ARROGANT MIATTA CANNOT BEAT EBOLA
Beleaguered Miatta Kargbo needs some lessons in how to make media appearances. Her last performance on 98.1 breakfast radio was an absolute disaster. Her officials will not tell her that; even her cabinet colleagues including the one she has strong human connections with, will also refrain from telling her the truth. In fact some will congratulate her. But, boy! that was a disaster. We have nothing to lose with Miatta hating what we write. So we can speak without having to look over our shoulders.
Miatta didn't want to be challenged on her handling of the Ebloa wahala so she entered the studio in a defensive mood. We weren't surprised at the way she jumped on one of the presenters over the Kenema Lassa Fever lab mix up. Some of her professionals had told the same radio that the same lab could not conclusively prove Ebola. And here she was doubting whether the journalist who pressed her on her apparent departure from that position was "intelligent".
Miatta thought she was talking down on the journalist. In reality, she was talking down on all of us who were listening that morning. She has no idea that the journalist, with his microphone in hand represent the voice of all of us, her pay masters. She has to write a letter to the management of 98.1 to apologise for treating the journalist like that.
We will return to this subject soon but we want to give her a few days to send that letter to 98.1 . We strongly believe that she will ignore us. We will then reveal a few interesting issues that our people are definitely interested in about the Ebola attack and much more.
This business of ministers in particular behaving as if they are better that us who pay their salaries, is no longer acceptable. Look at the other guy who goes around with more armed that president Salva Kirr of South Sudan. Read Politico always.
PLEASE CLOSE SALONE HOUSING CORPORATION FOR GOOD
How can the head of a whole government institution go to parliament and tell the Public Accounts Committee and tell the MPs that his institution survives "by the grace of God". Well, we know God is everywhere but if haven't paid you staff for five months, it's hardly God's fault. It's your fault sir.
The SALHOC boss told MPs he calls his staff to prayer meetings or what daily, to tell them that there was no money to pay them and the staff would in turn congratulate him and return to their desks. What kind of organisations is this?
SALHOC debts to collect but they are so scared of their tenants that they prefer to starve with their families instead of actively collecting those debts to service their operations. Even illiterate property owners know how to go to court to get monies from tenants or even how to evict those tenants. But SAHOC is a strange animal. And for the staff, what is it about working for SALHOC that keeps them strolling into the office every morning even without being paid for up to five months? We mean no disrespect but we should probably study the management style of the SALHOC boss because it get empty bags to stand. It could even be put forward as a case study for countries like GREECE that are undergoing serious austerity programs. The government is quick to evict squatters from their properties but senior government officials are occupying properties under the control of SALHOC and they are refusing to pay their rents. Almost all of them are also busy collecting housing allowances from government coffers. And the man running SALHOC, who is not being paid for that job cannot go to court to evict them. Isn't this why we say we live in a strange country.
The whole SALHOC thing is a real joke and we don't think even the MPs helped the situation. If we cannot have a proper SALHOC, let's close the place and send everybody home.
POLICE RAIDING MARIJUANA JOINTS WITHOUT RESULTS
We don't think there's anything wrong with police arresting people using prohibited substances like marijuana like they've been doing over the last month or so. In fact, in all this many innocent people have been arrested and locked up in cells simply because they happened to be around the area at the time of the raid. The Americans call it collateral damage. The point however is that if collateral damage becomes more substantial and the intended target, then questions must be asked.
We also think that arresting idle young boys and girls who take marijuana as a way of escaping from their wretched existence solves no problem. The police know where marijuana is planted and it's trafficked across the borders into Guinea and Liberia. The police know marijuana farms in Waterloo, the Koya general area, parts of Kambia district and a few other places. Why don't they go and clear those farms now?
The national drugs abuse agency has no money to undertake its programs and are only based in Freetown. This is an example of an institution created to meet donor requirements without any commitment to make it work. It's that serious.
So what is the result of all the raids? A few people may have gone to court and even be sent to jail for a few days, but what has that done to marijuana smoking in public places in Freetown? Nobody is fooled anymore by all this public relations exercise. Start from the start please.
COUNTDOWN TO SEPTEMBER - LOGUS KOROMA vs. RIGHTHAND DRIVE VEHICLES
All eyes are now on Logus Koroma. This guy enjoys being in the media. He goes on radio every time he returns to Freetown from a meeting in China, USA or Canada. He makes a lot of promises and revises them again and again. We have allowed a lot of those promises to pass unfulfilled. Take the example of the coming of Delta Airlines. We knew that the guy was only making a feel good announcement but he said it with so much gravitas that the most skeptical individuals were willing to believe him for once.
We now give notice well in advance that we will not allow Logus to get away with failing to implement his NO RIGHT HAND VEHICLE AFTER SEPTEMBER 2014 project. We want to assure Logus that there is no turning back. He has to do what he promised.
You see, we have been disappointed many times by our ministers on matters like this. Here was the tourism minister who after many promises went to the beach to oversee the demolition of unauthorised beach structures only for him to do a U-turn and tell the nation that he wanted to allow Jaycees to have a good Christmas so the program will be put on hold. Another one wanted to clear that squatter camp for disable people along Pademba road. On the day the job was due, the Karaoke Minister stopped the exercise saying he had orders from above. How about the other one who went to clear Bombay street of street traders, only for the traders to spontaneously march to State House (without any permit, dear LUC MEMUNA) and blackmail De Pa into stopping the process.
So Logus must understand why we be believe his political careers is neatly tied to this right hand drive business. It's either he pulls it off or he quits his job as minister of transport. The die is cast.
(C) Politico 29/05/14
