MAY GOES DOWN IN THE MONTH OF MAY BUT MESSI CLINGS ON IN SALONE.
British Prime Minister, Theresa May will leave 10 Downing Street in a few weeks after nearly three years. She’s been forced out by her colleagues and their allies principally because they want to move on from her approach to Brexit and contemporary British politics. Back home Messi has completed nearly eleven years in office but he is still hanging in there as Supreme Leader of the Red Camp, driving things in his image and likeness daring anyone to challenge his leadership. During the selection of their leaders in Makeni, Messi threatened to “CRUSH” anyone who stood in his way. CRUSH indeed.
Many people have called for Messi to retire – even in his own Red Camp. They want him to emulate Alhaji Tejan Kabbah who stayed completely off partisan politics and became a father figure, consulted by many for advice in and out of Sierra Leone. In very low tones, Red Camp people always believe Messi must go but they are too scared to bell the cat. They believe Messi’s departure will achieve the following:
1. A new leader will emerge with fresh ideas and zeal to re-position the Red Camp for highs and lows of national politics
2. When Messi came to the leadership of the Red Camp he was trusted by the nation to transform the camp and to take State House. He did. Why can’t he now open the way for another person to try?
3. The longer Messi remains in power, the more difficult it would become for people to look beyond his years when talking about politics in Sierra Leone.
4. In fact this is not just about Messi. The whole camp would do with fresh faces and a potential fresh start.
5. Suppressed voices in the Red Camp and new highly educated professionals wanting to re-shape Sierra Leone politics from the Red Camp side would emerge. Until then, long live Messi.
INQUEST FOR MUSTAPHA: SO WHERE ARE WE NOW?
One of the first things the Ayatolla did in his very brief period as Government Lawyer was to approve an inquest into the controversial death of a man called Mustapha in a fire some years ago. Since Margai was thrown out of office we haven’t heard a word about that inquest. Now therefore, we believe Principal should tell the nation something about the issue. Pretending as if everything is fine with the Mustapha family and that they now have closure on that issue is false. Otherwise we will conclude that this was a Margai project. The inquest must go on for the following reasons:
1. Let the family of the late man get closure on this issue. As long as that fire incident is considered suspicious there will be continuous cry for justice.
2. The people of Sierra Leone who have been following this case with interest want to be sure there were no death squads going around this country killing people.
3. If that Coroner’s inquest confirms what people suspected all these years, then we will expect trials and convictions for murder, arson and other offences. Besides they call this New Direction and TALK en DO. You have talked about the inquest, now go ahead and do it.
4. The longer we delay this inquest the more time we are providing for those who know they did something to flee the country or take further steps to further conceal their crimes by destroying the evidence. And those steps may include doing something to people who knew something.
5. The last time we saw a Coroner’s inquest in this country was in the case of journalist Harry Yansaneh. Recommendations were made by the Coroner for some people to be prosecuted. As soon as the mother of those people switched to the ruling party the matter died and the Coroner is still recovering from the series of administrative attacks he suffered. Here is an opportunity to do a proper inquest and implement its findings.
PERSISTENT RED BOYCOTS SEND WORRYING SIGNALS
Frankly no future boycott by the Red Camp will surprise anybody in the future. They’ve boycotted local council elections, walked out of parliament during Principal’s speech to the nation (by the way are they taking part in the debate of the issues in that speech?) and they’ve also boycotted a national assembly addressing the question of peaceful cohesion among the many people of this country.
All this brings an important issue into play: Are they representing themselves or the people? Even Mayor of the Sun pulled out of Bintumani III apparently on the orders of Red Camp masters. The same question goes for those MPs who without provocation are busy boycotting parliamentary proceedings. They may be Red Camp people but there are significant numbers of people within their constituencies who belong to other camps. Who is seeking their interests? Or is it a case that Red Camp MPs and their Mayor are only concerned about their own people. Nearly half the electorate in Freetown was not represented at Bintumani III because the RED MPs and Mayor stayed away to satisfy Messi.
What you people have done is to put a very powerful campaign material in the hands of your opponents. Keep running away every time you are asked to confront a difficult national issue.
JOHANSEN OF SLFA FIGHTS TO THE END
Isha Johansen and Chris Kamara worked out of the High Court in Freetown free – acquitted and discharged of offences contained in an indictment filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission relating to their conduct in office as President and General Secretary of the Sierra Leone Football Association. Many have been waiting for this judgement for a long time. So what are the implications of Isha and Chris now returning to the Football Academy to resume duty?
1. The Secretariat has now changed beyond recognition since they were asked to step aside. The place is badly divided between those who wanted them out and even celebrated their removal and those who remained loyal to her. Can the center hold anymore?
2. Let’s be honest would Isha really be able to go back and work in that secretariat and with that divided Executive Committee?
3. What if she turns up tomorrow and decides to dissolve the Premier League Board which was appointed in her absence and boycotted by her team on grounds it’s illegal? We are talking about a board that everybody celebrates for restoring Sierra Leone football and bringing crowds back to the stadium. In fact we will now keep a close eye on the turnout at Premier League matches from now on.
4. What if she now brings a case against those who were running the place in her absence for spending money and making decisions she would consider illegal at all times?
5. What does the SLFA look like now in terms of delegate count with reference to an eventual elective congress? Isha was doing very badly on that front but has she won a few more allies given the overall political colour of the country nowadays?
Time will tell.
(C) 2019 Politico Online
