DO WE HAVE POLICE CHECKPOINTS OR EXTORTION POINTS?
It’s common knowledge that police officers, particularly those at checkpoints on the highways leading to provincial cities collect petty bribes daily. We have to be clear about that from the outset. It’s not because the big guys at headquarters have not tried to do something about it. They have mostly issued ridiculous threats of suspension and dismissal so we are sad to report that illegal collections continue and ordinary people are complaining.
We note two things: passenger vehicles carrying poor people and their goods are the main targets. The second point is the bribe is collected openly – in fact it would appear as if the business has been institutionalized because drivers simply alight from their vehicles and drop the agreed booking fee in the regular place while the passengers walk through a funny security barrier.
We don’t want anybody to read this as an unnecessary and unprovoked attack on the security forces or the police in particular. We appreciate the work they do to keep the nation safe and even at those checkpoints we want them to properly check all vehicles because the so-called private vehicles that they easily wave through could be the ones carrying dangerous weapons and drugs. We don’t think it is correct for the police to be collecting money from passengers under any circumstances. That kind of corruption hurts ordinary Sierra Leoneans directly. The police should never checkpoint collection as a supplement to their income.
Afro Boy’s SCORPIONS also use these roads but they never sting these rogue police officers. Is that not part of their anti-corruption mandate?
IG Fayia Sellu is risking a serious backlash from ordinary passengers by not reducing the number of checkpoints on our roads and making those that remain purposeful in strategic locations ONLY. We don’t want to come back after a month or so to say WE TOLD HIM SO.
WHAT IS THE FCC MAYOR DOING ABOUT THE BEGGARS NEAR THE COTTON TREE?
We drive by what remains of the Cotton Tree daily and we have observed that the number of beggars there and those spreading up State Avenue leading to State House continues to grow with every passing day. It’s one of those sights we hate to see particularly in that part of Freetown. There are many reasons why we have so many of them in that area and in such locations across our major cities. It could well be that economic conditions have forced many people to take such desperate measures to survive or among those people are a hard core who believe begging on the streets is easier than using their strength and talent to put food on their table.
We know that when Mayor Kemokai came to office she started a program aimed at getting the mostly disabled beggars off the streets and for a time their number was drastically reduced. Now, we think it was a false situation because the numbers we see in this area alone tells a very bad story about how our Mayor is running Freetown. We’ve been looking around for information about that nine day wonder program that cleared our city center of beggars and it would appear as if nobody wants to talk to us about it. In this job we do, we are used to that kind of thing and we know why officials behave that way.
That cannot stop us making the following points anyway:
1. We can’t have so many Sierra Leoneans coming to that place daily to beg. It’s a shame. We have to find a way to reduce that number by some carefully designed social intervention as a first step. And the FCC should lead this effort again but they should first tell the people of this country what happened to their earlier effort.
2. We have to be honest some of those people might still go to the Cotton Tree daily even if they are given accommodation at Hill Station with hot meals and small pocket money. We should be firm with that small number and make it legally impossible for them to continue begging on the streets.
3. We urge Mayor Kemokai to please always remember to send people to that Cotton Tree area to clean after our beggar compatriots. Many parts of this city are in a mess but let’s keep the Cotton Tree general area very CLEAN. Thank You Mayor Kemokai.
WHAT ABOUT ABANDONED VEHICLES ON OUR STREETS
Our FCC Mayor has made a lot of statements about the menace of abandoned vehicles littering our roads in this congested city making life very difficult for people wanting to park their cars briefly to buy fast food from a shop or drop off something. There are simply too many rotten cars abandoned by God know who on our streets. This is bad and it’s not enough for our Mayor to go around telling people about clean streets - meanwhile we are still looking out for those clean streets - she has to make the roads clear and available to people who have paid vehicle licenses and all other charges that clear them to drive safely on the roads.
Now is the time for the Mayor to meet the police and the SLRSA and possibly the SLRA so they can plan the immediate removal of all such abandoned vehicles. This is not a difficult thing to do. All these agencies can put in the money needed to do this job and all those whose vehicles are towed to an agreed place will pay the cost of that service plus a fine. We simply cannot continue like this.
The Mayor must also consider the vexed question of the unavailability of parking spaces in the Central Business District of her city. We can’t understand why despite all the complaints over the years the FCC is still unable or is REFUSING to take over parking from some rough boys who only manage to squeeze money from people because they block off what little spaces are available early in the morning and only clear them for cash or people pay them to stop them from stealing from their cars.
The FCC is losing millions daily to the street boys. FCC prefers to go all over the place complaining of inadequate support from the central government while ignoring a viable revenue stream on the altar of political correctness.
NOW TO THOSE “CLEAN STREETS” OF FREETOWN
So no doubt there is a lot going on in the area of street cleaning. From our office in Freetown we see young boys going up and down daily shouting “CLEAN SALONE”. Sometimes we call them in to pick up the trash and receive some cash. That’s how they survive. We congratulate them for working so hard and putting their lazy compatriots to shame because their only means of survival is chasing big men for cash or turning to criminality.
The “Clean Salone” guys support the efforts being made by FCC in keeping our city clean but like the boys who collect money from people on the streets, the Clean Salone boys have very little or no connection to the FCC. Otherwise in claiming massive success in street cleaning, our Mayor would at least mention them and give them credit for what they are doing. Well she doesn’t like crediting people for anything - not even the central government that provides almost all the money she spends.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (15/05/24)
