OMICRON VARIANT STRIKES SOUTHERN AFRICA, THE WORLD ON EDGE AGAIN
Cyril Ramaphosa says he is ‘deeply disappointed’ at the way his country is being treated. South Africa and the countries around it are now dealing with the consequences of being isolated from the major countries in Europe, North America and Australia. Some African countries are also joining the train to isolate the home of Nelson Mandela. All of this is happening because a new strain of coronavirus called OMICRON has been identified in that country and already other countries have been infected by people who travelled out of South Africa in the days following the discovery of OMICRON. Once again the world is in panic mode.
This coronavirus thing is with us for a long time to come and as we were told midway through the outbreak that started in China, we have to learn to live with the virus. The South Africans have done the world a great favor by quickly announcing the outbreak and passing the relevant information to the World Health Organization. We have a fair idea how other countries would have handled the situation had this new strain been found in their backyard.
OMICRON arrived on the scene at the worst time for South Africa and the world. The money that the hospitality industry makes at this time of year is gone. An economy that has struggled over the last three years is now in further reverse.
It started in South Africa but the whole of our continent should now be ready to be hit. Little Sierra Leone in this Western corner of Africa is not likely to escape. Our brothers and sisters are coming home mainly from the USA and Europe to enjoy the festive season with us. We welcome them but we have a lot of work to do at the airport. Cases may well have crossed into Sierra Leone from our land borders or even the airport but we can do a good job tracking those that are likely to come through the airport over the next two weeks. We will also do well to start vigorously enforcing mask wearing and social distancing as far as possible.
Sierra Leoneans forget easily but are quick to blame the authorities as soon as things go wrong. NaCOVERC should be ready to act. A few loud complaints on social media should NEVER blackmail them into holding back if they believe they should make a move.
CRIMINALS AMBUSH AND DISTRESS ECOFEST SPECTATORS
When we saw what happened along Campbell Street and other streets around the stadium after the second day of ECOFEST, we were further convinced about the wisdom behind the banning of mask devil parades in Freetown in particular. We were among thousands of people who left the stadium that Sunday morning heading home after a night of great entertainment. The number of people distressed by criminals particularly along Campbell Street on that Sunday morning is alarming. And let’s consider the fact that this was between 6:30 and 7:30 when some people are normally on their way to church. It was done without any fear of the police.
People have lost money and mobile phones. Those who resisted were injured and left badly shaken by the whole affair. We don’t consider this an isolated matter at all. This is how the criminals intend to treat ordinary Sierra Leoneans this festive season and the police may be thinly stretched across the country but they have no choice but to protect the people. Otherwise this is what would happen this Christmas:
1. Many people in our major cities would simply decide to stay home behind closed doors with their families eating jollof rice and singing ONCE IN ROYAL DAVID’S CITY. They will prioritize their safety over any outdoor business.
2. Those who venture out would be compelled to hurry back home before 6pm at which point they could be assured of reasonable safety. What’s the point of making elaborate preparations when you cannot stay out beyond 6pm and expect to be safe?
3. Those who decide to stay out come what may, would have to hire private security or arm themselves with offensive weapons and travel in groups. This is an extreme measure but sadly that’s where some Sierra Leoneans want ordinary people to be. We believe IG Sovula can prevent this. Let him start now.
GREEN MOVEMENT WOMEN AND THE DEBACLE AT KAILAHUN
The Green Movement is scrambling right now, doing all things possible to stop the attacks and counter attacks that followed the leadership contest for the party’s women’s leader that ended in chaos last weekend in Kailahun. The stories are many, representing all the interested parties and their slants.
The important thing for the rest of us is that an election with just over THREE HUNDRED people voting ended in chaos and mutual recrimination. The great QUEEN of our land has been attacked from all sides because people say she took sides with one of the candidates and was determined to oust Lady Sawaneh as women’s leader. We saw women dancing and singing on the streets, making uncomplimentary remarks about the QUEEN of our land. We are sure she doesn’t want to look at those pictures at all.
Many people inside the Green Movement told us on the morning after the night of chaos that this was coming all along and that if the big guys in the movement did not act fast enough with absolute fairness, there could be even more trouble ahead in the ballot box. It’s that serious.
We don’t want to judge one way or the other at this stage so we don’t get caught up in the political struggle for the leadership of the women’s wing of the Green Movement. However, we can make the following comments:
1. When the Green Movement conducted their Young Generation leadership election in Moyamba and then went on to do that for the deputy women’s leader in Kailahun without any complaints of cheating, we were already writing our congratulatory piece to them but a few hours later, the whole cycle was in chaos because the women’s leader couldn’t be elected. The process was cancelled and people took to the streets complaining. We deserve to know what really happened. We want an official report from the Movement.
2. An attempt has been made to clean things up in Portloko but how come such efforts were not deployed to prevent trouble when everybody knew things were heading in the wrong direction? In fact, already a lot of damage has been done and things would hardly be the same again in the women’s movement.
3. We are now waiting to see how the election for the leader of the women’s wing is going to be conducted to avoid cries of bias, intimidation and political vote-buying. Unless all parties end this by having a consensus leader, deep cracks are going to open up no matter how free and free the other contest would be.
LET’S GROW WHAT WE EAT IN SIERRA LEONE
No matter how much we grumble about the cost of a bag of rice, it will keep going up. The people of this country have to make a decision to grow what they eat or continue to depend on other countries where people spend their time working to feed themselves and to make money from agriculture. They don’t spend all their time talking about politics on the streets, in offices, football stadiums or even cemeteries.
Why should we complain about the cost of rice produced in Cambodia and shipped halfway around the world to Sierra Leone? The farmers out there work really hard so they should enjoy the benefit of their labor.
We have recently seen social media photos of individual farmers or groups of farmers, including military personnel showing off their harvest. That’s the way to go. Cambodia is not a rich country. Most of the farmers in India, China and Pakistan are ordinary folks just like our own farmers. Why should they feed us?
Our politicians would gladly buy bags and bags of imported rice to distribute to supporters who spend several hours a day at so-called ATAYA BASES instead of asking them to go to the bush and grow food. As long as people continue to sell their votes so cheaply, politicians are ready to supply bags of rice. So we can continue to grumble about the cost of a bag of imported rice for as long as we can, the farmers in Cambodia, Pakistan, China and India are busy working knowing they have a market in this country. On our side, let’s continue talking about POLITICS.
Copyright © Politico Online 01/12/21
