A “FOREIGN POLICY SHIFT” LEAVES THE NATION CONFUSED
The former Senior Prefect in the New Direction government has announced a “shift” in Sierra Leonean’s foreign policy from ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY to a long list of things we are still trying to understand. That’s even after that news conference at the foreign office in Freetown. Media people like us have a responsibility to tell the good people of Sierra Leone what the government is doing on their behalf in all sectors including how we relate with other countries in the international community. We however find ourselves confused about our country’s foreign policy direction right now.
Less than a month ago, Principal was in parliament telling our representatives about the direction in which he intends to take this nation in the next TWELVE MONTHS. What we are hearing now from Tower Hill is not looking like an attempt to give practical effect to that speech but a new and confusing spin by a new minister.
We have just looked at the foreign policy area of that speech and there is nothing about a SHIFT in our foreign policy. Principal merely announced new embassies in Turkey and Morocco while restating that “our foreign policy will continue to enhance Sierra Leone's voice, legitimacy, and representation in the international arena… Sierra Leone remains deeply committed to multilateralism and to the strengthening of the international system and institutions”. So where is this SHIFT coming from?
Maybe we are reading too much into this but in the current world order we have to be very careful not to sleepwalk into some diplomatic fog and embarrass ourselves. Whatever it is we are confused and wish to express some of the bafflement here:
1. Did this shift come about after the visit to Moscow or what? We doubt that very much because the Old Senior Prefect was not in that office when that trip was planned. We believe the ticket and other documents had all been in place before Nabeela was sacked.
2. Could it be that the Old Senior Prefect woke up one morning and decided we should have a foreign policy shift, Paopa?
3. How do we know that the international community in Freetown is not as confused as the good people of this country? Have they been briefed at all? Maybe they should have been called for a discussion before the media conference.
4. We are not in Principal’s cabinet so we don’t know if this SHIFT has been approved. All we can ask for now is that the policy document that clearly spells out where we are heading in the foreign policy direction be released to the public.
5. Anyway, we plead with the Old Senior Prefect to be patient with us. This is what we do on behalf of the good people of Sierra Leone. Can we get the new foreign policy document please? And by the way the way he talked down on the media at that presser we shall return to sooner than later.
GREAT FOOTBALL MATCH RUINED BY CROWD VIOLENCE
Bo Rangers vs. FC Kallon will always be a big affair. Bo Rangers under the guidance of businessman and philanthropist Babadi Kamara have moved swiftly from being one of those clubs in the relegation scrap every year to a top four club. FC Kallon are a great side to watch. They are well trained and powerful on the pitch. When the two teams met on Wednesday 9 June at the national stadium, the place was packed without regard to the decision by the host club FC Kallon to charge 50% more than the normal ticket fee for open stand.
Two first half goals condemned Bo Rangers to another defeat at the same venue. The first goal came from some amateur defensive display in their box from an FC Kallon corner. The second goal was unstoppable. The moment Bo Rangers defenders failed to deal with a wicked second ball they were at the mercy of the Kallon player who tried his luck from just outside the box.
The second half was all Bo Rangers. They rattled the cross bar twice and some poor finishing denied them even a draw which would have been realistic given the way they dominated the match.
The sending-off of a Bo Rangers player in the dying minutes of the match didn’t go down well with fans in the STAND 13 area. They launched missiles at the referee’s assistant close to them because he called the attention of the referee to an incident that resulted in the sending-off. The man was injured. The match was abandoned very close to the end.
Put this to one side and what we witnessed was a great football match showing the best of Sierra Leone. We shouldn’t however forget that we have called attention to this missile throwing attitude but the Premier League has failed to act in any serious or decisive way.
Here’s what we think:
1. Even Bo Rangers on whose behalf those unruly fans thought they were acting were clearly embarrassed. Some of their key players tried in vain to appeal to the fans to stop throwing missiles. It was a real shame. Those few hardcore hoodlums should be identified and punished. Let’s get court orders and ban them from football grounds.
2. FC Kallon were the hosts. They had expected large crowds and they milked that by dramatically hiking the cost of the tickets. But they failed to provide adequate security for the match. We saw only about one dozen OSD officers concentrating on the match officials. They were as hopeless as a customer in a barber’s chair against those riotous fans.
3. Can the PLB be really clear with us about kick-off time please? People have to plan their activities around that. A 6:45 match SHOULD NEVER begin at 7:15. That’s completely unacceptable. We will not accept any suggestion that the hosts fix their time. Otherwise we will be left with no alternative but to call for the dissolution of the PLB.
4. And by the way we wonder what happened to the Disciplinary Committee that should be looking into matters such as the one that happened on Wednesday. It must be set up as a matter of urgency.
ROAD CONSTRUCTION WORK AND THE SUFFERING OF THE MASSES
We appreciate it when the state awards contracts to fix up our roads. It is progress! But we find it objectionable when the contractors take the citizens for granted and treat us as fools who deserve no respect. It is very common to wake up one day and see that there is no thoroughfare in a street where one existed just the day before. The contractors block them with no warning. Yesterday we received a lot of complaints from readers that life was made inconvenient for them at Pyke Street. We don’t know the name of the company that is patching up for of the potholes leading to Jomo Kenyatta Road. Dozens of vehicles were left almost running into each other as they drove that end without any sign the previous day or early on in the day warning that it would be closed to vehicular traffic because of some road work. This is unfair and uncivil. Please inform people, at least a day before, that a road will be cut off before the machines are moved in. In some societies the construction company will bring residents leaflets days before, notifying them of the closure of the road. Or don’t we deserve respect, all in the name of development? Bo duya den company ya for grow up bo!
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