GIVE TO MAYOR BABABODE WHAT IS MAYOR BABABODE'S
What is this we are hearing about people refusing to pay local tax in Freetown because according to them, the Freetown City Council has nothing to show for all the taxes they have collected previously? We understand why the people want to take this line of action but we will not be part of any such conversation. We believe that we must all pay our taxes because that's what good citizens do to keep their state running. We urge all residents of Freetown to pay up. Yes pay up and continue behaving like good citizens. For example:
1. We must insist that like the national parliament, all meetings of the FCC must be open to all citizens and the FCC must make sure they invite the media to such meetings in the name of transparency and proper representation of the people.
2. The FCC must also fully comply with sections of the Local Government Act which requires them to publish their budgets for all to see.
3. The FCC must set at least one such meeting aside to take questions directly from those of us who would be in attendance. And there are many questions we want to ask apart from clarifications about the damage that the Morgan Heritage episode did to our city council.
4. We will also insist on hygiene being the priority of the FCC. No dirty pigs roaming parts of the city, no criminals selling parking spaces in Freetown for their own benefit, absolute clarity about the status of Victoria Park and how people are why people are still sleeping under bridges long after Bababode promised to remove them.
5. After just two sittings, the language and quality of the debate would convince us about what we suspected all along - some of the councilors have no business trying to represent anybody. They should be voted out next year.
PLEASE DONATE TO THE PEOPLE'S BAILOUT FUND FOR KENEMA COUNCIL
To ease the pain of the long-suffering people of the eastern headquarter town of Kenema, we have today decided to launch a Greek-style bailout for Kenema. We have no evidence that Kenema has mismanaged its resources like the Greeks. What we know is that somehow, the budget of that great city has not made it past the parliamentary finance committee.
The council and the parliament are alleging this and that. Our interest is in the welfare of the ordinary people of Kenema who have had to go without basic services for so long because for more than six months, parliament hasn't given the all clear for the council to access their money.
We will not be opening any bank account for this venture because we don't want parliament to invoke another of its many powers to close it down. Here's how we will operate: the Council Chairman will provide us a space to establish our office at Sinava Guest House in Kenema. That's where we will collect monies and other goods that ordinary people contribute to end the suffering of their compatriots in Kenema city. We will not accept any NGO money. NGOs like too much publicity and they spend a good percentage of what they raise on behalf of the people on their administrative expenses.
The money we raise will be directed to the following:
1. Making sure rubbish is collected and disposed of daily. The last time we visited Kenema, we returned to Freetown under serious attack of malaria. The mosquitoes were as big as butterflies.
2. We will pay the junior workers in that council all their backlog salaries. We just hope we can do that in time to save some homes that are already falling apart.
2. We will also provide at least one hot meal for children in primary schools throughout the city. It's good for their health and it will also help us improve registration and class participation.
3. The major roads can only be done by the central government but we shall spend some of what we raise filling up potholes that have taken over the main streets of Kenema.
4. We will buy air time on many radio stations and organise fundraising programmes to bring in more cash.
5. Some of the money will also goes towards paying allowances to civilian vigilantes who we have recruited to help fight criminality is some communities.
When we succeed with this, it will be up to parliament to end this brinksmanship game they are playing with the unnecessarily talkative Mayor of Kenema who gave that very long and somewhat confusing welcome address at the last SLAJ Annual General Meeting.
IS IT IMPOSSIBLE TO LOCK PORTLOKO DISTRICT DOWN FOR A MONTH?
Let's have some answers quickly to the questions above otherwise, we are very afraid that Freetown and indeed the rest of the country could still catch cold from the continuous sneezing of Portloko. So why can't we lock the place down right now.
The latest Ebola cases to hit Freetown are said to have originated from a quarantined home in Portloko. We are told that somebody fled from the so-called quarantine and landed in the east of the capital and eventually died there. If Portloko was under lock and key, there would have been no escape from the town. We do not believe that in Sierra Leone quarantine means quarantine.
And can somebody please end this shameful drama between the district Ebola coordinator and some MPs from Portloko? Point-scoring ahead of 2018 is what these guys are up to even at this early stage. That's not our interest. Let's end Ebola now. We must revisit with immediate effect all those half measures recently announced and slam a full lock down. We believe that like Kailahun, Portloko would pull through eventually but not with half measures. Full dose please.
SAME PODA-PODA BUT DIFFERENT FARES PER HEAD
Why are poda-poda drivers behaving like their vehicles have suddenly become planes where there are first class cabins occupied by people who are strong in the pocket and the economy areas for small people. We have checked this many times - poda-poda drivers charge TWO THOUSAND LEONES for front seats, the seat beside the driver while those in the other seats pay half that price. Why is that the case please? Do they offer them food and drinks? If this is not lawlessness then what is?
Aaaaaayyyyy Salone! We are living in a country where people take chances with the wrong thing and after some time they get away with it. This is naked exploitation, it must stop.
Yes, the front seats are the only ones not replaced with metal seats but why would anybody pay that extra money just to make themselves the first casualties when recklessness sets in. The poda-poda drivers would also give that part of the vehicle away when one of the many accident occur. Let's leave that front seat free if they insist on charging TWO THOUSAND LEONES.
We understand the reason why people would do anything to catch the next vehicle. Transportation is a big wahala in Sierra Leone. We don't know what difference those one hundred buses from Logus Koroma would make when they finally land in Freetown.
(C) Politico 26/06/15
