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The State House Communications Director, Myk Berewa, has firmly defended President Julius Maada Bio’s frequent international engagements, stating that global diplomacy is a core function of the presidency.
This assertion came during a heated panel discussion on AYV’s “On Sunday” program, where the purpose and frequency of the president’s travels were debated.
“I want the people to understand that the work of the president is to travel,” Berewa stated, pushing back against criticism from opposition figures and journalists.
He argued that President Bio’s participation in forums like the recent 80th United Nations General Assembly is essential for representing Sierra Leone’s interests on the global stage and securing international partnerships.
The defense was met with sharp criticism from Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara, Chief Whip of the Opposition All People’s Congress (APC) in Parliament. “Why do we have ambassadors all over the world?” Kamara questioned sarcastically. “It’s good we close all the embassies and allow the president. Out of the 27 trips the president has made, he has gone to 30 or 40 countries.”
Hon. Kamara further argued that the president’s diplomatic overtures lack reciprocity, noting that the foreign leaders he visits seldom make return trips to Sierra Leone.
Adding to the critique, journalist Thomas Dixon presented a detailed chronology of President Bio’s travels in the first half of the year, which included attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, presenting Sierra Leone’s “Feed Salone” plan at the IFAD Governing Council in Rome, and delivering a lecture at Oxford University in London.
While acknowledging that some presidential diplomacy is necessary, Dixon questioned the necessity of all the trips. “Some of the travels are not important,” he stated, citing former U.S. President Donald Trump’s 19 international trips during his tenure as a comparative example of reduced travel expenditures.
Dixon also clarified a point of public discourse, stating, “I did not say the president spent 100 million dollars. I said 245 billion Leones was spent, which is in the government’s annual report.”
