foreign Affairs Committee in Washington DC.
Part of their itinerary was a visit to Bunce Island, a former slave trading post from where tens of thousands of Africans were shipped to the Americas to work on plantations as slaves.
Meeks, a Democratic lawmaker from New York, is one of many Americans who have traced their ancestry to Sierra Leone through DNA test. He traced his route to the Mende ethnic group, who are predominantly in the southern region of Sierra Leone.
In recognition of this, the US lawmaker was crowned a honorary Paramount Chief of Sogbini Chiefdom in the southern Bonthe District, the same chiefdom President Bio’s father once presided over as Paramount Chief. Congressman Meeks was given the traditional name of PC Wonni Bio, the same name as the president’s late father.
The citation preceding his crowning, read by Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Tamba Lamina, hailed the Congressman as having distinguished himself with “exceptional love” for humanity. Its notes that as a member of the Black Congressional Caucus, Meeks had always embraced justice and equality for all, irrespective of race, origin or background.
PC Sheku Fasuluku Sonsiama, Chairman of the Council of Paramount Chiefs in Sierra Leone, presided over the traditional ceremony held at State Lodge, the official resident of the Sierra Leone president in Freetown. PC Sonsiama hailed Meek’s installation as Paramount Chief and one of their own.
Congressman Meeks said at the ceremony that he was proud to be home.
“Barack Obama may have Kenya, but I have Sierra Leone,” he said, to a rousing applause. He was referring to the former US president whose father hailed from Kenya.
The announcement of the visit by the US Congressional delegation occasioned speculations about its exact motive, with critics of the Bio administration, especially opposition supporters, saying it was meant to rein in the administration amidst growing concern over alleged human rights violations and erosion of civil liberties.
The public statement of Congressman Meeks, who is the head of the delegation, is however likely to disappoint many.
“When I look at you out there today and I think about the accomplishments of this great government and I think about where this country is headed, this country, my ancestral home, when I look at the progress against all odds, a shining example of democracy, right here in Sierra Leone…This nation stands for good, stands for freedom, and stands for justice. And that you are going to make tomorrow better…,” he said.
The coronation ceremony was graced by top government officials, among them Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh and United States embassy officials.
President Bio hailed Congressman Meeks and his delegation for making the decision to visit “home.”
“This is home for us and this is home for you. And this will always be home away from home,” the President said.
Bio recounted his government’s stride in ensuring democracy and human rights, noting that Sierra Leone currently ranks as fourth most peaceful country in Africa and that it’s one of the “most tolerant” nations in the world.
“Welcome to our democracy, where we have abolished the death penalty, permanently removed all criminal libel laws, clamped down on corruption, made tremendous progress in ruling justly, robustly fighting all forms of sexual and gender violence, taking progressive steps to assure gender empowerment and women’s equality, expanded access to justice and promoted and protected people’s right, invested in human capital development as a national priority,” the president stated.
First Lady Fatima Bio, in a brief statement assured the Congressional delegation of the Sierra Leone government’s commitment to the promotion of democratic values and women’s empower.
The delegated was scheduled to arrive in Monrovia on Monday, from where it will head to Dar e Salem in Tanzania, before coming back to West Africa for meetings with Ivorian authorities.
