New Leaders to Govern LSA Malmö Chapter. Congratulations!
Updated: Sep 8, 2020
In the midst of COVID 19, the Liberian Swedish Association (LSA) continues to persevere in directions that are geared towards developing its communities. On Saturday, September 5, 2020, after a series of electoral activities the Association's LSA Malmö Chapter elected two new officials to govern the administrative affairs of the Chapter. The two elected officials are Mr. Tejan Fahnbullah as Chairman, and Miss Ayo Nanno Mawana as the Vice-Chairlady.
Prior to the election, the chapter was initially governed by Mr. Charles Massaquoi and Madam Susanna Leith. Both individuals were appointed as interim leaders by LSA President, Mr. David Ford on July 20, 2019, in Malmö, Sweden. They were given the responsibility to run the affairs of the chapter until it was deemed necessary to host an election. However, due to some personal engagements, Madam Leith later resigned the post and was replaced by Mr. Lusiny Swaray. Mr. Richard B. Fully and Miss Daisy Wesseh were later appointed to serve as Secretary and Financial Secretary respectively.
The leaders inherited a number of problems upon taking over. There was disunity amongst many members of the community, and the chapter appears to lack the potential to transition from its dark days. Nevertheless, the interim leaders were not deterred by these problems but rather endeavored the test of time by working in close collaborations with the LSA Stockholm Headquarter to overcome these challenges. With such perseverance and hard work, the interim leaders were able to create an environment where members could once again interact with each other in harmony and eventually brought the chapter back to preeminence.
With regards to the election, an inaugural ceremony was held on Saturday, September 5, 2020, via the online platform, Zoom. During this time, LSA President, Mr. David Ford installed the newly elected officials into office.
Additionally, Mrs. Koo Y. Joseph, LSA Vice-President, and Mrs. Winnifred Sandy, LSA Secretary-General, during their remarks, cautioned the new officials to work diligently in their roles and to disregard false propaganda.
Some prominence members from LSA various communities also attended the occasion, in persons of Mr. Ambrose Julue, Chairman of LSA Norrland Chapter; Mr. Francis Mensah, LSA formal President; Mr. Abraham Sandy, LSA Malmö formal Chairman; and Mr. Barry Karmoh, Chairman of the LSA Disciplinary and Reconciliation Committee.
These prominence individuals simultaneously pledge to support the incoming leaders and encouraged them to strive to unite members of the LSA Malmö community, and to further develop the Chapter.
Mr. Charles Massaquoi and Mr. Richard B. Fully were also present on the occasion. Mr. Fully, speaking on behalf of the interim leadership, congratulated the incoming leaders and encouraged them to be outstanding leaders for the betterment of LSA Malmö members and community. He also thanked the leadership of LSA Stockholm Headquarter for their support during their tenure in office.
Mr. Fahnbullah in his inaugural remark thanked the election commissioners for conducting a free and fair election. He promised to set up a reconciliation committee to enhance the unification between members of the LSA Malmö chapter. Miss Mawana in her inaugural remark promised to work closely with women in her community and across LSA various communities, to encourage them to take on more roles in the LSA.
In a closing remark, Mr. Ford thanked Mr. Kesselly and Mr. Jallah for carrying out a successful election. He thanked the outgoing interim leadership for their tremendous achievements, and for the level of commitment rendered to the LSA Malmö chapter and to the entire LSA. Moreover, Mr. Ford urged the incoming leaders to be proactive and always keep a positive mindset in their roles. He added that it was time for them to create their own “story”, which they would like to be remembered by. He also encouraged the leaders to make use of all the support that both LSA's formal and current leaders have pledged to render to them.