24/07/2024
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MINISTER CHERNOR BAH ON THE SUCCESSFUL PRESIDENTIAL TOWN HALL
Something truly remarkable happened yesterday at the Bintumani Conference Center. H.E President Bio spoke for 3 hours unfiltered to citizens of Sierra Leone. He answered their questions, calmly, thoroughly, and passionately. We covered climate, the Big Five, peace and national cohesion, foreign affairs, census, constitutional review, womenโs rights, etc. For 3 straight hours, our president spoke from his heart without notes to citizens. This was unprecedented. Even when a citizen wanted to create a minor scene after we had exhausted all questions for over three hours, the president asked me to let her speak. And he responded calmly and kindly to her question that he had already spent about 30 minutes of the program answering. Transparency, accountability, and citizensโ engagement are not just buzzwords for this president. Heโs delivering on them. Yesterday was a giant step on the path to strengthening our democracy and creating a new culture of engagement. I thank the over 1000 citizens at the end who sent questions. And the millions of others who engaged including those who joined live listening parties in Bo, Makeni, Port Loko, and Kenema. I thank our multiple media partners for your support especially AYV and SLBC for co-hosting. I thank Africell for their logistical support. I thank NASSIT for their cooperation. I thank my colleagues for your support. I am grateful to the fantastic team at The Ministry of Information and Civic Education for their dedication and hard work even as I push them often. Above all, I thank President Julius Maada Bio for his clarity of vision and his extraordinary commitment to civic discourse and engagement. Itโs a privilege of a lifetime to serve under such a leader who sets the bar and allows us to dream and fly.
