PEACE HO! OBAMA SPEAKS - AMANDLA, NGAWETHU! (POWER TO THE PEOPLE)
Barack Obama gave an excellent speech at Madiba's funeral ceremony on Tuesday. He has some of the best speech writers in the world and the guy is a master of the big occasions. He loves addressing big crowds and taking on entrenched vested interests. Here we quote a few lines from that speech that we have read over and over again.
Obama - "He was not a bust made of marble; he was a man of flesh and blood – a son and husband, a father and a friend. That is why we learned so much from him; that is why we can learn from him still".
Politico - We absolutely agree with Barack Obama that in Africa and indeed in Sierra Leone, we need real leaders we can see, feel and interact with. Not busts erected in strategic places and other portraits in all public buildings like Big Brother looking down on the rest of mankind. Even a sign board about EPA has someone photo.
Those busts and pictures Obama referred to in his speech remind us of Communists and communism - they are obsessed with the business of securing their place in history against all odds. They forget that whatever they do today will not stand in the way of the judgment of history. Sometimes that could be harsh indeed.
Obama - "For the people of South Africa, for those he inspired around the globe – Madiba's passing is rightly a time of mourning, and a time to celebrate his heroic life. But I believe it should also prompt in each of us a time for self-reflection. With honesty, regardless of our station or circumstance, we must ask: how well have I applied his lessons in my own life?"
Politico - Many African leaders, including our own De Pa flew hurriedly to South Africa to take part in the funeral ceremony of the late Madiba. Obama says we must ask how well we have applied Madiba's lessons in our own lives. Well privately and as ordinary people we will continue in the footsteps of the late man but what about our leaders who were sitting close to Obama.
Our leaders went to South Africa not because they wanted to learn anything for our benefit. Everybody was going down the south singing Madiba's name, so they joined up.
We can clearly hear them saying that times have changed. We don't expect any change. If we sound so pessimistic even at Christmas, please understand. Bob Marley says: "I've been screwed for so long that now I feel permanently screwed".
Obama - "There are too many leaders who claim solidarity with Madiba's struggle for freedom, but do not tolerate dissent from their own people. And there are too many of us who stand on the sidelines, comfortable in complacency or cynicism when our voices must be heard".
Politico - Here again we agree that Obama had his finger on the pulse of governance in Africa with these lines. Our leaders have formed a club and couldn't care less what their people think. Those who complain are branded as opposition supporters and harassed, media workers are constantly harassed from on high. Journalists are jailed because leaders are completely intolerant of even the most nonsensical criticism.
Obama is able to talk like this because his country is a good example of a place where the government cannot afford to be arrogant and people are free including radio talk show hosts who insult the president daily and cartoonists who can deal with anybody.
If that South African cartoonist who caricatured president Zuma in such unflattering terms recently were a Sierra Leonean, we can imagine what would have happened to him.
In this country people with powerful voices have abandoned the people. As long as they have stolen wealth in their pockets, they are doing everything to maintain the status quo at the expense of the people.
Today we have an FOI law because America sneezed. God bless America!
More on Obama's speech later.
SALONE SOJA MANHANDLES FERRY BOY IN BROAD DAYLIGHT
We are definitely used to witnessing and hearing a lot about police brutality against ordinary civilians but since the end of the war and the numerous training programmes organised to make our soldiers very professional, incidents of soldier violence on civilians are almost unheard of. So we can't understand what went into the head of that soldier on board a ferry from Lungi whose rudeness left no doubt as to his unsuitability for service in the NEW SIERRA LEONE ARMY.
The soldier violently attacked one of those young boys who make a living carrying head loads for passengers. Even as we write, we still can't tell why the soldier attacked the 14-year-old looking boy and at one point gave him a devastating kick in his genitals. Everybody knows how painful that can be. Our wayward soldier threatened to "finish this borbor yah". We interpret that to mean he intended to kill the poor boy.
We call on the RSLAF to investigate this incident and throw that soldier out of the army or at least discipline him in some way. We are prepared to help with what else we know that we have not published for ethical reasons because even when ordinary people challenged the soldier about his behaviour, he told them to go hang.
It is one thing for the army bosses and their flamboyant minister to always deny negative things about their institution, and quite a different thing when they continue to keep rude and uncontrollable soldiers like the ferry brutal in their midst.
By the way those police officers who stood there watching a soldier manhandle a civilian and pretended there was nothing wrong with that, only shamed themselves. We have a lot more on this incident but for now we will give the RSLAF a few days to investigate this matter and get back to the public.
But how can they, anyway, when they covered up a soldier who allegedly raped another soldier's daughter inside a barracks in Kono. That is a case we intend pursuing vigorously in the new year. God willing.
ACC TURNS TO GOD TO FIGHT CORRUPTION IN SALONE
On behalf of all those citizens who feel scandalised by the ACC constantly sending text messages about fighting corruption and this and that, we call on NATCOM to order COMUIM to stop sending unsolicited text messages to people. Here's this: "STOP CORRUPTION! IF WE DON'T CATCH YOU, GOD SURELY WILL".
We really can't believe this is where the ACC is trying to take us to. Josie should simply go back to De Pa and tell him to take the job back and close the commission and wait for divine intervention.
Here's a man we gave a little job to do and paid him the biggest salary in Sierra Leone, possibly in the Mano River Union. We also gave him a free hand to employ the best brains in the country. Here is he telling us after all these years that if he is unable to catch the thieves we hired him to take off the streets and offices, God will. And coming after some devastating defeats in the courts particularly in the really big cases, we are left with the feeling that Josie is preparing us for more defeats.
You see, ours is a very religious country but we believe that corruption is the work of evil forces and we must fight them with God behind us. Let's not sit at home, saying God will catch the thieves if we can't. Even the good people of Israel were led by their kings to fight their enemies in the firm belief that God was with them and victory was theirs. So let's not allow Josie to force us to stop the earthly fight against the evil of corruption.
There's nothing wrong with invoking God's help but since he receives huge salaries and enjoys all those accompanying benefits and a prominent seat in the council of the great, we must do the job for which we are paid. Please don't send us such messages anymore. Get on with fighting and winning against the forces of evil.
STOLEN I-PHONE WAHALA BLIGHTS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTIVITY
So we arrived at the Annual Speech Day and Prize-Giving ceremony of International School Jomo Kenyatta road and took our seat among the well-dressed parents (well the people whose children attend this school are among the rich in our country) expecting to witness a good show. And to match the mood of the season, the school put on the NATIVITY play - the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. We were well into the event when something really untoward happened.
A parent - a lady with a Ghanaian accent - had apparently passed her phone over to her child who wanted to make a quick call. The girl then put the expensive iPhone in her pocket after the call. The phone soon developed legs and ran away to Siberia without being noticed by any of the guests still sitting around pretending all was well.
The embarrassment was truly complete, when the Master of Ceremonies announced that somebody's iPone had been stolen and in the name of God, the thief should stand up and confess their sin. It didn't happen. Then the victim took the microphone an announced that if her iPhone wasn't returned immediately, "my God whom I serve will strike the thief by Friday". That Friday is tomorrow.
This was thoroughly embarrassing for a very proud school. We will return to this column with the latest on Tuesday. Will God strike on Friday or not? They say God moves in a mysterious way. Stay with Politico!
(C) Politico 12/12/13
