WHERE IS THE MEDICAL AND DENTAL ASSOCIATION AS WE FIGHT EBOLA?
We want to encourage ourselves to think that all hands are on deck in this fight against the killer disease, Ebola. But deep inside, we know that a very important hand is either missing or is not fully inside the struggle. We mean the SLMDA - the people trained to save lives. Where are they?
We have heard some grumbling about the SLMDA being marginalised in this struggle but, to be honest, there's no evidence the government has turned any effort away. Come on SLMDA, we need your expertise. What is this talk about junior doctors being displeased about certain things? Can we have the details please?
In fact we've been trying to get in touch with the SLMDA president but it's been extremely difficult, almost impossible to get her. The Prezo needs to show the leadership qualities required right now. Ebola is causing havoc in our country. When there is a fire, we call the fire brigade; when there is hunger, we call farmers; when there is ignorance, we call on the teachers. So why can't we call on doctors when a disease like Ebola is killing our people.
Can the Prezo of SLMDA please get in touch? We have a few questions for her including her reaction to rumours that she has run away to some country in the West apparently avoiding the Ebola fight. We wait to hear from her.
NPSE RESULT OUT BUT WHEN WILL SCHOOLS RE-OPEN?
Internet cafes have been working on overtime and overdrive as parents print out their children's results with NPSE finally out. Results from WAEC are never out on time and we will be very angry with WAEC if they blamed the delay on Ebola - totally impossible. There is a serious capacity problem in WAEC that they are not talking about.
Why has WAEC not even moved from that chaotic little corner to an office block in an area befitting one of the most important institutions in this country? The road leading to the WAEC building is crazy and at any given time on any day there are many young people standing outside the WAEC building doing God knows what.
This institution makes a lot of money but they remain very much the same - conservative, slow and..., well, was their boss looking to be picked as education minister?
Anyway, let's address the real education minister now. The NPSE results are out, BECE is still hanging. Yes we know Ebola is around but please play with some ideas for us to see and understand what you intend doing if, as MSF says, Ebola hangs around for a bit longer than we expect or wish. To cancel or suspend exams is one thing but finding ways to solve the problem is the real stuff of a good politician.
We congratulate those children who've done their parents proud by performing well in the exams and the parents who helped them through. But we fear that the future is not very clear at all. What will happen to our schools should we walk out of the Ebola trap today? That's the question, that's the issue.
CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE TAKE US TO THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE?
It sounds like a ridiculous thought but try locating the Ministry of Finance along George Street by means of its signboard. We tried doing that the other day and we were a little shocked at what we noticed. We approached from Lightfoot Boston Street through the Alshabbab Checkpoint. We looked up and saw a signboard that's now completely faded out. All the writings are gone.
How come that huge structure is still standing there in that condition? Are we the only people who've seen it? May be we should ask for a meeting with Nkoroh Marah but we fear meeting Commonwealth people is very difficult. In fact setting up the appointment alone could take a week. Hahahahaha.
There is something to be investigated on behalf of the taxpayers of Sierra Leone. We paid good money to put that signboard up. And it was fantastic while it lasted. The trouble is it didn't last long enough to justify the cash we paid for it. Please let's call in the contractors and protest. They must do something about it right now. Long live the ordinary taxpayers of Sierra Leone!
TRAVELING TO OTHER WEST AFRICAN DESTINATIONS - A REAL NIGHTMARE
We know of somebody who must be in Accra by the end of the week. The consequences of that person not getting there on time is just too serious to even think about. We've observed him try to reach the place and the only way open to him is this: the person can only do so by Air Morocco to Casablanca, spend some long hours there and then fly to Accra. So Fly to the north and then go west - crazy stuff. No thanks to Ebola.
In normal times, people jumped onboard Kenya Airways for Accra and by the time one drove from Syke Street to Juba through the chaos, the person on the plane would be having dinner somewhere in beautiful Accra. Now it takes more than 12 hours between Freetown and Accra, costing more than $ 1, 300. And we haven't talked about what could potentially happen to the person who produces a Sierra Leone passport at any airport in the world. For how much longer can this continue?
We are not doing badly with the fight against Ebola but we have to do more to kill Ebola and remove this veil of fear and suspicion from Sierra Leone. People just don't want to have anything to do with Sierra Leone any more. We find it difficult to accuse them of exaggerating things but clearly that's what it is for many of our so-called friendly countries. One of our columnists suggested last week that THIS TOO SHALL PASS. Give us a few more weeks. Long live Sierra Leone.
UNREALISTIC CAF PRESSES ON DESPITE PLENTY DEATHS
We've been wondering why CAF, like its big brother FIFA, is so unreasonable and unconscionable. Look at the calamity facing Guinea and Sierra Leone and imagine what CAF is saying about football. CAF has asked both countries to play football matches away from home because of Ebola. Well, we have nothing against that precautionary measure but how about CAF paying the extra cost of that or even organising the venue?
Now some countries are refusing to host Sierra Leone in particular and it doesn't bother CAF one bit. We have already called on our authorities to pull out of the whole CAF tournament for two reasons:
1. It's too expensive. We shouldn't spend money on football when we need a lot of it to fight an Ebola epidemic that is threatening to wipe us out.
2. This disgrace of being tossed here and there by countries we considered friendly is just too much. The fact is, there is no way we could even squeeze past Ivory Coast or Cameroon. The same CAF would do what they do best to keep those countries in the tournament. They cannot have a CAF tournament without both or at least one of the two. So let's get out and stay home.
We know that all these tournaments are on schedule but why can 't CAF bend backwards to accommodate the people of the Mano River Union at a time like this and reschedule these matches to sometime in November, when by His Grace, Ebola would have been defeated? But no, they press on with unrealistic conditions and deadlines. Sierra Leone must withdraw now. Heartless CAF.
(C) Politico 21/08/14
