A WEEK OF UNPRECEDENTED PRESIDENTIAL OPENESS
Last week we witnessed what we can only describe as unprecedented. For the first time as far back as we can remember, a president of Sierra Leone walked into radio and TV stations across Freetown and urged the journalists to ask him any question about his stewardship to the nation in the THREE YEARS since he was democratically elected.
He crowned the media engagements in Freetown by taking part in a town hall event at Bintumani Hotel. No matter what we think about his performance in office and the way he responded to the many questions, we must all agree that he has set a very good example. Here is a president who voluntary steps forward and opens himself up to scrutiny by the media. Well done!
In his almost ELEVEN years in office King Messi met the media only TWICE. Well, he may have done private briefings with his favorite media organizations and personalities (this was a president who pursued a divide and rule policy in the media) but he called a news conference in the early days of his regime at Miatta Conference Hall. The whole program was obscured by the fact that hundreds of his party people turned up and some behaved in a threatening way to critical questioning. That was hardly a news conference.
The second came after a visit to China. It took place at State House. At the end of it he promised to be meeting the media ONCE EVERY MONTH because of ADVISORY NOTE NUMBER 8 from his media adviser, the venerable IB Kargo. No such news conference took place until he left State House. And at no time did he feel the need to walk into radio and TV stations to be interviewed. Let’s not talk about having a town hall exercise. So yes, Principal’s action last week is unprecedented.
Many issues came out of the media blitz and in the coming days and weeks we should be picking them up one after the other for discussion in our usual way but for now we want to thank Principal and his media people for this openness. Sierra Leone is a democracy.
ALFRED PAOLO CONTEH AND HS BOGUS WAR TALK
Just out of jail after a presidential pardon, one would have thought that one of the tolongbo politicians who throughout his life had almost all the toys in the military and political playground of Sierra Leone should be having some deep reflection on his future, but no Alfred Paolo Conteh is already preparing himself and those who would fall for his stupidity for WAR.
Paolo honored an invitation for a meeting with Principal at State House. He loaded his GLUCK 21 pistol and took it along and was intercepted by security personnel just as he made his way to Principal’s office. Paolo was arrested, charged, tried and convicted. Now, he is VERY BITTER and believes that his supporters should prepare for WAR. This sense of entitlement Paolo is dreaming of is getting the better of him.
We don’t treat his recent outburst at some tolongbo rally with any concern. We know we live in an ocean of illiteracy where people can be easily misled but we know that Paolo Conteh talks too much and to no effect. As defence minister, the guy now calling for war fled like a headless chicken, leaving his shirt behind when a few unarmed former soldiers surrounded him asking for their end of service benefits. Paolo was a good sportsman man. We know that. So threatening to win the hundred meters at the next Olympic Games in Japan carries more fire than threatening war that, according to him only the UN can end. This army major fled abroad when his guardian angel uncle was overthrown and stayed there even when patriotic Sierra Leoneans battled to save the country from Foday Sankoh and his criminals. He was busy working his asylum papers.
We warn this so-called army BOSS who has NEVER seen fire in the front edge battle area to stop talking bogus WAR talk. He should be very careful what he is praying for. We believe the security people should call him over for a brief chat IMMEDIATELY.
SMOKING MARIJUANA AT A POLICE CHECKPOINT
Try traversing Freetown at night. Start in the west and end up in the east. Certainly many activities will be revealed. For example, you will see bandits organizing themselves in readiness to launch their thieving operations and also encounter a lot of police check-points.
One particular check-point caught our eyes last weekend - the one at Forurah Bay road in front of what we know as Cottage Hospital.
An astonishing scenario it was: a Delta (OSD Police) officer was sitting with his gun wrapping marijuana (commonly known as Jamba) publicly. He was sitting there surrounded by bike-riders that have been arrested for staying out late to make something for their families.
When we asked this Delta officer why he would smoke marijuana so openly on duty, he said he just wanted to “feel high”. We went further to alert the supervisors of this public OSD Jamba smoker and we met one inspector (Name withheld for now) who did apologize but added that the officer should have smoked his Jamba at a hidden location. Isn’t that ridiculous? Jamba is prohibited in this country, despite it being widely available and the police are supposed to be enforcing that law. When the inspector told us the Delta Jamba smoker should not make his habit public we were scandalized.
Same night but elsewhere we found a police officer attached to the Western Police Station at Adelaide Street riding romantically on a seized motorbike. His girlfriend (suspected to be underage) was all over him.
Out of curiosity and prudence, we stopped the lover boy police officer and asked if he had a driver’s license, and why he was riding without a crash helmet. The officer responded that his license and helmet were left at the police station. No good reason was given. Asked if the bike belonged to him, he stammered his way through.
At Lumley and right opposite the main police station a police vehicle stood there that night will it lights in full beam but inside the police officer on the steering wheel was in deep romance, kissing a plain clothes woman.
We challenged the officer over the lights being unnecessarily on and how that could distract other motorists. But he ignored us.
At several other check-points they just demanded money with no hesitation. Ok next time we will hit the road with a hidden camera. Have a good day our Jamba Police man.
SLFA CONGRESS CANNOT HOLD ON THE DATE ANNOUNCED
We don’t know if DRUCIL TAYLOR is having a good sleep these days especially after his daylight MASSACRE of some of the best brains in football administration just to clear the way for Queen Johansen to remain in office. In a few months Queen Johansen will be EIGHT years in office, FOUR of which she did ILLEGALY. Now she wants to make it TWELVE. Her campaign official told DRUCIL TAYLOR what to do (we heard it in a leaked audio) and the lawyer who was brought in to DO JUSTICE TO ALL, delivered as instructed by the Johansen camp. We hope there will be spectators on judgment day.
In the initial statement announcing his decision to massacre RODNEY MICHAEL and others, DRUCIL TAYLOR told those he disqualified that they should go seek redress in the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Zurich. Why didn’t he refer to the ELECTORAL APPEALS board of the SLFA? That body has just told people who used it anyway that they have no jurisdiction to consider appeals based on the decisions taken by the great DRUCIL TAYLOR. The same issues came before the SLFA administration Johansen succeeded. There was no jurisdictional argument then.
Well done guys! We understand that at least one of those disqualified has landed at CAS despite the cost. We urge CAS to rule before the artificial congress date set by Johansen who has been working behind the scenes to avoid an election. There will be an election but we will not allow an election in which decent candidate are massacred to open way for Johansen to slug it out with weak candidates. It’s like tying an ordinary guy’s one hand behind his back and putting him in a ring to fight Anthony Joshua.
Copyright © 2021 Politico Online (12/04/21)
