LEBANESE COMMUNITY IN SALONE COLLAPSING AROUND PRESIDENT SAMIR
The signs are that we are very close to the end of an era in the leadership game in the powerful Lebanese Committee in Sierra Leone. The organisation is now like a house divided against itself as long-standing leader Samir Hassanyeh’s administration rocks like never before. If Hassanyeh survives this, his opponents should simply forget about making another attempt for the rest of his life. In fact they should all assemble at his home and declare him PRESIDENT FOR LIFE. But as someone who has survived even the onslaught of the then Lebanese Ambassador to Sierra Leone, he may just have a political life of the proverbial cat.
We have no idea how many executive members are still hanging around because we have witnessed one resignation after the other and the former best friend of King Messi of the RED KINGDOM has not said a word about the situation to give the world his own side of the story nor has he indicated he will resign. For now many newspapers are probing and probing. The other side is talking and Samir has quarantined himself from his former friends in the media. Times have really changed brother Samir.
Frankly we are among the few friends still loyal to you from the side of the media and we urge you to consider the following as genuine pieces of advice from friends that care:
1. Apply for an inter-district pass and travel to the Great Seat of Power in Makeni and have a brief conversation with your brother King Messi of the Red Kingdom. He has a very good manual of political survival skills. You will find that book useful. That’s the secret to King Messi’s survival as leader of his Kingdom.
2. You know, it makes absolutely no sense to remain in quarantine while your opponents are out there briefing the media and squeezing life out of your administration. Don’t you get it that their actions appear well coordinated? Hoping they will shout and go away soon is a very bad strategy for you.
3. How come you’ve been unable to win the friendship of Principal since he came to office over the last two years? In such troubled times you need powerful friends. We are still with you but the truth is most other people have abandoned this sinking ship of yours. Unless you act now we may have to reconsider our position.
4. Please go into that deep charity purse of yours and start putting smiles on the faces of people and soon you will have social media warriors fighting your corner. You may even have some people demonstrating on the streets of Freetown calling for you to be made president for life. You shouldn’t give a damn if they are members of your organization or not. Hahaha!
5. Finally, please write your letter of resignation. This tide blowing against you may just get out of hand this week and the last thing we want is to see our friend forced out. Leave with some respect. We understand this job is voluntary or is there something we should know? We are waiting sir.
ABU ABU IN POLITICAL LOCKDOWN TILL WHEN PLEASE?
Coronavirus restrictions, or not, the suspended northern region minister received a huge welcome at his party’s office in the southern regional headquarter town of Bo. He was a bit like a prophet that is not respected in his home but gets a rock star reception several miles away from home.
We surely have to ask what the situation is now with your case. This question is for Principal because all we know is that you have been sent home from office for an unnecessary and foolish outburst that nobody finds funny.
We don’t intend to relive that moment on the pages of this paper but frankly what were you really thinking when you made those comments? Can you please tell us what this thing really is about you trying to put on a rock star show in other parts of the country when in reality you should be praying for Principal to have mercy upon you and apologising every day for that outburst? We state the following:
1. Nobody doubts your loyalty to the Green Camp but many people believe you escaped with a very light rap across the knuckles given what you did and the mood of the nation at that time. So please stay out of the limelight and pray for your return.
2. Principal has not given any indication as to when or even whether you will return to work. Please be aware that we will not allow any back pay because your suspension is without pay. So don’t go spending the little cash you have right now.
3. When – or if – you eventually return to office, remember to always note that anything people like you do these days is captured on camera. You are operating from the base of King Messi and his friends, and you still don’t know how to conduct your business?
WE NEED TO HEAR FROM THE TRAFFIC POLICE AT CONGO CROSS NOW
The other day we reported on how Congo Cross traffic police officers stood by as a so-called mad man disrupted part of Principal’s convoy as he returned home from work that evening. Today we want to ask the same guys whether the section of the road running from Congo Town junction, near the fence of Vine Memorial School right down to Murray Town junction, is a two-way road. As far as we know, that road is for drivers wishing to enter those communities to the right of the Main Motor road leading to Wilkinson Road and Murray Town.
The situation there now is that Okada Riders in particular, Kekeh Boys and the occasional taxi drivers use the lower part of that road near the Total Petrol Station as a two way road, carefully avoiding the area where the police officers concentrate.
A kind of lawlessness has taken hold there and the result is that children from the surrounding community are being knocked down fairly frequently. We have witnessed that on at least three occasions in as many months. About a week ago it took the intervention of some people around to stop an Okada man from fleeing after he had knocked down a child. His bike was taken from him and parked at the Total Petrol Station. He was then ordered to take the child to hospital for treatment. His bike was returned to him later. All of this happened with the police just a few meters away.
What is really difficult about assigning two of those six police officers who concentrate on that small parking area near Vine Memorial School to cover the section of the road we are complaining about to prevent children from being knocked down all the time? We will spend some time around that area again this week to see whether IG Sovula understands the seriousness of what we are talking about.
EXTENDED SLFA PRESIDENCY WITH A FAT BANK ACCOUNT
The queen of SLFA is still in office years after her mandate expired. She is behaving as if things are normal out there and she owes nobody an explanation. In fact, throughout her controversial presidency and the illegal extension period so far her concern has always been to satisfy the people in Zurich. She couldn’t care less what the good people of Sierra Leone in general think, not even what her membership in particular thinks. What a way to run a football administration in the 21st century in a country that calls itself a democracy.
We know the world is facing a pandemic but the queen still could have consulted her members in a democratic way to determine how to proceed in an unprecedented situation like this. As far as we know, there has been no such consultation and the queen is continuing in office as if everything is fine. Administratively, the SLFA is in a bad shape because the rules of democratic governance have been turned upside down, if not torn completely.
The latest move is that the queen has laid a trap and she is almost sure to capture the so-called Football Stakeholders who have tried all the tactics in the book to get her to conform with the SLFA constitution and failed. Just when a key member of the stakeholder group announced they have filed papers in court as they attempt to overturn that sham of a congress in Kenema, the queen has also announced some big spending on football associations across the country, saying the move was part of the recommendations of that flawed Kenema congress. So how do you accept cash from the SLFA, in line with that congress resolution, and then go to court to argue about the legitimacy of the same congress? We are now at a dangerous phase in the struggle for accountable leadership of the SLFA. Some Stakeholders will collect the cash. Watch!
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