SO DE PA IS "BUILDING ON THE FOUNDATION LAID BY PA KAKKAH"?
We are very clear now that Pa Kabbah's 10 years in office was not all about some Sierra Leoneans having "a bad heart". That is the favourite line from the Kabbah years that government officials us to attack their critics - "BAD HEART".
In serious national discussions over the last six years, Red Movement politicians have told the nation that Kabbah's years in office were wasted years - years of empty national kitty, no infrastructure, a broken school system, corruption, a divided country, low national self-esteem and all that. Is this the foundation De Pa told Ban Ki Moon he's been building on?
One of the things we've been doing at Politico is to compile and study the major speeches of De Pa since the electioneering campaign that brought him to power. We will continue that until the day he hands over in 2017. Our intention is to demonstrate how dramatic policy shifts, u-turns and deliberate attempts to downplay other people's achievements would conspire to blot De Pa's not-so-bad legacy in the end.
By in the end we mean, when new people will be in power, from the Red Movement or not; when his "friends" would have deserted him; when his days would be boring and some of us would still be here writing articles.
Here we present some of the foundations De Pa has been building on even though it we are getting the indication so late:
1. The National Revenue Authority - A consolidation of institutions handling Inland Revenue. It is now a huge success that the Red Movement opposed because a few crooks were sacked at Customs and Excise department.
2. NASSIT - Clearly, this was a masterstroke. We may have some concerns about the ways things are going on there now because De Pa appointed the wrong man to run the place. NASSIT is a good institution.
3. Rebuilding the police and military - The evidence is before us. Again we have some disappointments with the police but on the whole, we respect them if we put them up against some police forces in the sub-region.
We shall continue this soon.
SLAPPED IN THE EVENING, ARRESTED BY RIOT POLICE THE NEXT DAY: O WONDER BOY
The last 48 hours have been like a rollercoaster for our dear WONDER BOY. He may be wondering now how he came to be arrested by riot police like a hooligan, questioned for seven hours and then released on 50 million leones bail just as the cells were being locked down for the day. So let's try and understand what happened to WONDER BOY.
WONDER BOY turned up at Adelaide Street police station and filed a report alleging that he received a nasty slap from the queen who is trying to run football in Sierra Leone. As usual he was issued with a medical form and asked to go see a police doctor.
Next day WONDER BOY drove himself into RIOT POLICE headquarters at Brookfields to answer charges relating to attacking and beating the QUEEN.
We hear police at Adelaide Street also invited the queen. They put a few lame questions to her and encouraged to go home.
If it took RIOT POLICE, who are not known for being patient, seven hours to interrogate one man accused of assault, how many hours will it take the regular police in Bo to interrogate twenty-five Njala students for all sorts of alleged crimes including this and that?
Unless Wonder Boy donates some of his money to police training, RIOT POLICE will soon take over at CID.
We believe that the SLFA congress should be hurriedly called to investigate the queen while the disciplinary committee can deal with WONDER BOY. But as it is now, can we please ask the queen to gracefully step aside while her Kangaroo Disciplinary Committee looks into the issue?
AIRPORT BRAWL: SECURITY OFFICER SACKED, EVERYBODY ELSE IN POST
So several days on from that disgraceful incident at the Lungi International Airport where a female government minister was allegedly attacked by another lady for the heart of Lover Boy KanKanKan, De Pa's government has said nothing about the incident. They think it's not an important issue or the people of Sierra Leone do not deserve an explanation? We will not accept any talk that this was a private matter. It is not.
In fact, we can authoritatively reveal that the security guard who allegedly made it possible for one of the ladies to enter the VIP area without a pass has been sacked.
The ordinary guy who was overwhelmed by the power and status of the people he was dealing with and hence did the wrong thing, has lost his job while those who fought and disgraced the country, are safe in their offices enjoying the sweets of Sierra Leone.
Bob Marley said "I and I don't expect to be justified by the laws of men". While Joe Hills said "Jah alone nah Christian".
The lowly guy who played a somewhat innocuous role in the whole affair is out of job and back on the streets. Who does he turn to?
If allowing people without passes to enter the airport VIP area is such a serious offence to warrant the sacking of the security guard, why is a minister fighting with another woman for the affection of another government not serious enough for a censure and a public apology at least? Leh We Dae Hammer Dae Go
LAND GRABBING AND MASSIVE DEFORESTATION AROUND CHARLOTTE FALLS
The hydro-electric dam currently under construction by a Chinese company at the Charlotte Falls is facing serious threat. The government is hoping to get between 3 and-5 megawatts of electricity to add to what is available in Freetown when the project is complete but it's becoming increasingly clear that such a dream would remain a dream. The Chinese firm and the community are frustrated.
It would appear as if there are no protected areas anymore particularly in Freetown. Every inch is now being taken over by people for the construction of dwelling houses with the active collaboration of unscrupulous Lands Ministry officials.
The government cannot bring a Chinese company here to construct a dam for hydro-electric purposes and at the same time allow three people (we have their names) to kill the project by destroying the main water catchment area around the dam. We can as well close down the project and send the Chines home.
We are living in a city with virtually no open spaces left for recreation and the so-called GREEN BELT declared by Haja Hafsatu Kabba in her SLPP days has been terribly violated, even cemeteries are being encroached up daily. We don't know of any country where the people disrespect the law as much as we do here.
We do not believe the ministry of lands is credible enough to deal with this land question particularly around that dam. The highest office in the land must act now. If we are not careful we will wake up one morning to find PAN BODY structures inside Parliament compound or the State House lawn. It's not funny!
By the way, where is the EPA? Didn't they unnecessarily take a politically-correct decision to bully the Catholic community at FBC and stop them from building their church on similar grounds? Why can't they act at Charlotte Falls? EPA? a strange institution in a strange country.
Please don't hesitate to dismiss us like you always do.
(C) Politico 13/03/14
