RESHUFFLE CLAIMS THREE INCLUDING THE MINISTER OF DROUGHT
The much talked about reshuffle of government is here. For now a few ministers have been sacked. We say for now because it is possible they will re-appear in another ministry by Christmas. In this column we took the unusual step of calling for the sacking on the DROUGHT minister months ago. Now Principal has responded to that call. We have nothing against the man but as ordinary Sierra Leoneans we couldn’t feel the impact of his work inside our homes and we also didn’t get the sense of him doing tangible things to address the situation more than a year after taking office. Sorry!
We will be analyzing the cabinet changes in full in the coming weeks. For now there are few things playing in our minds regarding this reshuffle of the cabinet.
1. We really didn’t know what the sacked minister of agriculture was doing in government. Anyway in a democracy ministers are appointed by the president so we were prepared to allow Principal enjoy his office but after the sacked minister’s disastrous outings on radio not too long ago, we gave up. By the way, did this man have a farm of his own?
2. Some guys are still in post but this should convince them that Principal is not afraid to move against them when he wants to. We are in for some nasty shock very soon in terms of the political future of some of those who feel they are untouchables.
3. Kothor Osman has been sent back to his labour roots and replaced with tech man Sengeh. So who will now do DSTI? Will tech man continue? Anyway we are looking forward to that ONE LAPTOP PER CHILD STUFF.
We will soon start campaigning for the removal of another non-performing minister. We believe Principal missed his name.
IS CORNELIUS DEVEAUX STILLHOLDING OUT IN THE GAMBIA?
It’s a long time now since we heard anything from comrade Deveaux, the voice of the Red Camp. As far as we know there is a small police bounty on his head having been declared wanted for allegedly taking part in an illegal demonstration near the Red Camp headquarters.
Our information is that he fled the country and ended up in Banjul, The Gambia. In fact, he once expressed a willingness to return home and resume his job as long as the police agree to rescind the arrest warrant. That’s an interesting pre-condition. Our source at police HQ says he remains a wanted man. Anyway, we can only report and express our opinions as required by the rules of journalism. Deveaux can deal with the police while we wait to report the outcome.
So what is life like for the spokesman out there in The Gambia? It’s never easy in another man’s country. We have some suggestions to put forward so the spokesman can keep himself busy.
1. The Gambians like Sierra Leonean teachers. Many of our best teachers have spent all their time teaching in that country. Deveaux can opt to do part-time teaching. We think that’s a good idea.
2. He could do a number of public lecture series on Sierra Leonean politics to the thousands of his country people out there in The Gambia. He can charge a small fee for that.
3. Deveaux can start writing the first chapters of his memoirs. He could start by covering his days in government up to his party’s defeat in 2018.
4. How about seeking political asylum in any Scandinavian country? Things are looking good for the Red Camp with all those bye-election defeats in their heartlands. And the fact that Deveaux is not here for the coming convention, surely he is going to lose out.
5. Seriously, Deveaux should simply jump on a plane and return home. A few days at the CID takes nothing out of him. Many in the politics of this country have passed through that hotel. Red Camp boys will hold a vigil outside singing “THERE IS VICTORY FOR US.”
ON JOHANSEN’S WATCH SALONE TO PLAY LESOTHO IN AN EMPTY STADIUM
This is the first time in the history of Sierra Leone football that FIFA has ordered us to play an international match in an empty stadium. We consider this clearly avoidable ban as the result of the incompetent handling of the match between us and our neighbors in Liberia. In fact, this points a much bigger malaise in the running of our game since the Queen secured that controversial mandate six years ago. There is no other way to explain this.
The SLFA should be ashamed of themselves for two incidents involving the Liberian team. During their pre-match training, the SLFA lost control of the environment and allowed hoodlums to attack our visitors. When we saw the pictures on social media it was as if we were on another planet. Such a thing is unheard of in Sierra Leone.
On the day of the match itself, more than a thousand sachets of water were pelted at the Liberians. Is the queen telling us that the incident was spontaneous? No way, it was well planned. The share volume of water unleashed from those stands makes our case. Again the Queen lost control of the situation. This country has been humiliated by FIFA with a fine and an order that we play in an empty stadium for the first time.
The solution is to end incompetence at 21 Battery Street, Kingtom in the coming congress. The good people of Sierra Leone will not settle for anything less.
MEANWHILE KEISTER IS BACKWITH THE NATIONAL TEAM
The musical chairs continue with the technical staff of the national football team. Now we hear that the increasingly temperamental Musa Kallon has been sacked and replaced with the man many people wanted for the top job in the first place – John Keister. Keister is simply the best local coach and for that we reference his heroics with the last premier league champions, East End Lions.
So we really find it strange that Keister is taking the job at this time. We know he was cheated and the world told he came sixth, in other words he performed badly at the interview. If that is the case why not make him the THIRD man instead of putting him in the second position? What happens now to the man in the THIRD position who was looking to rise with the departure of Kallon? He stays in the same place? He should protest or even resign. According to the SLFA he beat Keister in that job interview so why put him below Keister in the pecking order? Very confusing indeed!
BANNING PLASTIC BAGS NOW MAKES A LOT OF SENSE
The whole world is taking action to limit to use of plastic bags and single-use plastic bottles because of the damage they cause to marine life and our environment in general but our policy makers in Sierra Leone are refusing to take notice. We live in a country where only heavy political issues get people going like rogue MPs losing their parliamentary seats or going to the ECOWAS parliament which is tied to the certainty of getting huge per diem.
Our Mayor of the SUN who likes talking about Flood Mitigation measures like clearing gutters of huge mounds of debris to make way for the heavy deluge in the rainy season has not said anything serious about this plastic ban at all. We know that as a great lover of social media, she makes symbolic appearances at cleaning sites with TV cameras in tow but how come she hasn’t noticed that all our drainage are blocked largely by plastic water sachets and single-use plastic bottles?
Those who sell water and soft drinks in plastic containers have no respect for our environment. We don’t even know if any Environmental Impact Assessment study was done before they received their operational licenses. If so, is anybody monitoring that?
We absolutely cannot continue like this. Ban plastic bags and bottles from Sierra Leone NOW.
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