SLP PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS BOSS SUSPENDED
This is not a joke. It’s a fact. The man charged with the responsibility to ensure professional standards are maintained in our so-called FORCE for GOOD has now been suspended by that organization for a possible breach of his own professional standards. Social Media is awash with reports that the GUARDIAN of professional standards attempted to physically attack the Deputy Inspector General of Police at a meeting. We understand that the issue is now being investigated and serious action could follow. We are waiting for the outcome.
This is the same High Priest of “Professional Standards” who recently boasted at a news conference that he signed the suspension letters of some senior police officers for alleged breach of professional standards. This increasingly prickly officer even attacked journalists from one of the many newspapers in town over a story they published as soon as he entered the venue of the news conference because he didn’t like what they wrote. On that same day he flexed his muscles and described himself as a very highly educated man, a LION, the King of the Jungle. Great Man!
We understand he was very angry that promotions were being considered without his office being consulted. Whether or not he was consulted is not relevant now. We can only be considered when the investigation into his conduct at that meeting is completed. For now we want to say the following:
1. We want the outcome of this investigation to be made public. We will not accept any outcome that is kept as some internal police secret.
2. No matter the outcome, the LION should not return to being in charge of professional standards in the SLP.
3. The SLP wants us to believe they are a FORCE for GOOD. Let’s now see how they handle this LION case.
PIN-CODED TEACHERS WITH NO SALARY
Towards the end of last week a poorly-written letter from some teachers to the Police appeared on social media. In the letter, the teachers asked the police boss in the eastern city of Kenema to grant them permission to demonstrate their grievances on the streets of Kenema.
It turned out that the aggrieved teachers had been given PIN codes - a major step towards being put on the government payroll but they have received no salaries since then. There were no names in the letter but telephone numbers. We did put some calls through but all we got was already in the letter and the man on the end of the line wouldn’t be drawn on any details or other issues.
A few hours later, we saw a public notice from the Teaching Service Commission announcing meetings with those teachers to find a way out of what we believe is building up to some very ugly development that could seriously embarrass a government that spends all its time talking about EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION.
The TSC should not create the impression they knew about this problem only after the teachers asked for permission to demonstrate on the streets of Kenema. Allowing things to spill over before calling for meetings and making promises is a dangerous tactic. How can people be teaching for more than a year without salaries? Is that not one of the major reasons why we complain about falling standards in our schools daily?
We are now beginning to really understand why many teachers are always absent leaving their pupils to languish. When pupils from private schools top the list in public exams we admire them and now those who can afford the cash are taking their children to those private schools. Private schools can only boast of small classes and purposeful organization. That’s all. There is no significant difference in salaries with their colleagues in government schools.
We are monitoring the outcome of the proposed meetings. The teachers and their families are hungry.
Mr. MISSING IN ACTION AND COVERED CAR LICENSE PLATES
We recently put out a statement to the effect that the Minister of Internal Affairs is MISSING in ACTION. We even tried to give reasons why the guy was absent on our streets. We said it could well be that he was in long term isolation, fearing COVID Delta variant attack. We also suggested that he was missing home in England and would ideally want Principal to sack him so he can return home.
Diasporans in Principal’s administration are under attack for failing to conquer the ATAYA BASES and Market centers, preferring instead to keep with their likes and return HOME for holidays. Just like Mayor Kemokai.
So as if to attack and change our narrative NOAH’S ARK appeared at the weekly news conference organized by the Ministry of Information and Communication. All he did was to pass on recycled information that left many journalists asking many questions. For example, what is new about this PLAN to relocate the Pademba Road prison? We started with this promise to relocate the prison in the days of Alhaji Tejan Kabbah. King Messi also said a lot about the same thing. We are three years into the New Direction and this missing minister is still talking about PLANS. That was a complete waste of our time.
His next issue was about those who cover their vehicle license plates with those black pieces of cloth to avoid being identified for God knows what. He then issued instructions to the police to arrest anyone covering up their license plates. Again, NOAH’S ARK was wasting our time. We have read a strongly worded press release from STATE HOUSE some time ago on the same issue but it was widely violated by ministers and their deputies. All this missing minister ought to have done was to go to the cabinet meeting and announce it there. Ordinary people like us are not interested in covering up our license plates. We don’t want to invite hungry police officers to harass us even more.
Sir, please go back to isolation until you are able to bring something new and substantial to the people particularly about how to deal with crime and growing violence on our streets. Good Morning sir!
MATCH TICKETS PLUS VACCINATION CARDS TO ENTER STADIUMS
We are great supporters of the work of NaCOVERC. We believe they have done extremely well so far against the Coronavirus pandemic despite all the criticisms thrown their way by many people. However, we just want them to help us understand how they will implement their new policy of admitting only vaccinated people into football grounds in Sierra Leone. Football is the most popular sport in this country and it draws tens of thousands of people into different venues across the country every weekend.
We know that they have already started with the players and football administrators but they are a small group that can be easily rounded up for vaccination. In terms of the fans though, how will our good people of NaCOVERC implement this policy?
1. Only people with vaccination cards will be able to buy tickets at the football venues. How will that square out with premier league clubs that are busy trying to make big money from gate takings? There are some really greedy ones in Freetown that increase the ticket price every time they anticipate a large turnout. They even ignore general safety.
2. How is it possible to stop those large and potentially violent crowds from entering a stadium for a crunch match? Let’s say Bo Rangers vs. Wusum Stars in Bo. There is just this risk that they will attack the stewards and fight their way in.
3. We are not sure IG Sovula has enough officers to deploy at all venues. Besides, we don’t want such a concentration of police and crowds in one place. We are tired of this cry of police brutality.
5. How would NaCOVERC know that a certain fan was not using another person’s card? There are no photographs attached to those cards. We know NaCOVERC means well but please we urge them to quietly drop this idea and continue encouraging people to get the jab.
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