WHEN De Pa BECOMES A PODA-PODA DRIVER FOR ONE DAY
We fell into a sound sleep a few days ago, partly because it's been raining heavily these days and also somehow we've been managing to eat some heavy meals thanks to generous remittances from our friends abroad. It so happened that after listening to the intriguing story of the Norwegian Prime Minister driving a taxi to test his popularity ahead of election next month, we saw De Pa in our dream undertaking the same exercise in a Poda Poda driving from Charlotte street in central Freetown to Lumley in the west.
Let's put a few things on ground before we proceed: The normal Poda Poda man in Freetown is between 25 and 45 years old. He is very rude, badly dressed and works on at least three different Poda Podas a day both as master and mate ("heng man"). So De Pa had his job cut out to do an almost perfect disguise for the journey on the potholed streets of Freetown.
De Pa had a base ball cap on and was dressed in long green Muslim robes (Great work: the closest De Pa goes to something Green is the distance between him and the GREEN, WHITE AND BLUE flag in his office and he wears such robes on ceremonial occasions). He also wore dark sunglasses, never mind visibility problems when it rains. De Pa's mate was a former soldier, who during the course of the war became a SOBEL. He later joined the RUF, was given some political role in a fake "Government of National Unity", and is now a police officer.
He was actually going to blow De Pa's cover because he was very temperamental during the drive. He had no idea how to do those stunts for which Poda Poda drivers’ mates are known. But De Pa drove on and the conversation came down to three people heading for Lumley – a very disillusioned youth man, a teacher who is not very happy with life and a lady who is among the big time people in Freetown who get lots of government contracts because they know people in high places. Her expensive SUV had just broken down and she was on her way to Lumley for some important meeting having to do with more contracts
Youth man - (apparently fed up with our lady continuously singing the praise not of the native land, but of De Pa) said "Most people don't want to speak the truth, things are hard in this country. Only a few people are enjoying the fruits of the land. People like us who danced and humiliated opposition people on behalf of the Red Movement are very disappointed. Some of our brothers recently fled to Libya but were brought back. I would definitely have stayed. We are waiting for the next election to make our grievances known".
Teacher - "We have given up fighting for the government to improve our welfare. Our minister is the main problem. De Pa knows that but he has refused to reshuffle him out of that ministry. Look at the corruption in the school system. Look at the faulty loans in the banking system, the alleged theft at the National Revenue Authority, the Gavi Alliance case and many other corruption cases going through the courts. What is happening to this country"?
Contract Lady - "No matter what you people say De Pa is very popular and can win with another landslide. We are just waiting for the constitutional review committee to approve our game plan".
At that point, more than half of the 25 or more people in the vehicle murmured in disapproval. The driver's mate lost his cool and thoroughly insulted the people as the vehicle reached Lumley police station where a state car was waiting to pick up De Pa.
As De Pa stepped out of the car, some of the passengers realised what was happening. They were in fact surprised that this Poda Poda driver was unusually quiet and no police officer stopped that vehicle throughout the journey for the normal kitu-kidogo. De Pa went home feeling satisfied that he managed to complete the journey and achieved his objective. But he took some very good lessons and promised to reshuffle his cabinet immediately.
Suddenly there was a knock on our door. We woke up to discover it was all a dream.
IN SEARCH OF CRIMINALS AND ARMS DEALERS IN FREETOWN
The real criminal Ibrahim Balde who fought with the NPFL of Liberia and their sidekicks, the RUF in Sierra Leone and sold tonnes of arms and ammunition to rebels in both countries and causing the deaths of tens of thousands of citizens of both countries was allowed to flee Sierra Leone to an unknown destination just as the people’s net was closing in on him. We are not the ones making these allegations; the UN Security Council issued two reports in which they gave the world an idea of how dangerous Ibrahim Balde is to this region.
While the government in Senegal is prosecuting Hussien Habre, we are providing safe passage to a criminal who facilitated the killing of our people. And our justice minister, who made his name as a Human Rights lawyer, says he takes “full responsibility” for the decision to send Balde away.
Now we have the police continuously raiding the residence of a defeated presidential candidate looking for “criminals, arms and ammunition”. We have no problems with that. We don't want to be arrested for obstructing the course of justice. But where were these people when UN-sanctioned criminal Ibrahim Balde was enjoying our hospitality for the last five years? Even when ordinary citizens brought Balde before our courts, he was hurriedly sent out of the country and a senior police officer went on radio to tell us there was no evidence against the criminal. He also accused those who took Balde to court of seeking donor funds by organising a show trial. Now they have been all over Bio looking for arms and ammunition. The man who supplied arms to our combatants and also fought in a foreign country is allowed to live in peace in the same country he helped destroy.
However, the citizens’ question is: why should QUEEN JAY LOW take a government vehicle to a partisan affair? That vehicle was bought with our money. We suspect even the fuel and the driver were paid for with our cash. We criticise De Pa and his government for misusing government vehicles and other assets but we have no portion in the so-called opposition party either. Will these people be ready for government in other 20 years? We doubt that very much.
TRIUMPHANT ENTRY INTO MAKENI – HAIL ISHA JOHANSEN!
Like a Roman conqueror returning home from a successful conquest of distant lands, newly-SELECTED SLFA president Isha Johansen entered the politically-sensitive town of Makeni. Many motorcycle outriders were there (well they aren't difficult to assemble these days), hundreds of people, old and young were out in the streets to cheer Johansen as she was driven in majesty on the top of an SUV.
Well, well, well, from our vantage position in the town we saw it all. We also know the planning that went into all the show. We were just amazed that given all that happened at that SELECTION process – we mean the FULLAH for FULLAH syndrome – the main beneficiary could afford to make such a fuss. But we live in a country where everything is possible. Here we have a woman who knows she entered office by the most flawed electoral process ever in Sierra Leone, celebrating on the streets.
Meanwhile she continues negotiating in some dark corner with those she claims she defeated, to allow her undemocratic hold on power to be properly CEMENTED. Human beings are only concerned about earthly things like power, money, overseas travel and CEMENT to build houses.
The SLFA behaved exactly like its main backers, FIFA. Blatter got Jack Warner and Mohammad Bin-Hamman disqualified for him to emerge as the undisputed champion of FIFA. Here the SLFA secretariat produced an incredible mathematical calculation. Here goes: 47 - 35 = 27. It looks criminal but if you use the Fullah for Fullah method as propounded by Captain Sanogo, you will understand how it works.
(C) Politico 15/08/13
