PER DIEM UNITED SQUAD DOING WELL IN GREAT AMERICA
Fellow Sierra Leoneans we are happy to report that our team, PER DIEM UNITED is doing a wonderful job in Great America, on behalf of THEMSELVES – sorry Mama Salone. Despite initial concerns about the size of the team and the huge amount of money the nation is spending for their upkeep in Obama land, we are quite sure many of our compatriots who thought the whole venture was too expensive now regret ever doubting the wisdom of De Pa when it comes to matters of this nature.
We are getting very good reports that shop owners are laughing all the way to the bank after every engagement with the Sierra Leone delegation. Ministers are making all sorts of statements about everything under the sun including calling for reparation for slavery and using PART FIVE of the Public Order Act of Sierra Leone as a universal standard for regulating the internet and the media in general. We understand that during one such boring and unending speech, their American hosts almost fell asleep after yawning too long too often. Some radical ones planned to run our team out of town but were prevailed upon by the main organisers of the event.
One of the main strikers in our team – our own Cristiano Ronaldo, if you like, told us they would surely do Sierra Leone proud and to prove that we must all go to the Lungi International Airport to welcome them and help them carry their luggage of expensive jeans, shoes and electronic equipment including iPads, laptop computers, flat screen TV sets, and the like. Our source says since all the goods would enter the country free of cost, duty-free, they are prepared to sell some at very reasonable prices.
Our source however expressed fear that from the look of things some members of the delegation who were surplus to requirement but found their way into the team by some means would remain in the United States forever in the same way some government officials and athletes went to the Commonwealth Games in Australia and declared themselves politically endangered species in Mama Salone.
We are waiting to see that happen. We have the list of people who eventually made the trip. See you soon people.
WAITING FOR ANOTHER MAY DAY, LABOUR CONGRESS FALLS ASLEEP AGAIN
We used to have a very powerful animal in Sierra Leone called the Sierra Leone Labour Congress. It was so strong that employers made every effort not to annoy their workers. Governments respected the animal to the extent that it was regularly consulted on issues about standards of living in Sierra Leone. But we are now living in a country where the Labour Congress is compromised and the workers of Sierra Leone are suffering with no voice to shout. The same way the teachers’ union (SLTU) has sold out its members. Labour leaders are enjoying their cosy relationship with the most meddlesome and manipulative government since Siaka Stevens’.
Conditions in factories are now worse than the sweat shops of Bangladesh, teachers are being disgraced daily by an inept Minister of Education who has spent the last six years in office insulting them and further verifying the re-verified verified teachers' payroll. As we write 4,000 of the nation's teachers have been deprived of their salaries and their families are suffering while their bosses in the SLTU who have remained in office longer than Robert Mugabe are having lunch and dinner with the powerful of Sierra Leone. We still don't have a clean payroll.
These days we hear about the Labour Congress only on May Day when their serious counterparts in other areas of the world are celebrating their achievements. What is wrong with you associating yourself with the suffering of your people? Just say something so that at least we know you are around.
The Sierra Leone Labour cannot tell anybody in this country that life is good. Things are hard, many of our people can't eat a decent meal in a week, hundreds of thousands are living in slums, dying of easily preventable diseases, many ordinary people are denied bail for very trivial matters and locked up in the overflowing Pademba road prison. In the midst of all that, the Sierra Leone Labour Congress pretends ALL THINGS ARE BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL. If the current Sierra Leone Labour Congress were in charge of Nigeria under Abacha, the dictator would still be in Aso Rock today.
This is an unbelievable shame.
SIERRA LEONE JUDICIARYON TRIAL BEFORE THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION
Our Lady the Chief Justice should make no mistake about this: her judiciary is on trial, not for the alleged rape involving the former Deputy Minister of Education, but about whether the Rule of Law is actually in operation. In other words, are all Sierra Leoneans equal before the law?
Our Lady must forgive us for saying that many Sierra Leoneans believe we live in a two-tier world where some animals are more equal than others. In Our Lady's own look at things, such a conclusion is wrong. We accept that too but we urge her to investigate why many of our people think so. Please don't ask us how we arrived at that conclusion, Our Lady can prove us wrong by simply stopping 20 people on Siaka Stevens Street, near her entrance to the Law Courts building, and put this question to them: “Do you have confidence in the judiciary?” The responses should be very interesting. Our Lady can also ask a supplementary question: “Is the Rule of Law in operation in Sierra Leone?” We will not object to her putting on her full legal garbs, the people will not be intimated.
In the trial of Mahmoud Tarawallie, we already have a few things about which we expect the judiciary to do something – there's unhealthy pre-trial publicity and a blatant breach of the Sexual Offences Act under the noses of our judiciary. We have evidence of people being detained for the same reasons in the past, why should today be different? And the very judiciary has failed to protect an alleged victim.
We want to warn Our Lady that we are compiling and will surely publish a list of many people who have been on remand for alleged rape for a very long time without once being granted bail. Our data are coming from all over the country. We want to demonstrate what we mean by a two-tier country when it comes to the criminal justice system involving the rich and powerful and ordinary mortals like us. We hope Our Lady will understand, that's the mission of the media – constantly checking to see if justice is taking hold or whether it's all just a lip service.
“RAISE YOUR GAME”, BUT ALSO BRING YOUR TEAMS – KiKiKiKiKi
Isha Johansen appears to have nicked something from the Guinness advertisement on Super Sport. She recently told football stakeholders to "Raise Your Game". Well, we have waited for her to flesh out what she meant by that but all we've seen is a string of press releases saying one thing today and then contradicting it the next day either with another press release or in some radio interview.
We believe she should have called on the stakeholders not just to "Raise Your Game" but also to "Bring Your Teams" to play. These days when we watch football websites, all we read is this team versus that team "didn't take place".
We urge madam president to fall back on the team that helped her defeat those powerful football delegates in the last elections to take her over this other very high and dangerous hurdle called BOYCOTT. They can use the same pattern as long as they are assured of all the logistics to further CEMENT the deal.
We offer some help: The teams on the right will henceforth replace the troublesome so-called big teams that have caused all the trouble for madam president.
Diamond Stars – San San Boys of Tankoro
Bo Rangers – Wanjama Bondeisia
Gem Stars – Wonde Gboyama United
Mighty Blackpool – Jambo Boys of Kuntoloh
FC Kallon – Scrap Metal FC
Freetown City Council – Buya Romende Strikers
Ports Authority – Kasila The Devil
Central Parade – Mambolo Pothole Menders
Old Edwardians – Tintafor Contractors
Kambui Eagles – Magburaka Rangers
Let the game resume. Long Live Isha Johansen who goes to the negotiating table but continues to look down on her negotiating partners and refuses to move an inch from her entrenched position yet calls on the other side to "think about the country and the game". Welcome to the madam's weird world.
(C) Politico 24/09/13
