IF SENIOR PREFECT WAS KOTHOR JULDEH…
The recent decision by the Senior Prefect to forward to the police a text message sent to him by a journalist crosschecking a story has left us thinking and rethinking. Do you remember the Basharia Mosque incident where Kothor Juldeh was foolishly embarrassed by some pretending Muslims – we say pretending because true Muslims don’t behave in such an ungodly way?
Ok, if you don’t remember let us remind you: the Muslim Kothor had gone to Friday prayers at the mosque and coincidentally the non-Muslim Orsamu was also there. After prayers some rude “worshippers” booed at Kothor Juldeh protesting that he should not be given the microphone to address them. He handed back the microphone and left. Osamu was there and failed to call out his apparent supporters. He disappointed us very badly.
Now, here is what we think could have happened if Senior Prefect was the person that was in Kothor Juldeh’s shoes:
1. He would have insisted that he be allowed to speak. Why not, a Senior Prefect must have his way at all times and under any condition.
2. He would have called the police boss to come and arrest the Council of Imams of the mosque and even fire teargas inside the mosque. Nobody humiliates a Senior Prefect and gets away with it.
3. How about calling soldiers to storm the mosque and beat the jeerers with gun butts. He would have given that a thought. Forget about the consequences.
4. Ah wait… one more thing: he would possibly have asked them before handing back the mike: HOW DARE YOU STOP A PROFEFFOR OF PEACE from addressing you!
Anyway we believe humility is golden! Sometimes the lack of it will turn even your right to wrong.
THE AMAZING EMPEROR OF NONGOWA
Wonders never end! Just when we thought the experience under Messi taught our Paramount Chiefs a lesson or two, comes the Emperor of NONGOWA. He issued a press release wading into the hurricane blowing around the Senior Prefect on the issue involving a journalist who merely asked a question in private. In case you have not seen the release, it rallies the great people of Nongowa in Kenema District that the Senior Prefect is from his Empire which upholds “the ethos of integrity, honesty, pedigree and hard work”, and should therefore not be challenged by investigative journalists.
We find this very interesting not least because the Emperor even issued a thinly-veiled threat against the journalist by saying that they would soon announce their “next steps on the bogus allegations” by the journalist. We hereby suggest the following to be among the Emperor’s next steps and please we don’t want any money for our help:
1. Ban ALL journalists from visiting the beautiful Empire of Nongowa. In fact institute a visa system for all those who fail to constantly praise-sing Senior Prefect
2. Forward your press release to the police and the ACC to arrest any journalist who attempts to enter the Empire.
3. Call for the IMC to withdraw the licence of the journalist’s newspaper. After all as an Emperor you can do as you wish.
But please let us ask the following questions of you, Emperor:
1. You claim that your press release followed a meeting of your Chiefdom Committee, please make public the minutes of that meeting, Emperor! We have just been told by one of your subjects that there is something a little awkward about that.
2. If you have to do this every time your subject is ruffled, well you may never have time to do what you should actually be doing. But we understand the way some PCs behave anyway.
Please let us know when next you come to Freetown. We may also want to interview you on the things that were not stated in the press release. We now feel endangered that any time journalists write about to seek to interview from anyone in the provinces, their Emperor will issue a statement. Or is this just about the Almighty Senior Prefect? Lordamercy!!
WORLD TOILET DAY – HOW IS SIERRA LEONE DOING IN THIS AREA
On Tuesday the focus on attention was on the availability of toilet facilities to the people of this world. A very important topic indeed, because while people in developed and some middle income countries take toilet facilities for granted the story in Sierra Leone in a different one. This toilet matter made it to world headlines like it happens at this time of every year but what happens after that? In reality very little is done because those who should do something about it have other things to think about.
Those of us who live in big cities, especially Freetown know what it means when people have no access to toilets. And this is yet another reason why we believe that while having Cable Cars as suggested by our Mayor of the Sun is a good idea, fixing toilets for the people of this great city is more of a priority. Let’s demonstrate this further.
1. The Central Business District of Freetown is home to many street boys who relieve themselves in the drainage system at night. This is no secret to even our Mayor. Is there nothing we can do about that?
2. There are many houses in this city with NO TOILETS. The FCC knows that. In fact they collect rates from the house owners and don’t bother to check whether the tenants have toilets.
3. The people who find themselves in those conditions relieve themselves in plastic bags which they then throw into the sea. Of course the whole rubbish is brought back to our shores by the sea to contribute to our sanitation woes.
4. These days there are NO PUBLIC TOILETS in Freetown so street corners are sprayed with urine left, right and centre.
5. Maybe we should have our own Sierra Leone toilet day. We need to focus on this very serious issue.
PEOPLE LIVING WITH DISABILITY AND THEIR MISERY HOME ON PADEMBA ROAD
Are the political leaders in this country telling us they’ve not seen the misery at that camp for people with disability near Pademba road prison yard? When we say politicians we mean both those in government and those in the opposition. Maybe you’ve not seen the place because you are always in your nice well-air conditioned SUVs doing whatsapp, so let’s help. Coming into the centre of town from the west end of Freetown where almost all of you live, this misery camp is located just after the walls of the prison to your right.
We urge those dealing with disability issues to visit that place and see the human misery we are talking about. When the occupants moved in there in the days of King Messi, there was public outcry because people knew what the place would become before long. An attempt to move them on was thwarted by a government minister who thought it was politically unwise to do that. He told a radio station that he had the support of King Messi. Now we call on the New Direction to do something NEW.
1. Move those people out of that misery camp and re-settle them in a reasonably dignified place immediately.
2. No need to create a colony of people with disability. They are normal people with families like all of us. Help them re-integrate with their people and start small businesses. Where were they before they moved to that place?
3. Demolish that building which was gutted by fire in the days of the NPRC – more than TWENTY years ago and build something decent on that land which is a property of the Ministry of Works.
4. It will not be easy to do what we asking now because the occupants will resist having settled down all these years and some hypocrites will back them purely for political reasons but this is where political will is required.
5. That done, all the raw sewerage flowing down to the main Pademba road – Campbell street junction will be gone. Let’s end that disgrace now.
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