REJECT THIRD TERM PROPOSAL AND BE LOCKED UP - SAYS MB ATILLA
We know there's no debate about the so-called presidential third term because De Pa must leave office in 2017. The whole nation agreed on that as far back as 1991. We cannot now allow a man who came to office in 2007 on the back of peace, to take the nation back to the chaos of the 90s.
But let's for the sake of noise-making say a few words about what we've been hearing so far from opportunists like Robin The Son of Fallay and the latest convert, MB Attila, the man who made his name as a radio talk show host and a karaoke band master in Washington DC.
We reckon that by the end of this year, Attila would have locked up more than half the population of Sierra Leone because the people are dead against any extension of De Pa's mandate even for one day beyond the current term.
Attila was very clear on radio the other day that those who oppose the third term nonsense would be thrown into prison. He didn't say anything about FREEODM OF SPEECH which those running the imaginary debate are using to hide their kite-flying. He also didn't mention the DUE PROCESS OF THE LAW for those who will soon be arrested for opposing his pro-third term project.
For a man who spent the better part of 15 years in the LAND OF THE FREE, this was an unbelievable low. Let's hurry up and get the new CORRECTIONAL PRISON near Songo ready for Attila to lock up many Sierra Leoneans.
We are not surprised he is still in office. We know the kind of Sierra Leone we have today - anything can happen. We are carefully recording materials that the ICC would find useful in the not-too-distant future if this madness continues.
Here is a minister who was never part of a radio programme, leaving his office to go and pick a fight with ordinary citizens expressing disgust at a naked attempt to subvert democracy in their country and in the process threatening to "LOCK UP THOSE WHO OPPOSE US". Well done Attila. The guys at 96.2 FM should be very embarrassed that you were once part of their team that is so passionate about political accountability.
POPE JOHN PAUL CAUSES CHAOS AT STARCO ROAD BLOCK
Like all Sierra Leoneans, we continue to be scandalised by the behaviour of pope John Paul of the dead Ministry of Sport. During the last SLFA election he did and said everything on earth to stop Rodney Michael the clear favourite from winning the election. Rodney has since moved on but pope John Paul continues with his condescending attitude to LESSER MORTALS.
His latest display came last Saturday at Kissy Road which is being rehabilitated. The pope ordered his driver to knock down the barricade despite the protestations of the LESSER MORTALS who were doing the road and had in fact diverted traffic to make their work easy and quick. We too were diverted to Savage Square a day before the pope came along. But he wouldn't let ORDINARY ROAD BUILDERS STAND IN HIS WAY. He is the Minister of Sport. Well done!
When it was recently reported that a senior government minister in the UK, Andrew Mitchell rudely put down a police officer at 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the British Prime Minister, referring to him as a "plebeian", Mitchell was forced out of office by public reaction to what at the times was seen as political arrogance. It turned out later that the allegations were not entirely true. But even so, Mitchell remains out of office. We can now say he was forced out for simply arguing with a policeman on duty.
In Sierra Leone, such crass disregard for law and law enforcement officers, as displayed by the mighty Minister of Sport, will never be checked by anyone, including De Pa. And we sometimes wonder why governments in other countries are so productive?
FESTUS MINAH ON BREAKFAST RADIO BUT STILL AT DINNER TABLE
Why did Festus Minah go on 98.1 FM and not his own SLBC radio to talk about his old/new office? The reason: SLBC radio is dying of epilepsy and the only people who still listen to them do so for obituary announcements only. As for the television, it's what we call expensive radio - it's all talking heads. They occasionally change the title of programmes but the content and format remain the same.
There are many things we can take issue with in that radio appearance but we prefer to just deal with one. Festus Minah actually tried to discredit the European Union Observer Mission report on the media and the 2012 elections in Sierra Leone which rightly blasted the SLBC for being partisan in their coverage, biased in favour of the Red Movement, something completely unbecoming of a national broadcaster. How dare Festus Minah try to discredit the European Union!
Minah suggested that because the SLBC boss issued a press release denying aspects of the report, the "European Union was misled". And the EU did not "come back to us after that". Come on Comrade Festus, did you really expect an organisation as serious as the EU to engage in mindless banter with a failed Public Service Broadcaster in Sierra Leone of all countries?
Listen Comrade, don't kill the European Union. All right-thinking Sierra Leoneans - those not blinded by primordial partisan bigotry know that the SLBC only served the Red Movement before, during and after the election. Can't you see? Did the Green Movement also have their own Mr. Taz? That's just one example.
Here's the truth: the people have no confidence in the SLBC. Simply collect your fees and stop blaming people who merely reported what they observed. The European Union Observer Report is now informing their policies on Sierra Leone but we doubt whether the SLBC director still has a copy of the rebuttal statement he issued on his own TV.
THE WORLD'S FILTHIEST TOILETS PLUS UNPAID ALLOWANCES FOR FOOTBALLERS - LONG LIVE SLFA
Last weekend the World Toilet association discussed toilets around the world. Well, it is good timing for us to warn you never to ask to use the toilets when you visit the SLFA academy at Kingtom. They are the worst in the world. We have no idea how a body like the SLFA with all the hundreds of thousands of US dollars from FIFA ended up with toilets that spread diseases more than the open sewers at Kroo Bay. Instead of fixing that the officials are flying all over the world attending conferences with huge per diems and sleeping in the best hotels.
We understand that even when they hire a taxi in Zurich for example, costing less than a dollar, they return home and file claims for something as little as that. When they eat chicken and chips and drink cappuccino in London, they file claims on their return. They just can't sacrifice a penny for the organisation.
By the way, has the SLFA now paid allowances to the players who defeated the junior national team of Ebola-infested Guinea? Our information is that the players left Sierra Leone with a promise that their allowances would be paid on their return. So how did they survive in Guinea, especially when they visited Carrefour Jahanama on the night of their victory.
Could the FA please let us know when the money will be paid? Some of the players are indebted to some Sierra Leoneans living in Guinea who have given us the power of attorney to collect their monies. Please, please!
Now how did the party go at the residence of De Madam De Queen? We saw pictures that once again suggested that the squabbling football administrators are living together happily ever after. We have witnessed several false alarms before but we want to give this latest move a chance. Anyway, that was a good move to LEOCEMENT the new found love.
(C) Politico 06/05/14
