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Ambassador Alhaji Dr Osman Foday Yansaneh
The National Secretary General
All Peoples Congress Party
31a Old Railway Line Brookfields
Freetown Sierra Leone
February 7th 2022
Dear National Secretary General,
Re: APC Diaspora’s Position on the Operation of the Diaspora as a Region
As APC Diasporas, we vehemently stand and unite under the position of the operation of one Diaspora Region within the jurisdiction of all Branches in North America, Continental Europe, Africa, Australia and Asia Pacific. The suggestion or observation from the PPRC has the potential to stifle growth, create a divide among APC Branches, and certainly result in the collapse of some of the APC Branches in the Diaspora.
In light of this, as APC Diaspora, we would like to humbly make the following final suggestions:
i. The final APC Party Constitution should maintain Article 31(e) as it is in the proposed APC Constitution which states that “For the purposes of this Constitution, the Diaspora shall be considered as a Region of the Party and, where applicable and not in consistent with other provisions of this Constitution, the provisions relating to a Regional Convention and Regional Executive Committee shall apply”.
ii. The authorship in the final APC Party Constitution should take into cognizance the current composition of the APC Diaspora which comprises APC Branches and members in North America, Continental Europe, Australia-Asia-Pacific, and Africa sub-regions.
iii. On decision and consultation on issues and concerns within the Diaspora we always position ourselves as one Diaspora through Zoom meetings and other online and internet communication services which connect us on meetings and conferences
The Diaspora Regional Branch Chairpersons and their individual Branch executive members have consistently maintain unity by working together as a Diaspora over the years having meetings, conferences and Summits to showcase the power of unity within the Diaspora.
On the 18th of July 2020 the Diaspora Branches select a 9Man Committee globally and was constituted with representatives from the various Diaspora Branches of Africa, North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. The aim of that Committee was to solicit the views of APC members to make or suggest proposals on the structure of Diaspora Region.
In generating information from APC members, the Committee conducted one-on-one interviews and group discussions with youth, women, and members of the APC Branches across the Diaspora. From the responses collated from these interviews and discussions, over 90 percent of members vehemently suggested the inclusion of some form of decentralisation in the Diaspora structure which will reflect the Diaspora to have one Diaspora Regional Chairman and four deputy Chairpersons that will reflect from Africa, Continental Europe, Australasia and North America. These deputies will coordinate with the regional Chairman and his Executive Members to run the affairs of the Diaspora in a more decentralised format that will promote inclusion and unity within the Diaspora.
Based on the above unique characteristics of the Diaspora, members of the APC in the Diaspora have united strongly around the uniqueness of the Diaspora as a Region and vehemently oppose the suggestion or observation from the PPRC as it has the potential to stifle growth and create a division among APC Branches that has tendency to collapse some of the APC Branches in the Diaspora and slow fundraising activities.
In light of this, we want to use this opportunity to express our deepest appreciation to you, the National Chairman and Leader, Dr Ernest Bai Koroma, Ambassador Alhaji Dr Osman Foday Yansaneh the Diaspora Coordinator, Comrade Leonard Balogun Koroma, the APC legal team, and all other stakeholders for the incredible efforts being put into the finalisation of the APC Constitution. We implore your timely intervention in this allimportant suggestion from the APC Diaspora region.
