SIERRA LEONEANS WILL VOTE ON THE SATURDAY JUNE 24
Election materials, including ballot papers and results reconciliation forms are on ground in Sierra Leone and are now being dispatched to all voting areas across Sierra Leone. When the flight was delayed people went on social media and did what we have come to expect from them these days. We find ourselves in a situation in which staff of ECSL wake up every morning expecting to be accused of this and that. They have only recently rejected Orsamu’s call for all the commissioners to resign. The Tolongbo leader wants foreigners to come over and run our elections. Anyway, from the look of things, the current commissioners are running the show.
We don’t know whether this is part of some political strategy but how does it help a political cause to keep telling your voters the election would be postponed when it’s clear that June 24 remains the date and the final things are now being put in place for the big decision. Many Sierra Leoneans are getting a bit tired now with all the campaigning. All they want is to stand in a queue, vote and go home.
People are predicting that turnout will be high across Sierra Leone based on the registration figures released by ECSL. We are praying for June 24 to be a bright day but the word on the street is that RAIN or SHINE, people would be out to vote.
As for those planning for violence, they are up against the security sector. The ONS boss says they are on top of the situation. We trust them.
We will join the PEACE MARCH on JUNE 23 to register our overwhelming desire for Sierra Leone to remain a peaceful country during and after the elections. This is the only country we have.
AFRICAN LEADERS BACK FROM THE WAR ZONE: WITH WHAT?
Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa led a small group of African politicians to Ukraine and Russia in an attempt to start a peace process to end the destructive war that has ensued since Russia attacked and seized large parts of Ukraine last year. Ramaphosa announced the initiative just after being accused of supplying arms to Russia by the US ambassador to South Africa.
Anyway the African presidents are back and we are waiting to hear about the outcome of their meetings in Ukraine and Russia. We don’t yet want to join those on the continent saying that the trip was a fine waste of money. And considering how some of those accompanying Ramaphosa were treated in Poland and the somewhat cool response in both countries, we have to keep asking why our leaders didn’t just fall behind the big guys trying to find a solution to the war.
The so-called Special Military Operation that Putin launched across his border is definitely not going according to what his military guys planned in Moscow and at some point there has to be a way out of this total mess.
Food and fuel prices in Africa keep going up and in some African countries people are on the streets protesting. Russia’s war in Ukraine must end but we are not sure African leaders are strong enough to lead the peace process.
THE PEOPLE OF SUDAN CAN’T BREATHE
It's been more than two months now since two mad generals ordered their forces to fight each other for control of the country and its vast resources. The proud people of that country have been killed, injured and forced into exile in neighboring countries. The most powerful countries in the world have evacuated their people leaving the ordinary people of Sudan at the mercy of their crazy generals who hate each other’s guts. The message we expected the so-called generals to get from those evacuations is that they should stop killing their own people for political power.
We have been waiting for the rest of Africa, using the platform of the AU to stand up and tell these generals that ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. They have to stop shedding the blood of our brothers and sisters in Sudan.
We know the African Union has a lot of challenges, including the obvious fact that some big countries in Africa are remote-controlled by the west but this is the time to end the bloodshed in our backyard. There’s a lot already in the media about the civil war in Sudan turning into a proxy war between Russia and the west. It’s the last thing we want to read but we are living in a world where everything is possible.
The AU should NEVER tell us their hands are tied in anyway. This is a problem for the AU. Of course, Saudi Arabia and the US can help but frankly Africa should take the lead in searching for peace in Sudan. Ramaphosa and others should stop trying to fix Ukraine while their neighborhood burns. OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS MUST BREATHE NOW.
WELL DONE KEISTER AND THE BOYS
We lost the match to Nigeria simply because we allowed ourselves to be held to a draw last time round by Sao Tome. We say this because that damage put us in a position from which our survival depended on beating Nigeria. At 2-2 the Nigerians became extremely nervous and we opened up the match and pushed for a win leaving spaces behind for the Nigerians to exploit.
On the whole our boys responded very well to going down 2- nil. The Nigerians won the match but they have a lot of things to think about back home as they prepare for Ivory Coast.
We will not be part of those calling for the head of Keister when his contract runs out in August. We believe Keister is that man to take our national team to the next level. The government of Sierra Leone should send Keister and his backroom staff for refresher training in a country where football is played at a really high level.
The Nigerians are paying their Portuguese coach SEVENTY THOUSAND US dollars. We are paying Keister TEN times less but he is giving all his best for his country. The future of Leone Stars is in the hands of John Keister.
We now have to concentrate on the local game and re-build like our African neighbors. That should begin with cutting down the number of teams in our so-called Premier League. Frankly, some of the teams in that group are absolutely mediocre.
CLEAR THIS ROTTEN VEHICLE FROM THIS JUNCTION NOW
We don’t know who is responsible for this but this idea that people can abandon their rotten vehicles on the road like this for years with nobody raising a finger is simply unbelievable. We have observed this truck parked at the entrance of the famous Bo Inn on Torwama road in Bo for more than a year. It’s beginning to look like a normal thing now on that road, just like a road sign. In fact, some Okada riders now designate it as a drop off point.
The truth is that it is in the interest of the owners of Bo Inn and a new restaurant also near that junction to do everything to clear that vehicle from that place. Guests going into Bo Inn more often than not miss that junction because the sign board directing the way to Bo Inn is completely covered by that abandoned truck. Apart from that, some guests have complained that they are afraid of being attacked by criminals who may use that vehicle as a cover to pounce on them. We believe that’s a legitimate point to make based on the assumption that people going to the guest house have good money to spend.
Because we have published this today, the authorities now have no excuse but to clear this place. They cannot now pretend not to know about this danger. We are on this case.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (21/06/23)
