WHAT IF THE SLPP WERE THE U.S. REPUBLICANS
Look, let's get a few things clear before we begin: The SLPP and the APC will never be like the Republican or Democratic parties in the US. Parties in Sierra Leone are not constructed with any ideological backbone. They are there to exploit our people's ethnic prejudices against each other, divide the country along regional and ethnic lines and then capture raw state power to control the people and their resources. That's all.
We also note that America is a mature democracy and the people are well-educated.
The other point is, the SLPP are not the majority party in parliament and unlike what John Boehner is doing in America the SLPP are badly led by Bernadette Lahai to the extent that progressives within that party are actively considering to force her out of that position. It's building up and we are fully ceased of the matter – in typical UN speak.
Anyway for the sake of the point we want to make, let's assume the SLPP were in the majority in parliament and have now used their strength to shut down De Pa's government on account of their opposition to the way De Pa's faltering Free Health Care program is run and the sheer colossal size of his government. Would De Pa's government, his partisans and the media have tried to deal with it in the way Obama, the Democratic Party and Americans in general are dealing with the situation out there? You have to make up your own mind, but having lived in Sierra Leone all our lives here’s what we think would have happened.
1. De Pa would quickly activate his poodles in the media to go on the offensive in the usual way and expect a ruthless, take-no-prisoner onslaught that would run across all media platforms from social media to the mainstream press and broadcasting. Traditional forms of communication would also join in. The best thing to do when that happens is to keep records of it all.
2. The opposition would be branded as unpatriotic animals trying to stage a coup from inside parliament and we would be stupid to rule out physical attacks against some of the most vocal MPs
3. Munu boys would launch coordinated searches on the premises of many opposition MPs and some would be arrested and tried for unpatriotic behaviour, soliciting bribes from De Pa and defying the FIRST GENTLEMAN IN THIS COUNTRY
4. Facing hurriedly prepared charges of treason and subversion, the opposition MPs would run to parliament with their tails between their legs to approve the Appropriation Bill. So no such Obama problems for De Pa.
5. The rest of the nation would actually be kept in the deep ocean of ignorance on the real issues at stake while all of this is taking place. SWEET SALONE.
6. The minority leader would be called to Big House and her palms greased. She would return to speak on the matter before her party MPs and consequently scupper any challenge.
7. De Pa would even ignore them and homes and cars of opposition members would be volleyed with stones. That is those whom Munu Boys would spare.
Long Live De Pa and his style of democracy as he clocks 70 years. We wish him well but we wish ordinary Sierra Leoneans better.
PROSPERITY TRAIN MOVES ON - DE PA’s NEXT DESTINATION
Looks like ahead of the massive cabinet shake-up, De Pa has been moving around inspecting projects, talking to people and pressing the flesh as if it was election campaign 2012 all over again.
When he visited Kortright just up the hill from Fourah Bay College on the road to Leicester, he worked some magic. A large part of Kortright had been in darkness since March when in their usual style, CSE construction company destroyed water pipes, cut power lines and dug craters on the already bad road and packed out. A day after De Pa’s visit, electricity was restored to those areas and there is a firm promise that water will flow soon. As for the road, the people are waiting for CSE workers to return to Freetown from their holiday. Strange country!
In the same spirit, we call on De Pa to visit a few more places and work his magic
1. The communities neighbouring Fourah Bay College like Tree Planting, Leicester Road, Leicester, Gloucester and Regent. They need urgent attention. Utility services are totally in a decrepit state and somehow the people can’t complain loud enough to attract De Pa's attention.
The road between Gloucester and Regent is worse than the one between Zimmi and Fairo on the border with Liberia. We encourage De Pa to drive on that vital road and prove us wrong.
2. The other people who need a presidential visit are those Sierra Leoneans living in the creeks to the left of Aberdeen Bridge if you are driving to the beach from Freetown. We call on De Pa to note the contrast between the housing estate just across the lagoon (which is similar to those in Malibu) and those in the creeks. The people in the creeks believe that they are Sierra Leoneans too and they deserve better.
By the time De Pa concludes this round of visits, he will conclude that some of his ministers have been up to no good and must be sacked immediately. Long live De Pa.
SIM TURAY'S DAY BEFORE THE BUDGET COMMITTEE
Imagine this: The head of a very important state institution, (let’s call him Sim Turay), is called to a meeting with the committee that prepares his country’s budget to defend his organisation’s budget and convince the committee he deserves more money to undertake new programmes in furtherance of his work.
Sim Turay is quickly bored by the whole proceeding and tells the committee that he has already discussed his budget with De Pa who has agreed that Le 20 Billion is the most realistic amount of money needed to run the organisation and he in fact sees no reason why he should be called to such a hearing. He storms out of the meeting telling the committee he will never return despite being ordered to do so.
The following week Sim Turay appears before a parliamentary committee and tells the MPs that because of lack of funding, his state organisation is USELESS and NONFUNCTIONAL. Well this is no dream. It happened in the real world, in a country called Sierra Leone.
We agree with Turay that his organisation is USELESS and NONFUNCTIONAL, but we do not share his views that it’s all about the availability of cash to spend. We have seen the communication bill for that institution and the procurement records showing a particular company with strong animal connections to that institution winning many contracts there. There are questions around how things are done there these days, you know.
Drugs-taking is destroying our nation and we have an institution charged with fighting the menace telling the nation they are USELESS. Marijuana is grown all along the Freetown peninsula and trafficking across the border to our neighbouring countries. We agree the place needs good money like all other institutions of state but they also need a sound management and highly trained personnel. Let's also add some lessons in ANGER MANAGEMENT and ORGANISATIONAL COMMUNICATION for good measure. Can we please put Turay out of his misery now please?
ARE STATE LAW OFFICERS ON HOLIDAY OR WHAT?
In the name of the state of Sierra Leone, can Frank Kargbo please tell the nation why no state lawyers are involved on the side of the prosecution in the rape allegations against the former deputy Minister of Education Mahmoud Tarawallie?
We have a lot of respect for the quality of work the police prosecutor is doing now. He is a lawyer himself and that is obviously helping, but Kargbo should understand why we are so concerned that experienced and powerful state prosecutors are normally sent out against 18-year-old hapless opposition people accused of "riotous conduct" in far away Kenema and Tongo but for a matter as serious as rape involving a former minister, Kargbo decides to keep his lawyers at Guma Building.
Didn't Frank himself travel to Kenema to ensure the APC new boy Robin Fallay (then with the SLPP) was refused bail and locked up for a small time alleged electoral offence? Hundreds of such cases that subsequently took place were ignored. But when Robin the son of Fallay crossed the political carpet, Frank and his bys dropped charges. What a country!
So where are the lawyers paid with our taxes. Many of our readers have raised this concern sir and what they are telling us about the absence of state lawyers is truly interesting.
© Politico 03/10/13
