OVER THIRD-TERM NONSENSE BURUNDI ON THE BRINK AGAIN
Another African country is on the verge of descending into chaos and possible bloodshed because the leader of that country believes he is ordained by God to continue in office for a third term against the dictates of the agreement that brought peace to his country after years of war. He believes that agreement was only transitional and even as president for those years, nobody should count that as part of his leadership of the country. We don't want to bore people with the details but we believe, as they say, he wants to east his cake and have it.
A senior American diplomat has told the president of Burundi he risks setting his country on fire again. His response was to announce an investigation into street riots now taking place there, with the ultimate aim of jailing or even killing his opponents. His own people who are completely opposed to such power grab are now manning barricades on the streets because he has refused to listen to them through the traditional means. We've been having some deep thinking about this and here are some of those issues playing in our minds:
1. African leaders never learn good lessons. Many Africans thought the lesson of Blaise Compaore would cause their own leaders to consider what could happen to them if they went down the same path. As we now see in Burundi, it's the same thing all over again. Blaise Compaore should be indicted for war crimes.
2. Already, the peace that Burundi enjoyed after the war, has been badly wounded and unless the president leaves at the end of his term, that country could burn again. We agree with the American diplomat.
3. The army in Burundi is already standing with the people. That's very important in a situation like this in Africa.
4. We look forward to the African Union speaking out like the Americans. In fact, they should have gone there before the Americans.
5. If this bad example is allowed to stand, the third-term floodgates would be opened in Africa again. There are few notable ones waiting to launch their own projects soon.
CHIEF SIDIKIE KICKED OUT OF THE RED MOVEMENT. HIS OPTIONS?
There's nobody in this country who didn't know that the recent Red Movement convention was really about putting the final nails to the coffin of Chief Sidikie in the Red Movement. Under a barrage of criticism over the Red Movement's apparent use of Emergency Ebola restrictions selectively, they decided to inject some Ebola talk into the program. We are not fooled, this was about Chief Sidikie.
We are very sorry that Yansaneh's interview with VOA was cut short by bad technology when it came to the crucial question of the selective use of Ebola restrictions to the exclusive benefit of the ruling Red Movement. But we also heard from other sources that the Red Movement applied for and was granted permission by NERC and Munu Boys to organise the conference. Ok, they instructed NERC and Munu Boys to grant them permission. That's it.
The same NERC and Munu Boys who denied permission to 33 football stakeholders who wanted to meet and sack their leader. The stakeholders organised a tele-conference instead. Even at that, Munu Boys arrested them. The same Munu Boys gave permission to the other side of the SLFA argument, to organise a road show with hundreds of people in Kenema. Are we really in a democracy? We are cleverer than our leaders imagine.
Anyway, back to Chief Sidikie's options now that he has been rejected by the Red Movement. That's the end of the legal road inside the Red Movement. Here are a few options for him.
1. Because a secret ballot was not allowed for the vote, many people think the Red Movement was spared the nasty shock that would have been delivered in broad daylight. With that in mind, Chief Sidikie can take his message directly to the delegates and their people in the Red Movement. 2017 would definitely be decided by secret ballot.
2. Chief Sidikie should launch his own political party while continuing his case in the Supreme Court to get back the office the people voted him into in 2012. He could call his party KONO E, KONO FA. But he would have to broaden his appeal beyond Konoland. He has picked up a few sympathy votes here and there. He has nothing to lose now.
3. Chief Sidikie should join the Green Movement. He may retain his position as VP because nobody is interested in that office in the Green Movement. They all want to lead. That party is all about Flagbearers, Flagbearers and more Flagbearers.
4. He could also do a hostile takeover of KAMARAINBA'S something something party. They need the same financial muscle that Chief Sidikie brought to the Red Movement in 2007.
5. Chief Sidikie could simply resign from politics and pray for the ban on timber sales to be lifted so he could return to business and live happily ever after in his castle overlooking Freetown.
SLFA ACTIVITY REPORT 2013/2014: THE GENERAL SECRETARY'S OFFICE
The activity report of the SLFA has some unique qualities that we must point out. First of all, we thank the SLFA for doing this report. Apart from the fact that we are seeing such for the first time in many years, journalists like us now have something to punch for a long time to come. Nahim Khadi ran the SLFA from some council flat in London so he couldn't produce any such report. Well done SLFA.
We want the SLFA to clear up this issue for us because we've received calls from our readers raising complaints about it. What point did you want to make, when you showed pictures of the General Secretary's office before the Queen of Salone football took over. What's the point of matching those two pictures? One of the pictures (marked before) showed an office that looked abandoned, in fact like one of those government offices overrun by RUF rebels in operation No Living Thing. The other one looks nice, with obviously more resources. But it says a bit more about the holder of that office. We shall pick all that out from the ACTIVITY REPORT in the coming days and weeks.
The Queen of Salone football says in the report that "As a patriot, my identity and right to be heard has been challenged several times over. All of this because I HAD THE AUDACITY TO DREAM..." hmmmmm, this sounds like Obama. The US president talked about the AUDACITY OF HOPE. For the SLFA, that wasn't a great line, was it? Well given what happened at Kingtom Police Barracks in August 2013 and how Obama came to power.
IS SLRA INSENSITIVE OR SIMPLY INCOMPETENT?
We will never get a reply to this question because the SLRA only engages the people of Sierra Leone on their own terms. We think they are guilty of being insensitive and incompetent at the same time. How bad can that get? We recently visited a sister at emergency hospital in the Goderich area of Freetown. She was in pain with a broken leg after falling into one of the open drainage systems on Freetown's roads. Many people have suffered same.
SLRA appears to have no control over its contractors. They are building sub-standard roads, leaving the drainage open for people to seriously injure themselves. Believe or not, nobody has ever taken them to court. It makes no sense to do so because we know what the outcome would be.
The SLRA supervised the construction of Rue de la Paix from the American embassy to Fourah Bay College with the European Union providing the cash. During that work, the SLRA stood by while water and electricity supply systems were completely destroyed at Leicester and Kortright, leaving thousands thirsty and in darkness. After nearly six months of darkness and a big outcry and indeed a personal visit by De Pa, light was restored gradually. Two years on, there is no water in the place. Every morning, lecturers can be seen with yellow jerry cans looking for water. Why would anybody quarrel with us calling SLRA insensitive and incompetent?
The European Union must be thoroughly embarrassed by the type of supervision the SLFA carried out in that place. The road is still not complete and the Senegalese company is busy winning other contracts awarded by the same SLRA. Is there something the SLRA we should know dear SLRA?
© Politico 05/05/15
