A STATE OF EMERGENCY, LIFE IMPRISONMENT BUT RAPE GOES ON
The latest rape and sexual abuse figures we are seeing are not encouraging, at all! And this is happening after Principal pushed emergency regulations through parliament in extraordinary circumstances and our judges have begun putting people behind bars for life. So what is really happening to Sierra Leone? Along with Free Quality Education, fighting rape and sexual abuse is a central part of the government’s program. A number of issues, some of which we highlight below may actually be at play right now.
1. It could well be that because of the measures the government has put in place, many people who only yesterday did nothing apart from invoking the wrath of God when they were raped or sexually abused are actually now speaking up – calling for justice.
2. There has in fact been a dramatic increase in the number of dirty men going round our communities raping our women and children. So despite the life sentence and the shaming of perpetrators the criminals can’t be deterred.
3. It could also be that the government is speaking a lot about this issue and putting legislation in place but they are not putting enough money and time into working in communities with Community Based Organizations and other opinion leaders to mobilize people against rape and sexual misconduct in general.
4. Maybe the whole strategy of those leading the fight is noise-making. Please employ other methods. We should stop doing the same thing and expecting different results.
5. Let’s not hide the fact that NGOs could be sexing up the figures to attract funding. This looks cynical but let’s not rule out anything.
“BULLET” TURNS TO GOD IN POLITICALLY UNCERTAIN TIMES
Here’s BULLET before a man of God and some prayer warriors invoking God’s mercy for the big man who just had a spectacular fall from the greasy pole of Sierra Leone politics. From what we now know this was the last document Principal approved before flying out for holiday in the UK.
We’re told that BULLET is generally a very religious man and even asked a popular Man of God to pray in his new office at NATCOM in those early days and even consecrated all the furniture against evil spirit. Isn’t that very good?
BULLET has had a lot of highs and lows in his political life always making the headlines for the good, the bad and the ugly. His stay at NATCOM was tumultuous, to say the least. We know there were meetings at State House, one press statement after the other all intended to show who was really in charge at NATCOM. Why did BULLET really choose to go to NATCOM? We have some suggestions to make regarding what next BULLET can do with the rest of his life.
1. Stay in Green Camp Headquarters and do your job as party chairman. Everybody will be coming to see you, and remember you still have that power to give party symbols in 2023. Well if you will still have it after the next Executive Committee meeting. But please don’t mess the symbol allocation the way you did in 2018.
2. Retire to your village, switch your phones off, go jogging in the morning with your boys like we saw in one social media picture and eat really fresh food. Freetown is full of stress, you know.
3. Enter the Bible College and train to be a pastor and after that you will not need to deploy another man of God in difficult circumstances. It’s always when you do things yourself.
4. Resign totally from politics and return to the University and train the next generation. Those young people will appreciate you more.
5. Fly away to Thailand with your family and stay there until the Lord calls. That’s a very nice place.
CRIME IS ON THE INCREASE, IG MOIGBEH WAKE UP!
IG Moigbeh you MUST stop sleeping NOW. Wake up! Don’t tell me you don’t know many people are complaining about increasingly bold broad daylight muggings and armed robbery. There was a recent case in Makeni which, as far as we know, was badly handled by your men. Criminals are breaking into cars on the streets of Freetown with ease and no matter the amount of damage they cause you never get to arrest them. When you manage to get them the criminals are back on the streets within days.
IG Moigbeh, things are not going well for many people. The criminals are beginning to carve out areas of operation in Freetown and other big cities that are off-limits to ordinary people of this capital. Many people are getting fed up with your poor leadership of the SLP. There is a palpable fear of crime on our streets. It’s not enough to have a convoy of vehicles protected by armed paramilitary police. Consider the following Mr. Inspector General.
1. Why is it that many people who have been attacked by criminals think that rogue elements in your establishment are colluding with the criminals?
2. We are always recruiting police officers, so why are they not on the streets during the day and on patrols at night to keep us safe?
3. How many police officers do you have on hire in private residences?
4. And this concept of community policing, where is it today? We are not experts but we believe it goes deeper than holding community meetings and appointing a partnership board, sometimes made up of some people with questionable characters.
5. Why not resign now?!
PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALLERS PLAYING IN BACKYARD LEAGUES
So a day after the end of the Premier League, some of the stars that emerged with glory turn up to play community football in a backyard league. How can anyone explain this? And the players under our microscope come from the two best teams in the country. Is this about wanting to play football daily and under any condition or there is good money on offer? Don’t these guys have any shame? Do they have anything to prove playing in the POTAFA league?
We have to ask fundamental questions about what community leagues are really about and why Premier League footballers feel no shame to deteriorate from playing in the big league with tens of thousands watching to playing on some of the worst pitches in the world with no security and in front of no more than FIVE HUNDRED spectators. Here’s what we think, for what it’s worth.
1. It is down to Premier League players to come to their senses and understand why they are called into Premier League clubs and never demote themselves by playing in those junior leagues.
2. If they remain shameless and continue then SLFA should make it clear that there will be consequences for that.
3. Their own Premier League clubs should warn them against such cheap money chase and sack them if they disobey. No players should be above club rules.
4. Community Leagues are there to help young players come through the ranks and possibly end up in the national team. That purpose is defeated when established footballers choke the young people out of those mini leagues.
5. Any mini league that registers Premier League players should be banned. Many of these so-called mini leagues are just after money. They have no interest in promoting young players.
© 2019 Politico Online
