WITH COWAN IN THE VESSEL, NO JOURNALIST SMILES AT THE STORM
We really didn't expect Justice Edmond Cowan to accept appointment as Chairman of the Constitutional Review Committee because he comes to the job with a lot of prejudice against two strong and powerful pillars of democracy - the JUDICIARY and the MEDIA. Cowan's recent diatribe against the two institutions left much to be desired from a man who for many years was meant to be delivering justice in our courts. He wouldn't understand why as journalists we decided to name a hall after our late colleague, Harry Yansaneh. We too can't understand how some people acquired huge acres of land in the capital, while the vast majority of Sierra Leoneans live in dirty creeks, and begging on the streets.
Since Cowan viciously attacked the media and the judiciary, we have received a lot of information from Sierra Leoneans who felt absolutely scandalised by his comments. They have asked us to use the information to tell Cowan to heal himself first. We are now doing our duty as journalists by checking and confirming certain details. We shall publish when we are ready. Cowan knew even at the time he attacked the media, that we would fight back. We are no pushovers. Even in the face of the prison gate and the barrel of the gun we will stoutly resist injustice and other wrongs.
We repeat our warning to our colleagues that life is going to be very difficult for our representative on that committee and we should not expect much. As long as Cowan is in the vessel, all journalists will drown even in the most gentle of winds.
Cowan's attack on the media was totally unprovoked and we have reason to believe that his views have influenced the way his junior colleagues on the bench treat journalists when they appear before them. How else can we explain the treatment Jonathan Leigh received recently? When a foul-mouthed so-called musician attacked her colleague in very salty language and was brought to court for defamation and subsequently ordered remanded by a magistrate, another magistrate reviewed the bail conditions on the same day and set the foul-mouthed woman free. Jonathan Leigh's case was treated as if nobody remembers that a precedent existed. Strange country eh? We will try to change the wrong ways things are done.
We hope our resolute response to Cowan's attack on our integrity will not overshadow the national role that has been assigned to him.
MEETING IN CAPE VERDE RESULTS IN STUPID SLFA DECISION
The undemocratic Normalisation Committee should not fool themselves by thinking anybody believes them when they say their decision to commit Football Genocide a few days ago was not influenced from anywhere or by anyone. Apart from the obvious shameless and racist attacks on Rodney Michael’s person by Pope John Paul and the pointless but sustained and cruel manipulation of the process by the SLFA secretariat, a GREAT meeting in Cape Verde consolidated all the efforts of those who wanted to bring down Michael and team.
The meeting was called by the new god of everything Sierra Leonean - we mean everything, politics (he says he's made five presidents), business, diplomacy, marriage, funerals, sports and even to hang out with beautiful young girls in Sierra Leone and he parades with the assumption that he is the richest man in the country. Yes we know he is wealthy but we know how acquired the wealth.
The meeting took place after another mediocre performance by Leone Stars and some of those who attended told us that the god told them that an SLFA led by Michael or any of his teammates including Mohamed Kallon, was unacceptable to him. He gave good cash and promised more if those in that hotel room turned the SLFA seat over to Michael's opponent.
There was then a second meeting at an Igwe-type house, like that owned by James Ibori, where offers were made directly to the most powerful backers of the Michael campaign to get them to sell their democratic rights by deserting Michael for money. It failed woefully. Money is good but you can't buy everything with money dear self-arrogated god. Otherwise the rich or their loved ones would not die.
Now the SLFA is in a mess and the Normalisation Committee looks set to get its wish – remain in office for another year and collect big FIFA cash and play for time to usher in their preferred candidate and further CEMENT their bond. Long live the god of Sierra Leone, THE MAKER OF FIVE PRESIDENTS, the god who decides what we eat and where we sleep. The god who decides whether we are thrown into jail or attacked on the streets by his thugs.
We are Sierra Leoneans and we are ready to fight for this land. We fear nobody.
POPE TELLS DE PA HE HAS NEVER INSULTED MOHAMED KALLON...Hmmmm
If Pope John Paul continues in office by the beginning of next week, we shall give up on this integrity thing that people talk about all the time. Our information is that in front of his boss on Tuesday night, the Pope denied ever insulting football legend Mohamed Kallon. He even challenged De Pa to sack him if Kallon produced evidence to show that he had been insulted by the Pope. Did the Pope really say that?
We have hours and hours of recording of the Pope doing interviews on all radio stations at different times of the day, insulting and banning people from the stadium daily. We are willing to pass our recording on to De Pa if we are directly required to by De Pa or if he is really serious about this.
Our information is that the Rodney Michael group has produced many CDs of those bad-tempered interviews to hand over to De Pa. De Pa will have a good time listening to his minister. We urge De Pa to send the children to bed before he starts listening. Some of the material is ADULT ONLY.
WAITING FOR UPDATES FROM MUNU THE POLICE
We are very pleased that the police officer who killed his colleague near a casino along Lumley beach is now before court facing justice. Good work Mr Munu. But we have to ask questions about other killings involving civilians. In other words, police officers killing civilians. What is happening to those police officers? Is Munu telling the nation that police officers can only be tried for unlawful killing when they kill their colleagues in uniform?
Let's remind Munu about some of those incidents. There was an official report, commissioned by De Pa to look into the Bo riots following the attack and wounding of Maada Bio during the last election campaign which named civilians and police officers as being responsible for the violence. A certain police officer was named as the man who killed a young Okada rider. Even as we write, that officer remains in post and Munu has appeared on TV several times defending him. Meanwhile, the civilians named in that report are in the final stages of their trial in the high court. Is that justice?
Let's also remind Munu about those two Neighbourhood Watch boys killed in Wellington by the police. Those killing became a huge political football at the time but we now ask in the name of justice, what has happened to those police officers who murdered our brothers.
Munu police also murdered another Sierra Leonean along circular road under Munu's nose – buff case! And most recently there was this disgraceful killing of a Sierra Leonean-born US Marine at Lumley Beach. Police Spokesman Samura declared the deceased as a "miscreant" and cited his death as a "warning" to others. The last we heard was the police trying to get the family to drop their call for a coroner's inquest into the death of the man who was shot three times from the back. What's the latest on that?
Munu prefers we shut up about this and move on. No sir. The man your spokesman described as a "miscreant", deported from the US, was buried in the US with full military honours befitting a veteran. So the body of a man deported by the US was granted a dead man's visa? Does Munu have a conscience? Our collective consciences have been abused by Munu. Our intelligence has been insulted! We are tired calling for his resignation. His colleagues in other places have resigned for less.
