THE EFFICIENCY OF MUNU POLICE IS DEMONSTRATED IN TWO WAYS
When you do anything the police deem to be in the interest of the government, they turn a blind eye. Sometimes they even provide legal justification to support you. Their colleagues who were named in that Bo violence investigation would not be in uniform today if Munu Boys were really even-handed.
Anyway, let's demonstrate what the headline is driving home. A politician with extra-ordinary presidential ambitions, a man who believes he was ordained by God to one day rule this country, suddenly appears in the far north of the country and actively encouraging hundreds of people to converge in his praise. What did the SLP do about that? The pictures are all over social media and we didn't post them. In fact, he also organised a dinner connected to that far north clandestine presidential campaigning recently at a hotel in Tokeh in the Freetown Peninsular where strategic planners met. You can't hide from Twitter. What did the SLP do about that?
Football Stakeholders have just met in Freetown, they have even issued a press release. What did the SLP do about that?
Police recovered a mobile phone belonging to an armed robber from a crime scene in Freetown. It took three weeks for them to ask mobile phone companies to identify the contacts in that phone. We know that the names of at least two police officers are in that phone. We are following that case keenly, even though we are beginning to lose our patience.
When an opposition politician turns up at a busy market place in the FORTIFIED SEAT OF POWER and gets mobbed by people, he is quickly arrested and dragged to a police station in the name of Ebola emergency. Where's the balance? Something is not right?
TIMAP FOR JUSTICE MUST ACTUALLY TIMAP IN MILE 91
We love Timap for Justice. TIMAP in Krio means - STAND UP. So the name of the NGO is STAND UP FOR JUSTICE. We believe they are doing well with grassroots justice in a country where many are too scared to approach the criminal justice system which is expensive and unnecessarily slow. But can we call their attention now to the fact that their signboard in the strategic northern town of Mile 91 is actually not STANDING UP.
And because the signboard is strategically located in the center of town it makes a bad spectacle for our dear Timap for Justice. We honestly don't want to believe it is symbolic of your programme interventions on behalf of the poor people you've been serving.
Listen friends, we are prepared to contribute what little money we have to help put that signboard up again. Please give us an account number and before long cash will flow - Obama came to power relying to some extent on small donations so don't underestimate what we can do. Long live Timap for Justice.
POLICE EBOLA CHECKPOINTS IN THE DARK: WHAT'S GOING ON?
When is a checkpoint not a checkpoint? We found the answer in the last few days just outside the town of Masiaka about 52 kilometers from Freetown. Our vehicle almost hit the so-called Ebola checkpoint because there was nothing to warn us that an Ebola checkpoint was right ahead. Any Ebola checkpoint should be an important place where serious work is done to safeguard the health of the nation.
We know that the government has directed all the nation's resources towards the Ebola war. So how come it now appears the police can't even light up their own checkpoint. We've been trying to find reason why that particular checkpoint was that dark when we passed through this week. Here's what we came up with:
1. There was no fuel to run the police Kabbah Tiger generator because headquarters had still not sent the weekly allocation.
2. The ground commander had used what little fuel they had to light up his home. Masiaka is too dark and armed robbers are on the rampage - even police commanders are not safe.
3. Actually the officers facilitate the movement of people infected with Ebola through those checkpoints at night. How is it possible that people could travel from all the way Tonkolili only to drop dead at Hastings.
4. It's very possible that the officers were so exhausted that they fell asleep at 19:30 hrs.
5. Finally, the officers were actually trying to ambush careless drivers who would run into their checkpoint. Serious negotiations would have resulted in bulging pockets and other victims of corruption.
SLFA STAKEHOLDERS' ANNUAL CONGRESS vs. QUEEN JOHANSEN'S CONGRESS
This is exactly what it means to "take your destiny in your hands." Football stakeholders have announced they would meet in congress five days to Christmas and talk about their organisation. This is certainly against the grain of the SLFA but the stakeholders say they are standing on their constitution. Ok then, Mama Johansen says she would go to Congress but not until January. The stage is set. Journalists like us lick our lips when things get to a stage like this.
In a battle like this, it's important to note a few things to demonstrate that we are following the collapsing fortunes of Sierra Leone Football.
1. We warn the stakeholders not to play into the hand of the wily old fox call Pope John Paul. The stakeholders met in his kingdom from which he banned them to prepare the way for Johansen to become president of the SLFA. Now he has had a spectacular falling out with Johansen and he has returned to the stakeholders for legitimacy to remove Johansen. The stakeholders have to be very careful.
2. With the State of Emergency in force, people must be careful because the police could turn up on the morning of the congress and arrest everybody like they did to Alpha Timbo.
3. What if, as predicted by CDC and others Ebola intensifies by Christmas and Emergency Rule is tightened, would there still be a congress?
4. What do the stakeholders have in place as PLAN B, in case they wake up on the eve of the congress to learn that Queen Johansen had decided to jump instead of being pushed by her enemies? Would they start fighting for power among themselves?
5. The December congress will certainly not end the civil war in the SLFA, even if it managed to dislodge Queen Johansen.
6. The stakeholders must pray that FIFA's hit man does not arrive in Freetown on the eve of congress to announce that Lord Blatter of Zurich had decreed that Queen Johansen shall reign forever. Long live the queen.
© Politico 21/11/14
