By M.B. Jalloh, Press Attaché, Saudi
Arabia
 |
| Dr. Inshaglou |
Prof. Dr. Ekmeledin Ihsanoglu is a
mild-mannered scientist, diplomat and academic who served as the Secretary
General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) from 2004-14.
It’s the second largest Inter
Governmental Organization after the UN. After completing his Ph.D.
studies at Ankara University, Turkey in 1974, he did his post-doctoral research
from 1975 to 1977 as a research fellow at the University of Exeter, the United
Kingdom. He served as a faculty member in faculties of science and then became
the first professor and founding Head of the Department of History of Science
at the Istanbul University.
The learned Doctor is also the first
by-vote-elected Secretary of the OIC. When he took the office as the ninth
Secretary General in January 2005, he provided strong leadership to the 57
member states organization and espoused the cause of the Muslim world in
difficult times.
On various occasions in the past, he
proposed measures to strengthen world peace and to forge solidarity among the
global Muslim community. He took serious steps to make the OIC as an effective
organization. His effort to strengthen the OIC was lauded by many heads of
state, including Sierra Leone’s President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma.
He met the later in June, 2011. It
was be the first ever visit to Sierra Leone by the head of the 57-member
pan-Islamic organization since its inception in 1969.
During the meeting, President Koroma
and the former OIC top gun held discussions on developing and strengthening the
existing multi-lateral ties between the Sierra Leone Government and the OIC
with its affiliated institutions and specialized organs. Two months after
their meeting, I met the Turkish Diplomat in the Gabonese capital, Libreville
(both of us in photo) where he spoke highly of President Koroma. “I admire your
President very much,” he told me among many other positive things about the President.
Last year, Sierra Leone’s Deputy
Minister of Information and Communications, Theo Nicol was in Saudi Arabia on
an official visit. During his three days stay in the Kingdom, he paid a
courtesy call on the former Secretary General and they held very fruitful
discussions.
The Secretary General described
Sierra Leone’s democracy as “unique” to the Minister and noted that the 17th
November 2012 multi-tier elections were an “honourable victory for all Sierra
Leoneans which they must be proud of”.
The former head of the 57 member
states organization also said Sierra Leone proved to the international
community that its democracy was advancing beyond all reasonable doubts by
conducting four categories of elections on the same day – Presidential, Parliamentary,
Chairman/Mayoral and Councillorship elections, under a peaceful and violence
free environment. “We sent observers and they came with very positive and
impressive reports about the conduct of the elections; which is very good for a
country,” Prof. Ihsanoglu said.
He also commended President Dr.
Ernest Bai Koroma for the development strides he made during his first five
years. He recalled the two meetings he had with President Koroma in Sierra
Leone and in the USA.
“The first time I met your President
was in Freetown and the other was in the USA at a special luncheon at the UN
Headquarter premises in New York organized for a few of us by President Barack
Obama during the 2011 UN General Assembly.” Professor Ishanglou told Sierra
Leone’s Deputy Information Chief.
The Turkish born Secretary General
added: “Both meetings with your President proved to me that he’s a democrat who
is ready to transform Sierra Leone and I observe that he’s a leader who cares
for his people.”
Well, last Sunday the Professor took
part in his country’s first direct election as the main opposition candidate
challenging Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s prime minister, but he was defeated.
Erdogan took more that 50 percent of the vote, according to Turkey's election
board.
In a brief statement to reporters in
Istanbul just after he lost the election, Ihsanoglu said: "I congratulate
Mr. Prime Minister and wish him success”. As a matter of fact, this is what is
expected of true politicians – accept defeat and congratulate the winner,
particularly in free and fair elections like the just concluded one in Turkey.
Better luck next time, Prof. Ihsanoglu.
Sierra Leoneans will remain to be
grateful to you, sir. During your tenure, you supported a Trust-Fund to assist
the Government of Sierra Leone with its post war reconstruction program, among
many other projects across the country. You are a true friend of Sierra Leone!!
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