NRA FACING ITS BIGGEST TEST IN FOUR YEARS
Some shops in the Central Business District were closed on Thursday as the traders took action to register their displeasure with the new method instituted by the NRA to monitor tax compliance. The two sides have been in discussion for weeks now but it would appear as if they have not been able to understand each other. Such actions are normal in a democracy but how about the idea that this whole development was clearly avoidable? We say so because we believe that both the NRA and the leadership of the traders could have taken certain steps to prevent people from closing shops and creating some temporary inconvenience for ordinary Sierra Leoneans.
We have a few points to make on this issue and we believe we are reflecting the views of millions of Sierra Leoneans who believe in the mission of the newspaper.
1. The guy who represents the traders in their negotiations with the NRA was on breakfast radio on Thursday telling the world that his executive didn’t call for shops to be closed because they were still negotiating with the NRA. He suggested – not in as many words that fringe elements in the organization circulated such fake information on social media, calling for shops to close.
We can only tell Mr. Secretary General to make sure he is not thrown out of office by means of a social media post. He left a huge vacuum which the so-called fringe elements took advantage of to embarrass him.
2. On the side of the NRA we believe the introduction of these hated machines is not as bad as people make it and in the end Sierra Leone benefits. Again we believe that despite commendable last minute efforts to get the message through, there were lapses in the communication strategy that unfortunately opened the way for their detractors to cause mischief. Relying on traditional means of communication in the age of social media and spin is like fighting a modern war with a catapult.
3. Plenty money has been spent on that effort already but there is nothing wrong with taking a step back to re-organize. Again, relying on the leadership of the traders is a good thing but in some cases engaging the people directly is something to consider in the new approach.
ACC IT’S NOT BAD TO PAY WHISTLEBLOWERS BUT THERE’S ANOTHER PROBLEM
We welcome the fact that the ACC is returning to the idea of paying and protecting whistleblowers for calling attention to those stealing or attempting to steal money from the public purse. We don’t necessarily agree with the amount of money people get for their effort or the extent to which the ACC would protect them in case of reprisals but we can give it a try again. The ACC is one of those national institutions that we respect a lot.
Having said that, we must once again draw the ACC’s attention to the amount of work the media are doing to point in the direction of people who are clearly taking things that belong to the state of Sierra Leone. The ACC has a partnership agreement with our organization, SLAJ, which we are committed to but why is it that our partners sometimes treat the information we publish with zero respect? As a consequence, we are left with no alternative but to believe that the ACC itself has a problem. We are not for one moment suggesting that just because a corruption allegation is published in a newspaper people should be indicted but there are some glaring cases that the ACC has ignored or swept under the carpet that we believe give us some reason for concern.
For example, we recently published an article about a huge amount of money taken from an account at the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank by the SLFA by methods that are unconventional. We know the money belongs to the government of Sierra Leone and we also know that the original signatories to that account were NEVER contacted before the money was taken out. In any case, the SLFA had rejected the money and people who worked for a portion of that money were NEVER paid. We believe that’s irregular and even the SLCB had some explaining to do.
We cannot believe that the ACC is not aware of that publication. In fact we were told by a source that they asked a few questions about the issue and pulled back. What else does Afro Boy want from us in the media? In the last few weeks, we have received some more information on that issue and we will publish it in the best interest of Sierra Leone. Contrary to what was said in public, the money has still NOT been repaid as promised by those who took it away.
We don’t want any whistleblower money from ACC. We want them to do their job.
OKADA RIDERS ARE GROWING IN LAWLESSNESS
A dangerous behavior pattern has emerged of how Okada boys behave across the country whenever one of them is accidentally knocked down by a vehicle. For them, it’s simple: they attack the driver, give him a sound beating, set the vehicle on fire and disperse. They execute this with remarkable precision like something planned in a training ground and routinely rehearsed. We have examples of such behavior in FOUR places in Freetown alone in recent times.
For many people it’s beginning to look as if Sovula has NO clue how to deal with this. We should let him know that this is totally unacceptable. We live in a democracy where the rule of law prevails and we should NEVER allow a section of the public to put themselves above the law.
Okada riders are mostly young jobless boys with very little formal education or skills to compete for the few jobs going around these day so they find a motorcycle by some means and take to the roads. They are rough and rude. They violate traffic rules and in that recklessness have sent many of their passengers either to hospital or their early graves. To know how reckless and dangerous they are, a few questions at the records section of the Emergency Hospital at Goderich are enough.
The other side to the Okada riding venture is that they smash private cars daily. They either flee the scene or beg for mercy. That’s the same way they behave when they knock commuters down. In all of this, there is no evidence of people chasing them and burning down their motorcycles. Why should they believe by burning one vehicle, no other Okada boy would be killed the next day?
It’s time for Sovula to end the lawlessness and keep ordinary people safe.
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE REFEREES APOLOGIZE WHEN THEY BLUNDER: SALONE???
Let’s go straight to the heart of this. The Referee’s Association of England has just apologized to Everton Football Club for stealing at least ONE point from them from their match against Manchester City. A clear penalty resulting for a Man City player handling the ball in his 18 yard box was ruled out even after close examination by technology, the much talked about VAR. Those of us who watched the match that day also felt robbed. Everton had played a fantastic game against Great Man City and looked certain to draw level from the box, a few minutes after conceding a rather cheap goal.
We urge Everton to graciously accept the apology from Mike Riley on behalf of his colleagues, ESPECIALLY those on VAR duty. It was a real shame to miss or pretend to miss that clear handling of the ball.
We are talking about English football here at this time because in this country our REFEREES have never apologized to clubs for bad officiating. They never do. Their favorite way of doing things is to be defensive and to commit more acts of cheating against clubs that protest a lot. They ought to be ashamed of themselves. They are destroying the beautiful game at home by means of ARROGANCE and INCOMPETENCE. Some in the game have accused them of corruption. We have no evidence of that at this time but we serve notice that we have started digging. If something comes up we will bring it to the attention of our people.
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