LET'S FAST AND PRAY...GO SAMURA KAMARA GO!
Johnny Paul Koroma is no longer with us. Well, errrrh, we don't know where he is. An American called Alan White once told us something about the former junta leader's whereabouts but we still have our doubts. Anyway, we thought about him because facing the kind of situation Sierra Leone finds itself now with Samura Kamara, our Foreign Minister in the race for the top job at AfDB, Johnny Paul would have asked the whole nation to stop work at 3pm local time and shout JEHOVAH so hard that those voting in Abidjan would hear our cries and elect our dear Samura Kamara. We miss the guy eh?
OK, we are not going down his route and this is what we want the nation to do: Let's pray and fast until Thursday for Samura Kamara to win this race. There are many reasons why we want our man to get that job. We list a few here:
1. It will be a very refreshing break from this thing about Sierra Leone losing competitions all the time. In football, athletics, Human Development Index - those kinds of things.
2. People will know us for something more than just civil war, amputations, UN peace-keeping and Ebola. It will create a kind of feel-good atmosphere around us after all the stress of getting by in this country.
3. Let's not hide it, we are also hoping that Samura will take a much more sympathetic view of the poverty situation in our country and the region and influence more projects this way.
4. Samura is a brilliant economist, no doubt about that. This job will crown his achievements. He will be a fulfilled man and all of us will be happy we played a role to make at least one person really happy.
5. Frankly, there are a few people in De Pa's cabinet who are praying daily for Samura to win, just so that they can take over his job. One of them said that to a friend who in turn told Politico they can't wait. That's not bad too.
The problem is De Pa doesn't always replace minister when they resign or are sacked even for incompetence. So our dear minister must go slowly on this.
WAITING FOR THE NEW AIRPORT AT MAMAMAH: FROM CHINA WITH LOVE
We called attention to the state of the road from Tagrin to Lungi airport the day but as usual we were dismissed as those journalists who talk too much. It's a fact because we've been checking since then and the situation remains the same. In fact the road is deteriorating extremely fast. Let's see what happens by the time we get to August.
Meanwhile the waiting continues for China to deliver another toy to Sierra Leone, the kid that didn't have toys as a child. We believe a new airport is not high priority for the people of Sierra Leone. With a quarter of the money earmarked for this project, we could produce wonders at Lungi. But, of course such shiny projects are good to take to an electorate that accepts anything. In fact, we cannot even begin to imagine what Lungi would look like without the airport because even with the airport, it's a difficult place.
It's one thing to initiate a mega project like that, completely another to pull it off without questions here and there.
1. Is it really our idea to get a new airport or is it part of those little toys that China takes around to her friends in Africa? We can't remember being consulted in any way about that project as citizens of Sierra Leone.
2. Would China also build homes for all the people now living on the land on which this airport would be constructed? We don't want demonstrators embarrassing our guests outside the airport with placards about re-settlement package.
3. How many flights a week would land and take off in this country with a new airport? For now, even Lungi is way below capacity. What would have changed to by the time the airport is complete to influence the biggest operators in the world to come down here?
4. What would be the name of the airport? We have some ideas, based on the state of play in Salone today but we are prepared to wait for official reply. The moment they tell us they have not thought about it yet, we would reveal what we have found out in the interest of our people.
5. Maybe in 2018, we would have a new airport, a new government headed by another party, and a new minister - the fact is Red, Green, Pink or White, Logus will be sacked for unnecessary political spin. His spining is not matching delivery.
TOWNSHIP ROAD PROJECTS STANDSTILL: LET'S BLAME IT ON EBOLA, RIGHT?
Projects that were supposed to demonstrate how a country can judiciously utilise their money for the benefit of their people have ground to a halt in many parts of the country, seriously embarrassing the authorities.
We are talking about the so-called township road projects that were initiated to give our major towns a facelift, make them have the feel of a town. For just two examples, checkout Moyamba and Pujehun and give us your impression.
Almost two years ago, we went to Pujehun to listen to the De Pa speak on International Women's Day. On the eve of De Pa's arrival, the so-called contractors worked throughout the night on central areas to create the impression they were good guys. As soon as De Pa left two days later, they packed up their equipment and went home. That's where we still are. Moyamba is even worse.
We understand the contractors are being supervised by that incompetent bunch of people called SLRA. They are the only people in the world who would supervise something like that and continue pretending after three years that the contractors were worth their salt.
These projects stalled before Ebola so we will not accept any talk of Ebola being responsible for the them stalling. The government should simply clean up the SLRA, sack those contractors, get new and better ones and put supervision in the hands of the local people, not corrupt district councils, please.
SWASAL CONGRESS ENDS WITH FRANK IN CHARGE
After all the hype, the Biennial Congress of the Sports Writers Association of Sierra Leone, SWASAL has come and gone. Frank Cole of Mercury Radio is now the president and Sahr Morris of Concord Times the Secretary General. Congrats guys but what next? You are probably still thinking. Right? We have Frank's manifesto.
On the whole the congress went well and all parties accepted the result - we've never had problems in SLAJ and its affiliates with people disputing results. There were police officers around but they were simply having a great fun time - NO KUSS KASS.
Please, SWASAL be careful how you slam blackouts on people and organisations as from now on. It's a powerful tool in your arsenal so use it sparingly otherwise it will become too blunt to be deployed to any effect, any time soon.
Please give us more action news not Isha Johansen this, Isha Johansen that or Awoko has done this. Good Luck.
© Politico 27/05/15
