New Vehicles for Ministers But No Ambulance in Hospitals
We're just wondering if all ministers have turned in their new super vehicles to contact tracers who are on the frontline in this war against Ebola. We are also wondering how we arrived at the decision to buy such new and expensive vehicles for ministers when, as we now know, there were only a few ambulances serving a few health facilities throughout this country. Haven't we just bought some ambulances? Please don't be angry with us, we are just thinking and talking like ordinary citizens.
Obviously, at the time the orders were made for the new ministerial vehicles, there was no Ebola in Sierra Leone, but the previous vehicles were in reasonably good condition and the hospitals in absolutely dire need of ambulances. We see the ministerial vehicles around town daily. Even now. How come we didn't notice that there were no ambulances in our hospitals?
And we also didn't like all the noise around the purchase of these new ministerial vehicles - who signed the contract to authorise the purchase, who objected to it and all the media reporting of those blood-cuddling details.
This nation will surely come through this Ebola menace sooner than WHO has predicted, but the questions will keep flowing. Some people didn't like it when WHO's Dr Mufunda suggested our health service was in trouble even before Ebola came knocking. But how else can we describe a health service without ambulance to service its hospitals, a health service in which in times of an emergency doctors switched off their phones and ran away from public hospitals.
The people even closed down their money-spinning private surgeries. For them, the only disease in this country today is Ebola. Aaaaahhhhhh, we see, the Hippocratic Oath did not envisage that more than 2,000 years after the birth of Christ a disease called Ebola would afflict mankind. Thanks guys!
Alhaji Emmanuel Moijueh Kaikai Attacks Pujehun District Council
What does Alhaji Emmanuel really have against the Pujehun District Council and the Paramount Chiefs thereof? We ask because we are surprised at his recent outburst against the council and the Paramount Chief member of parliament.
We were at a ceremony in Pujehun where the descendants of the place were making a huge donation to their people who were quarantined because of Ebola.
It was all going well until Alhaji Emmanuel stood up and attacked the district council. He suggested they "lacked transparency" and created the impression the Paramount Chief MP in the district might also not be transparent with Ebola funds. To crown it all, he threatened that the ACC might have to come in to clean the Augean stables of local administration in Pujehun. He was like a colonial governor of the province of the south.
Oh Alhaji Emmanuel, your comments were completely out of place and confrontational. We hold no brief for those local authorities but we think they deserve some respect for running the place while Alhaji Emmanuel drives around Freetown in a large SUV. We are waiting for the ACC to go to Pujehun at the say-so of Alhaji Emmanuel.
We wonder which district Alhaji Emmanuel will visit next on his anti corruption crusade to which we say PHYSICIAN HEAL THYSELF FIRST. Those of us who've lived all our lives in Sierra Leone, have seen nine-day wonders like Alhaji Emmanuel before. There are more to come.
While we fight Ebola, let's not forget Al-Shabbab Please
We've been checking out some of the structures put in place by our security people in the wake of the Al-Shabbab threat to attack this country not too long ago, because we deployed soldiers to help bring peace to their troubled country. Well, there may be other arrangements that we cannot see with the naked eye. But we are a little uncomfortable with what we found.
Look at Youyi Building, for example. All we see now is that temperature testing machine at the entrance. That's not bad, but the place is so important that we cannot afford to sleep even for a second with the Al-Shabbab side of things.
Even the arrangement on the road leading to police headquarters is not as robust as we would like it to be. We hope Munu understands why we are concerned. The Americans have just bloodied Al-Shabbab in their own backyard and you can be sure they are now looking for soft targets within range. We must deny them a propaganda opportunity.
The End of an Era at SLBC: Who's Next In The Saddle?
Looks like there will now be a change of leadership at the beleaguered state broadcaster, SLBC. We understand that lobbyists who kept Orman in place since Ban Ki Moon first came here have told him in no uncertain terms that they have used up their last trick in the book to keep him the job, and have failed.
At Politico, we've been trying to assess how much we will miss Orman. You see, different groups of people will miss Orman for different reasons. Take a look:
1. Politico Newspaper - We will miss Orman very much because he gave us a lot to write about in this column in particular.
2. Academics of the Political Economy Theory of the Media School will miss Orman because his tenure at SLBC has come to represent the most practical demonstration of their theory. They probably have to find another example now. Ban Ki Moon should be quietly happy that this failed enterprise has one more chance of going through the Lazarus experience.
3. Ruling party politicians and Vuvuzela operatives should be slightly concerned that Orman's contract is not being renewed. He was very accommodating to them. He would put them on air for anything and at any time and couldn't care less what they said - ethics or no ethics - so long it conformed to a certain political idea.
4. Mediocre, politically-biased and publicity-loving programme makers will miss Orman. He gave them a free hand to put anything on radio and TV.
5. Rokel Commercial Bank would be worried that Orman was leaving without paying the debts. Why not go ahead now with that court order?
6. The vast majority of the people of Sierra Leone are celebrating the departure of Orman. But deep down they'll be worried that he isn't replaced by another lowest common denominator man. Is that POSSIBLE or LIKELY. Perhaps BOTH. God save SLBC and the genuine workers!
Let's Clear the Heaps of Rubbish Near the CID Wall Now
There are about four heaps of rubbish at the back of the CID building on the road to State House on the Soldier Street end which cannot be left there for another day. This is just not done.
Look at the CID building from the outside and you will surely be impressed. In fact, even the offices look incredibly well kept (we don't know about the cells). So the last thing we want is for that rubbish outside to gradually creep into the CID compound.
Normally it wouldn't be the business of the authorities at the CID to clear that rubbish. It's Masada workers with their orange one-piece suit who should clear the place. But they are probably overstretched in dirty old Freetown. So we plead with the CID boss to make a call to Masada right now. We are concerned about the health of our crime busters.
We have another idea: Let's send for new police recruits from the academy at Hastings to do the job or bring out some of the boys in the cell at the CID. Yes we know about human rights but this is for the good of all.
We really don't understand what is happening to government buildings. Look at the old Bank of Sierra Leone building from the Gloucester Street end and see grass threatening the windows. Hahahahahahaha.
(C) Politico 04/09/14
