SOLOMON KATTA AND OTHERS, YES. 50TH ANNIVERSARY...STILL THINKING
As usual ACC prosecutors have been celebrating and speaking up again about their "commitment" to ending corruption by taking the corrupt guys off the streets and having them thrown into jail. We understand that, because Justice M A Paul has just locked up Katta and others after finding them guilty of corruption. But let's note a few things:
a. The case went at a pace many Sierra Leoneans would be willing to accept from a judiciary that has been sleeping especially since Umu Tejan Jalloh took over.
b. When, in God's name, will the 50th anniversary case be concluded? The 50th anniversary case was before the High Court long before Katta and others were indicted.
c. When will the SLPP Minority Leader injunction case be decided? Many Sierra Leoneans find it difficult to believe the same judiciary is handling all these cases. In one case they produce European standard performance. In the other, they behave like Guinea Bissau. Are there hidden hands?
d. We warn the ACC not to celebrate too much at this stage because we have lived long in Sierra Leone to know that the Court of Appeal could well overturn Justice M A Paul's judgment. Examples of such are everywhere.
The people of Sierra Leone deserve an explanation as to why the 50th Anniversary corruption case has dragged on for so long. Is it for lack of prosecution by the ACC? Or is it because our courts have continued with those long adjournments. We are not lawyers but we've heard them say JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED. We absolutely believe them.
STAYING PUT AT FINANCE MINISTRY, IS IT ORDERS FROM ABOVE?
We find it totally unnecessary for the Head of the Civil Service to periodically move senior Civil Servants around different government ministries. We say so because we do not believe he is doing so in line with the reasons for which the practice was initiated in the first place.
The other point is, when will people who have reached the age of retirement be sent on leave to allow for upward mobility within the service? Look at what has just happened in the Ministry of Finance - people who have completed their work life in the place, have been re-hired as "Contractors" while those who were already serving in those positions they vacated, have either been transferred to other ministries or have simply been told to wait a few more years. Why were those extremely powerful Civil Servants moved in the first place? The head of the Civil Service ought to have known he was dealing with untouchables.
You see, many people have told us that it is that obnoxiously ubiquitous ORDER FROM ABOVE all over again. Some keep denying that ORDER FROM ABOVE exists but how can anybody explain this: The Head of the Civil Service issues an order moving his staff around all government departments, 99% comply but a powerful 1% challenges their retirement and the Civil Service boss is forced to reverse his decision as it relates to that powerful one percent. Which force could have made that possible? Don't fool us, it's ORDERS FROM ABOVE.
Why has the Head of the Civil Service not resigned? That will never happen in Sierra Leone. In fact this Civil Service is in deep trouble - even minister can transfer or sack Civil Servants at will, including those not even in their ministry. That explains why Civil Servants are so political and lazy and some international bodies have resorted to using expensive Project Implementation Units (PIU).
Permanent Secretaries who fail to publicly demonstrate their unflinching LOVE for the Red Movement are either sent on enforced leave or marginalised. We will soon start naming them.
MINISTRY OF FINANCE - WHY THE VUVUZELA ABOUT CHIEFS' SALARIES?
Still with the Ministry of Finance, headed by the Commonwealth Man. Why was it necessary for the ministry to send us this text message: "The public is informed that Government has paid Paramount Chiefs as stated in the 2014 budget". This Vuvuzela approach to public life is getting on the people's nerves. There are many things that this Ministry of Finance should be telling us about that they are pretending not to know about. For example:
1. How much has the government spent on overseas travels since 2007? This includes air tickets (including business class contrary to the same garrulousness that led the Commonwealth Man to say that had been scrapped), hotel bills and per diems. Please also give us the reasons for all such travels, a list of the full delegation and the duty free concessions they enjoyed on their return to Freetown.
2. How about expenditures that are not budgeted for? De Pa recently went to Sewa Grounds and ordered that billions of leones be spent to re-do the market stalls, is the money now being used for that in the budget? We do not necessarily have problems with the need for the project but it's our right to know how the money was raised and our country is not a one-man dictatorship where politics beclouds everything and anything.
3. How much is it costing the nation to service the salaries and other benefits of many unelected "advisers" and hangers-on marking time in our MDA's? Everyday new ones are appointed.
We could go on and on. What's the point of scandalising chiefs by means of unsolicited text messages sent via the most unserious mobile phone company the world has known? Commonwealth Marah can continue with his Vuvuzela but please don't direct it to our phones. We are not interested. It is called window-dressing or foolish showmanship.
YOUYI BUILDING LIFT BACK IN SERVICE: BUT FOR HOW MUCH AND...
Good news for the staff of and innumerable political party visitors to Youyi Building - the building housing many government ministries and agencies. The lifts are working again after more than a year. We wonder why it took so long and many promises. We were offered the opportunity to make the first journey to the 9th floor but we declined. We just didn't believe the lift was back working. We feared something could go wrong half way through the journey...hahahahah.
Anyway, great to have the lift again. But how much did it cost the taxpayer to get it fixed and who was the contractor that did the job? These are legitimate questions. We want answers now. We hope, but we doubt, no party stalwarts or ministers' wives or associates were awarded the contract.
By the way, those big men who used to sign all their papers on the ground floor of the building because they couldn't or didn't want to climb the stairs can now have full working days at Youyi Building.
We also note that the street we used to call Youyi Building Street is now called Zonta By-Pass Drive. When was that street named such? We've been asking for a long time but those concerned gave us deaf ears. Congratulations for that too. But we fear that an Okada will soon knock down that sign board because it's in the wrong place. Let's please change location and make it more prominent. Well done!
THEO NICOL AND THE THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER
When we listened again to a recording of Theo Nicol's unprovoked and foolish attack on journalists recently, we were reminded of the day Judas Iscariot sold out for 30 pieces of silver. And it so happened that we are in the season of Lent. In Theo Nicol's case, he wasn't paid 30 pieces of silver to tear journalists to shreds at that SDI event. He simply betrayed a profession to which he claims to belong because today he has good money as a government minister - the per diems alone from all his unnecessary travels can construct an ultra-modern SLAJ headquarters building.
The tragedy of Sierra Leone journalism is that every time a journalist crosses the line to become a government minister, the first people they attack are journalists - the same people, with whom they drank beer or coke only yesterday.
Theo Nicol told his audience that some journalists "smell like raw fish". A few female journalists in the room initially chuckled. Then Theo Nicol told them "even female journalists are involved". He said they should always have "cheap deodorants". He even announced that he once gave twenty thousand leones to one such journalist to buy "cheap deodorant". If true, we hope that journalist has now learned his lesson - don't take money from people like Theo Nicol. If De Pa was like that he would spend his whole day counting those he has given cash to since coming to office - enti you sef know ehh? hahaha.
Even before people suggest to Theo Nicol he could one day return to journalism, he has denied he ever will. The cock crowed long before that. SLAJ is hoping we would drop this matter because they have failed to stand up to this bully and off-guarded speaker. We shall force this unto the June SLAJ agenda in Makeni. THIS IS OUR VIEW.
(C) Politico 15/04/14
