ON EVE OF TRIP TO UK AND US, ALL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 FREETOWN 000325 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/W, INR E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/19/2016 TAGS: PGOV SL SUBJECT: ON EVE OF TRIP TO UK AND US, ALL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS PARTY STRUGGLES TO UNIFY, MOVE FORWARD Classified By: Charge d'Affaires James A. Stewart, reasons 1.4 b/d ¶1. (U) The opposition All People's Congress (APC) Party Chairman and 2007 presidential nominee Ernest Bai Koroma departs for the UK and the U.S. about April 24 to meet with diaspora APC supporters and raise money for the 2007 presidential and parliamentary elections. In the U.S. beginning May 4, Koroma will launch new APC party offices in Philadelphia and Atlanta, as well as hold town meetings in Washington, DC and New Jersey (where there will also be a fundraising dinner). Koroma will see the Congressional Black Caucus, chambers of commerce, the Sierra Leonean Ambassador to the U.S., and private sector contacts, among others. ¶2. (U) Koroma's trip will be challenging, and not just because of the tight schedule. Although he was nominated to be the party's presidential candidate at a national convention in August 2005, a vocal minority wing led by "old school" APC heavyweights headed by MP Eddie Turay has challenged Koroma's right to party leadership and has initated court cases, which include criminal charges stemming from disagreements about how the APC constitution was altered and party convention convened. An August 19 article in "New Vision" newspaper ("Ernest In Hot Waters!!") discussed a diaspora APC conference in Berlin reportedly attended by over 400 APC members from the UK, Ireland, Germany, and the Netherlands. In a post-conference communique, the APC members resolved not to pledge support to Koroma until the intra-party wrangling is resolved. The diaspora APC members complained that too many of the party's resources have been wasted on court matters and said that they expect Koroma and Turay to "work effectively in good spirit" and "speak with one voice" to be successful in the 2007 elections. ¶3. (C) The sticking point depends, of course, on who you talk to. Koroma's has a reputation as a bold, dynamic leader with an agenda to clean up the APC from its troubled, corrupt history. In an April 19 meeting with CDA and PolOff, Koroma said that since the August APC convention confirmed his leadership, he has kept the door open to the Turay wing. But, Koroma said, they refuse to accept him as their leader because they see it as the end of their political career if they do. Koroma's reply? "I am not personally opposed to anyone having a position in the party, but they need to make some changes." Like helping the APC become more transparent and accountable. Like admitting mistakes that the APC made in the past (particularly during the repressive Siaka Stevens regime). Like taking a stand against corruption. (Note: Koroma recently declared publicly that Musa Mansaray, the Chairman of the Makeni Town Council, an APC member in an APC stronghold, must resign because of corrupt activities. Turay's wing criticized Koroma's forthright stance as too extreme, but the public and the APC-dominated council supported him and the Chairman has absconded in disgrace. End Note.) ¶4. (C) Turay, on the other hand, sees Koroma as an overly aggressive upstart who reneged on a deal. On April 19, Turay told CDA and PolOff that Koroma has too much power in the party. Turay said, "He holds five positions! One man cannot hold five positions!" Turay also recounted a meeting that took place at Koroma's residence prior to the August convention. During the meeting, Turay said, both factions agreed to postpone the national convention so as to hold a series of "mini conventions" throughout the country to select delegates for a postponed national convention. Turay also wanted to appoint an interim committee to guide the process. In return for Koroma's agreeing to the mini conventions and new schedule, Turay said, his side would drop the court cases against Koroma and his allies. The next day when they were to sign a joint communique announcing the truce, Turay said, Koroma reneged on the agreement and went forward with the (previously scheduled) convention. As expected, Koroma won in a clean sweep. And Turay is still mad about it. ¶5. (C) Comment: As Koroma leaves for his trip, the standoff between Turay's "old school" wing and Koroma's "reform" wing continues. Koroma needs diaspora support and funding to consolidate his leadership and pressure Turay to relent on the court cases. "I still have some souls to convert," Koroma admitted about the upcoming trip. Indeed. Turay was silent about any upcoming APC travel, and the "New Vision" article said that many of the attendees at the Berlin conference resolved not to attend Koroma's meetings in UK and FREETOWN 00000325 002 OF 002 the U.S. if Turay is not a part of the delegation. Turay, however, cannot afford to carry out his side's threat of sending Koroma and his allies to jail and expect to win at the polls come 2007. Whether they are able to reach a compromise and reunify the party in time to mobilize effectively for the elections is another matter. End Comment. STEWART