REELECTED RED MAYOR MOVES TO DOMINATE FCC
FCC Mayor Kemokai AKI-SAWYER has taken a firm grip of the new-look FCC in an unbelievable way. We are hearing that she has put RED people in charge of FOURTEEN out of FIFTEEN COMMITTEES, totally marginalizing the sizable GREEN councilors.
Our information is that she told them that only people serving a second term can head committees. There was only a single GREEN councilor in her last council so she gave that man a job to head the committee on tourism because he represents Aberdeen.
The Mayor has simply refused to understand and abide by the new reality in the FCC. She holds a slender FOUR seats majority so how can she refuse to share committees with the GREEN guys on the basis of that spurious two-term councilor joke? Anyway, our sources say a challenge is being mounted to that power grab.
For now we want to call your attention to a few burning issues that you must address without delay.
1. During the campaign you tried to shift the blame for the poor sanitary condition in the city to other people. At least one of the contestants for the seat you now occupy gave you a good lesson in how to take responsibility. You have no choice but to clean this city.
2. We want to physically visit all the areas where you planted those ONE MILLION trees. Take journalists around and prove your critics wrong.
3. Our Mayor, please remember NEVER to say a word about cable cars in this city anymore. You knew you couldn't deliver that in a million years but you kept on telling the people Alice in Wonderland tales about this and that. Tell us something practical about getting the people of this city from place to place.
4. We wonder whatever happened to the One Million dollars you won for our city. We need information on that.
5. Our Freetown football team is a disgrace. Not that the boys don’t do their best on the pitch. The problem is they are poorly motivated and vulnerable to match-fixing. After managing to beat only one the top side in the last season you seized upon that and flooded Facebook with pictures of you congratulating them. Please sell the team because you have not given them the money needed to effectively compete again.
6. We don’t want to hear anything about any DELIVERY TEAM in disguise. The normal FCC workers are intelligent and committed enough to do the job.
7. The Chief Administrator told the media how much money he collected recently in your absence. He collected billions of Leones. We will be coming to your doorstep to ask questions about FCC finances using powers in the Local Government Act. We know you prefer those highly sanitized appearances on your favorite TV stations instead of meeting the press but see you soon.
KORTOR JULDEH AND THE STADIUM: HOW FAR NOW?
Kortor Juldeh was at the stadium not so long ago to talk to the Chinese contractors renovating the place. He is the most senior government official to undertake that exercise as the work grinds on slowly. Kortor Juldeh was assured that the work will be completed on schedule and on budget. That’s fine. We have endured pain to get the 1979 facility to a reasonably good standard to host local and international events.
Kortor Juldeh is reported to have said that ALL the original land space belonging to the Siaka Steven Stadium will be recovered. We thank him for that and we want to help in our own small way to call his attention to areas of concern around the stadium.
Kortor Juldeh should look at the area at the back of the swimming pool. Of course the entrance to the swimming gate near YWCA is a complete mess. Next is the area leading to the big gate opening towards STAND 17 – that place is now totally in the hands of car dealers, vehicle mechanics, drug pushers and small-time criminals. Kortor Juldeh should also clear those illegal stalls along Kinsella Street opposite the cemetery. They are a complete eyesore.
In a politically – correct society like ours, this is a difficult task to undertake but the VP surely knew what he was up against when he made that statement. There has been ZERO movement in the direction he promised to take us. What’s going on?
THE SANCTIONS BRIGADE MAY BE COMING HOME SOON
A good number of those abroad campaigning actively for western nations to put economic sanctions on Sierra Leone are booking their flights now to come over here and enjoy the season. Why not stay away from the HELL they tell the world this country is?
They are organizing demonstrations in Western capitals; they are also meeting a few politicians out there that are willing to listen to them as they spread the message that Sierra Leone represents HELL on earth.
So far no Western power has done what these Sierra Leoneans are praying for and somehow our brothers and sisters are becoming even more desperate. They are busy issuing death threats against individuals and groups in Sierra Leone. Instead of using the facilities provided by social media for positive reasons, these Sierra Leoneans are trying extremely hard to bring war to this country.
Let’s just add our voice to that of many other Sierra Leoneans that have told them to slow down for the following reasons:
1. We don’t even understand why they would call for sanctions but they should know that sanctions would hurt the ordinary people more than those they hate so badly. This is a good example of using ordinary Sierra Leoneans as collateral damage on their way to that imaginary State House.
2. The West can make up their mind about how to relate with Sierra Leone going forward. They don’t depend on information from those gathering on the streets of London and Washington. They have a presence in Sierra Leone.
3. Even the West has strategic interests in Sierra Leone, and that may include helping to maintain stability. In fact that is not the only interest they have here. Their business is to protect those interests and not to dance to the music of people who refuse to search for the real reason why they lost the June 2023 elections.
4. In all of these we have to call out META, the owners of Facebook and Whatsapp. They have allowed their platforms to be used for everything wicked and criminal in Sierra Leone. They have made little or no effort to regulate as they do in other countries. We now ask the government of Sierra Leone to take META to court for the loss of life and destruction caused in this country with their platforms as the main vehicles by which hate speech is driven. The world must not wait for another Rwanda to take place here before rushing to Arusha.
FIGHTING CYBERCRIME WITH PRESS STATEMENTS
While it’s a good idea to let people know about the consequences of their actions, the SLP will inevitably come under serious attack by the good people of Sierra Leone because they are almost certainly going to accuse the police of hypocrisy and behaving like toothless bulldogs. The SLP must now back up their press statements with action.
1. The SLP management must not fool itself. They are dealing with a whole industry set up to continuously do the social media madness they are complaining about. So this is not the work of a few people hiding out in their basements and churning out so much hate speech.
2. The industry is reasonably well funded by people with deep pockets in Freetown and run by their mercenaries mostly based abroad. They are a sophisticated bunch driven by politics. They absolutely want to capture state power and for them the end justifies the means.
3. There is a small cottage industry back home that is dedicated to sharing such materials by means of WhatsApp to as many individuals and groups as possible. This industry also receives some money from the big man to do this. Very well respected community leaders including religious leaders are found in this category. How can anybody explain that?
4. The SLP should also be aware of the hypocrisy of the International Community. They have overwhelming evidence of raw violence on our streets leading to deaths, totally instigated by actors sitting in the safety of Europe, America and Australia but they classify them as activists seeking political asylum.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (15/11/23)
