SIERRA LEONE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER TEJAN KABBAH
A foundation dedicated to keeping alive the memory of our late president’s work for Peace and Democracy is now formally launched. Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah fulfilled his mission assigned to him by his creator. The late president served for many years as a civil servant in Sierra Leone, then became an international civil servant working in the United Nations. When he retired, he returned home to rest with his family but was again called upon by the people of this nation to be the president at a time when a disastrous and disgraceful civil war was raging across the country. He died peacefully after retiring as president.
Let’s now make a few points about why we believe the people of Sierra Leone will NEVER forget him. Please as you read on keep your mind on what happened when he retired.
1. Kabbah widened the scope of democracy in Sierra Leone by building on the awareness created by the NPRC military regime that handed power over to him. As with all human endeavors, he wasn’t perfect but he guaranteed civil liberties like never before in this country. He was an institution builder. He did not personalize power or steal the country’s resources to build manses.
2. When his second term ended he retired in peace and resigned from politics. He never tried to continuously hold on power within his political party or threaten to make the country “ungovernable” if his demands for all sorts material things were not met.
3. By his actions he managed to convince the nation that politics was about service not enriching oneself at the expense of one’s grandchildren. His ministers complained a lot because he held them on a very tight accountability leash.
4. He did not build ONE MILLION palaces across the country, buy expensive customized cars or own controlling shares in all big companies in the country. Stand at the Cotton Tree and ask any Sierra Leonean how many houses the late man had, they will easily point to one house at Juba.
5. His biggest achievement was indeed to end the civil war. He had the requisite international contacts, skills and temperament to prosecute the war while negotiating peace with a mercurial criminal called Saybama Sankoh.
Sleep on Alhaji Kabbah, sleep and take your rest.
DAY OF THE AFRICAN CHILD GONE CRAZY – VERY CRAZY!
Why is it that on the Day of the African Child, school children in uniforms set up road blocks along the highway from the south of the country, through the north and to the west trying to collect money from motorists in the same way some police officers behave? We have still not recovered from the shock of having to pass through about six of such extortion points on Sunday on our way from Bo.
We know that on June 16 every year children are allowed to play adult roles in society for a limited period of the day just to get them to think about playing those roles later on in life, in other words becoming useful members of society. But when the next generation sends the signal that becoming rogue police officers was all they were thinking about on a day like that, we have to bury our heads in shame.
For children between the ages of NINE and FOURTEEN to be out on the streets in full uniform setting up road blocks on the highway to collect money leaves us in no doubt but to conclude that they did so with the concurrence of their parents. Another real shame!
PLEASE SHAKE UP THE “HANDS OFF OUR GIRLS CAMPAIGN”
So what’s going on with this campaign, guys? We ask because things have gone suddenly quiet. Or is it that we lost interest after the colorful launch and the few days of street discussions that followed?
The point is, when her majesty of this land that we Love decided to focus the nation’s attention on that really serious issue, we became enthusiastic supporters. In fact we found our way into Bintumani Conference Center to see history in the making. It was a great program and the fact that the First Ladies of half a dozen West African countries came here to participate convinced the world that this issue of rape and sexual abuse of mainly girls was getting out of hands in Sierra Leone. (Please excuse the anchorwoman for referring to one of the First Ladies as Mademoiselle).
A few months down the line the campaign appears to be either floundering or losing momentum and slowly those predators who withdrew from the streets for fear of being locked up for life are returning with a devastating appetite. But we must defeat them. How then can we revamp the campaign?
1. Let’s design a new coordination strategy that takes the main coordination job away from civil servants at the Ministry of Social Welfare. Let them control the budget and receive field reports for the attention of her majesty.
2. We should look for individuals and grassroots agencies with a lot of experience in this area, provide the resources and monitor them out in the field.
3. Her majesty should start visiting the most problematic communities specifically to drive home the key message – Hands off Our Girls.
4. We need daily comprehensive reporting of sexual abuse and rape trials going through our courts. So get the media involved in a big way.
5. Let’s not bring too much party women’s wing activists near a national campaign of such nature. It will affect the zeal of other players.
FREED AFTER TWELVE YEARS ON REMAND, HOW MANY SUCH CASES?
After spending twelve long years in jail a man awaiting trial is suddenly told one morning he could go home and live with his family. Reason: the state has been unable or unwilling to prosecute him. The offences that took him inside the walls of a prison are very serious. No doubt about that! But how can anybody explain this? We are not even sure how many times he appeared before a magistrate during those twelve long years.
We hold no brief for him but this human rights abuse is so serious that we are left with only one question: How can we allow such a thing to happen? And while on that can we also consider the following:
1. How many more such cases do we have in our prisons? Let nobody tell us this is an isolated case. We will not accept.
2. There are NGOs that monitor the prisons. Did this escape their notice? Or were the records not in order?
3. Since this man’s remand condition became protracted how come his case was not mentioned for presidential pardon? Quite a few have happened during the period.
4. Will the government compensate this man who for all we know was totally not guilty?
5. Anyway, let’s now start a serious program of decongesting our prisons. We are simply locking up too many people, often unnecessarily.
CHILD BEGGARS FLOODING OUR STREETS BUT WHO CARES?
Moving beggars away from the Cotton Tree and Bank of Sierra Leone areas was not a bad idea even though it lasted only a few weeks before they returned in force once again. You wonder what the MAYOR OF THE SUN is up to. Now they hang out at petrol stations looking for change from motorists or at busy junctions harassing people caught up in rush hour traffic. What leaves a bitter taste in our mouths though is the presence of children as young as FIVE years among elderly beggars. We see them daily. You wonder what the Social Welfare Minister is also up to!
Are we seriously saying there is nothing we can do to save those young souls whose chances in life are being destroyed by mostly their parents? Because while their counterparts are in school they are out in the streets, rain or shine facing pain and abuse to look for money to feed the home. This, despite the Free Education program. THIS IS VERY WRONG! Elderly people who have convinced themselves that begging is the only way to survive can continue with that but we must never allow them to destroy a significant part of the next generation. Here are some ways we suggest we deal with the menace:
1. We admit that we don’t know how much work the National Council for Children is doing but can they consider having safe houses throughout the country to at least take in some of these children and give them hope?
2. Is there a way to get SOS Herman Gmeiner to help? They have a lot of experience doing such.
3. How about passing a law that completely outlaws the practice of giving food or cash to beggars directly on the streets or near public buildings including churches and mosques? Uganda has just done something like that.
4. We can provide a place where the really needy ones who are registered can go at a particular time of the day for hot food. Let a charity run that program.
5. Otherwise let’s just give up. The children will now remain a big scar on our collective consciences.
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