NPSE, YES. BUT BRING YOUR OWN CHAIRS AND TABLES
So the much talked about NPSE has come and gone. We congratulate our children for going through this rite of passage despite all the problems that beset its conduct. We have never seen an NPSE exam like this before. Bra Minks and his people bungled badly but they put a brave face on it by telling the nation the whole thing was about a WAEC boss who wouldn’t retire according to his time. For the first time in this country the issue of the NPSE exams had to be settled at State House. Why was Bra Minks not sacked immediately? Answer, HE IS A SACRED COW. Like the water resources minister who is still there despite De Pa having “sleepless nights” over the acute water shortage.
We were out on the streets on the day of the exams to do journalism. Some of the things we saw convinced us that the delay in writing them was not just about the WAEC boss apparently refusing to leave his post. In fact we could see no connection between the two.
Well to meet Bra Minks half way, let’s even agree that the issue of the WAEC boss was indeed part of the deal. What are the other issues then?
1. Were the papers ready? That’s a very serious question because some of the question papers we have seen suggest to us that the job was somehow rushed. Please prove us wrong. For example one sample question gave A as the answer when it should have been B.
2. We insist that the job was rushed otherwise are WAEC telling us their quality control measures are so weak that they didn’t see all those funny things doing the rounds on social media now?
3. How was it that some centres were definitely not ready for the exam? In one particular centre we visited, pupils had to wait for benches to arrive from their school to the examination centre. Why should that happen?
4. So who is in charge of the exam papers now? Is it the same WAEC boss who was at the centre of the postponement saga? HAHAHA!
5. When will the results be out? Nothing is as uncertain as that. We are not even sure WAEC has paid their examiners.
NEEDLESS DEATH AT SLPP KENEMA MEETING
If this latest catastrophe to befall the Green Movement does not cause them to take another look at themselves and change their ways, then we see a situation where their long-suffering members would soon vote with their feet en masse.
Here is a party that is supported by half the country but has allowed itself to be consistently held back by DNA-deep divisions among those wanting to lead it. A party that simply refuses to understand the mood of the nation which is totally against political violence. We have gathered a lot of evidence from the people in Kenema to be able to paint a picture of what might have happened but we are waiting for the police to bring people before the courts. This is a very delicate period in the investigations.
The Green Movement is in deep trouble. Only the rank and file can save the party from total destruction. This is how we think they can do it:
1. Let there be a revolution in the party. The young and progressive members should simply put their names forward for big positions and get their colleagues to vote out all those present leaders who have that DIVINE RIGHT OF KINGS idea of leadership. If young people didn’t stand up in force, would Jeremy Corbyn be leading the UK’s Labour Party today?
2. They should expel all known men of violence from their party - and NO OTHER PARTY should accept such into their folds - because Salone politics nasty! This thing about POLITICS IS ABOUT NUMBERS works in two ways: if you allow a few men of violence to join your party by ignoring their violent conduct, you will have only those lawless few. If you kick them out and shame them because of their lawlessness, hundreds, even thousands of people would join up.
3. After these initial steps, the Green Movement would then start the process of re-branding itself as a party fit for government. In Sierra Leone, people forget easily. Time is short and the Green Movement is broke but such moves could easily bring in people who have some cash.
4. The new leadership of the Green Movement should go on a religious retreat of prayer and fasting for TWENTY-ONE days in Nigeria in the Synagogue Church of All Nations – Pastor Joshua’s outfit. They will return home fresh and ready to be a decent opposition.
5. If they think they cannot do what we have outlined here and are ready to play the blame game and continue stabbing themselves in support of a shady leadership, they can as well forget about trying to go to State House. Let them forget it. It will not happen on our watch.
AFTER THE OKADAS NOW IT’S TIME FOR THE TAXIS
As you can see guys, there is widespread support for the ban on Okada riders going all over Freetown lawlessly. In the first few days when the measures kicked in, there was transport chaos and suffering. Now many residents of this city are quite adjusted to the guys operating in the periphery of the city. Soon we will come out with statistics of cases reported at the Emergency Hospital just to demonstrate that many lives have been saved by Palo’s measures.
The next move is for Palo to turn his attention to the grandfathers of lawlessness – TAXI DRIVERS. This time Palo should work in reverse order. He should deal with those taxis plying routes in the peripheral areas of Freetown.
First of all, we know that 80% of those vehicles are definitely not roadworthy - they are rotten. The drivers have no license, the vehicles are not registered and insured and they constantly take more passengers than is required and charge anyhow.
We call on Palo Conteh to go to Dwarzark Junction, Model Junction to Leicester, Lumley–Regent Road, Lumley - Goderich and places like that. The situation is serious.
From that point, Palo Conteh would then move to those who work in the Central Business District who want to make quick money daily. The drivers are badly dressed and rude, and they charge multiple fares on what is supposed to be a single route. For example, PZ to Brookfields is charged as THREE-WAY, meaning you pay three times the normal fare. That cannot be right. We don’t want Logus to have anything to do with this new operation because we know where his campaigns end up.
Palo, can we start that in the second week of June please? Saving Lives should be your motto.
ACC RAIDS SLFA, BUT WAS THAT JUST ANOTHER STUNT?
Like FIFA like SLFA. Ady Macauley sent his people to the headquarters of the SLFA the other day to check out some books. That’s what we understand. In fact, the administrative head of the SLFA ACCOMPANIED the ACC people back to Gloucester Street. Since then everything has gone quiet and the SLFA are pretending things are normal. We have been looking at the ACC for a very long time. We have some interesting findings about the place which we have kept quiet about until we are clear about issues.
We like the fact that the ACC has finally shown interest in the SLFA Question. We warn however that we will not allow SLFA to go the way of 50th Anniversary Committee. For five years the case has been hanging somewhere with the authorities praying for all Sierra Leoneans to forget about it. We will never!
There are very serious questions to ask about the way the SLFA is running itself. We are waiting for the ACC to talk to us very soon. If Switzerland and the US can cut FIFA to size in the way they have done, we too can cut SLFA to size if we manage to find what we are looking for. That is, if the ACC is worth its salt.
(C) Politico 31/05/16
