WHEN RED BUSES BECOME RED MEAT TO KAMARAINBA MANSARAY
What a week it was for Kamarainba? This guy came from Obama Land hoping to succeed De Pa in 2018 but ran headlong into a brick wall erected by Marine House. He was shocked out of his skin when he was thrown out of the Red Movement probably for talking too much and being in haste with the taboo subject of POLITICAL SUCCESSION. Gradually, he worked on his own party and just after being certified, he found a very RED MEAT. Kamarainba has been hammering away at Logus Koroma's Red approach to the people's Red buses with real power.
In political terms, Logus Koroma and The Berater have helped Kamarainba launch his party on the world stage in ways unimaginable before those buses were paraded on our streets in typical Red Movement propaganda style. Would that translate into votes in 2018 for Kamarainba? We have no idea. He says he's heading for State House. Well, he might. It's not our business to write-off anybody but we believe some conditions must apply for that to be possible.
1. Logus Koroma must continue to buy Red buses, planes and ferries with the people's money and then go to elaborate lengths to create the illusion that it was the Red Movement doing Sierra Leoneans a favour.
2. The Red government and movement must continue to have the Berater as their spokesman.
3. Orbangu must continue providing back-up Public Relations support for the government. His PR skills are extremely shaky, probably non-existent. But it has produced results for the Red movement. Kamarainba accuses him of political match-fixing and that if Sierra Leone was FIFA, Orbangu would have been banned from football for life. Yeah, that's probably true but we really need Orbangu around so we can write a column like this. He keeps us in business. Long live Orbangu!
4. The government must continue doing sole-sourcing from China, whether it's with a Greek-type IMF loan or a Chinese Trojan horse. And the contractor must be the same in - the - pond, out - of - the - pond business man.
5. Another very important condition is that Chief SHOMANOR KAPEN must remain as leader of a battered and bruised Green Movement and continue complaining of NOCH BEEN INVICHED CHO PARCHY MEECHINGS.
THE BERATER'S LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE ACCESS TO INFORMATION COMMISSION
There's a lot we have to say about the Public Relations job done by The Berater on behalf of the government and the Red Movement. When we are ready, we will deal with his condescending attitude towards the leader of a political party who was in the studio at 98.1 and indeed the people of Sierra Leone who were listening to the programme that morning. He described as "ELEMENTARY TALK," all comments members of the public are raising regarding procurement issues around the controversial 100 buses.
The Berater also told the world he wouldn't deal with the political questions raised by the politician - having to do with the Red brand given to buses bought with the people's money. The recording we have proves he was serving a partisan political interest, not the people of Sierra Leone who pay his salaries and make him comfortable in many other ways. It was a bad PR job, executed with anger and arrogance. We shall deal with those issues soon.
Our interest here was The Berater's constant reference to the Access to Information Commission as the place to get all the information we want both in quality and volume. He fundamentally misunderstands the role of that institution. With respect to our colleagues who work there, we want The Berater to know that the commission is not even properly established and in any case, they are not investigative journalists, police or magistrates. They are supposed to merely pass on to people what they get from public agencies and departments. Journalists like us don't really trust any such information. We only use it as a peg to launch investigations using our own sources.
Again, we will come to that commission in subsequent editions but since The Berater believes they can help with all our information needs, we have many questions we've been asking in silence. Here are just two for starters:
1. We want to know how much money has been spent on all overseas trip by all categories of government officials - hotel bills, per diem allowances, air fares and so-called incidentals, since 2007.
2. The monthly salary and allowances of all public officials including those living in government housing.
We want this delivered to us in the next two weeks. Standby for more soon.
AKU BUSES FINALLY HIT THE ROADS, WE OFFER SOME TIPS TO THE SLRTC
Even rookie politicians know that journalists like us are there to provide a critical edge to the public debate. And we've been doing just that. We know that many Sierra Leoneans value our contributions. We thank them for that. Those who find us a little bit of a humbug, please bear with us. We are in all this business of turning Sierra Leone into a Paradise by 2035, long after De Pa is gone from State House.
Today, we want to see how we can help the SLRTC which was gasping for breath before Logus Koroma's Red buses landed at DEEP WATER QUAY. We hope they take us Seriously.
1. Remove what you consider your major bus terminal from Wallace Johnson Street immediately. It's hasn't improved since the 70s when some of us started using it. It's the same place - rogue ticket sellers, sub-standard service and small time criminals.
2. Now we have the Regent-Grafton road, build a modern international and local bus terminal at Grafton and then run shuttle services to and from the city center for your passengers. At Grafton, you have a lot of space to put up something that looks like a Sierra Leone with middle aspirations for 2035. How about that?
3. Re-introduce the voucher system even for daily commuters. Parents would like the idea for their children. Those who can't afford can do it pay as you go.
Pay your drivers, conductors and inspectors good money - not this crazy minimum wage that means nothing. That way you minimize corruption. You can only MINIMIZE it. Sorry!
4. Please warn all your drivers to STAY CLEAR OF SAVAGE STREET. Tell them they would be summarily dismissed if for any reason they decide to go in and out of western Freetown through SAVAGE STREET. The hill is too steep and there are saboteurs always hanging around to pour black engine oil under vehicles that get stuck on the hill.
5. Tell them they should also be very careful with Okada Riders, especially near Eastern Police station. Please, please. Good Luck Mr. Manager. Let's now see your Transport for London bus service experience at work.
WHEN IS A BISHOP NOT A BISHOP BUT IS REALLY A BISHOP IN MAKENI?
When the history of the Catholic Church in Sierra Leone is written, the chapter capturing the disgraceful spectacle of a Sierra Leonean bishop been thrown out of the diocese of Makeni by his peers should be very interesting indeed. All we've heard from the priests in that area is that Bishop Aruna is not part of the diocese, he doesn't speak their language, and that there are qualified priests in the diocese to take the position and bla, bla bla.
There are many examples we can quote inside and outside of Sierra Leone to destroy those points but we will not be drawn that way for now. We know what all this is about.
The point is that the action in Makeni has challenged the notion of the so-called UNIVERSALITY of the Catholic Church. The repercussions of this behaviour would be felt throughout Sierra Leone for a long time to come - AN ITALIAN BISHOP IS MORE ACCEPTABLE TO THE PRIESTS AND LAITY OF MAKENI DIOCESE THAN A SIERRA LEONEAN.
So like the prophet Amos in the bible, Bishop Aruna has been sent home to serve as an auxiliary Bishop to the respected Bishop Patrick Koroma in Kenema. The world should not be surprised to wake up one morning to find out that the Pope from Argentina thrown out of the Vatican using the logic of Makeni Diocese. Since the Holy See is in Italy and indeed Europe, the Pope must always come from Italy. Or at worst, any European country.
Bishop Koroma said in Kenema that he had no problem welcoming home a brother who had been rejected in another part of the country. That means after three years moving from parish to parish, Bishop Aruna has found a resting place, Alleluyah!!!!!!
(C) Politico 23/07/15
