THE “MAD MAN” AT CONGO CROSS AND PRINCIPAL’S CONVOY
This is difficult to believe but it did happen on Wednesday evening as Principal’s convoy made the normal journey through Congo Cross heading home from work. How a so-called “mad man” came to disrupt the movement of the last vehicle in the convoy is something we should investigate. These days we shouldn’t take anything at face value. Given the speed with which the presidential convey moves, Principal’s vehicle was probably at Lumley Police station when the incident happened near Vine Memorial School.
The penultimate vehicle in the convoy which is normally occupied by heavily armed soldiers actually made a U-turn on realizing that something had gone wrong with the last vehicle and returned to the scene. You can now guess the state of readiness of those officers.
So what we heard from the scene was that someone said to be a “mad man” had moved in the line of that last vehicle, causing the driver to hit the brakes to come to a halt only a few meters from the “mad man”. We understand that a presidential guard actually alighted from his vehicle, checked the man out and left. We are not sure of what he made of the man’s mental capacity. The whole incident lasted about FIVE MINUTES. This was a very serious incident and we must treat it as such. To this end we have a few questions:
1. Where were all the police officers who normally clear the way for the presidential convoy to speed through? Where were they? We need answers from IG Sovula.
2. If those heavily armed guards who hurried to the scene had taken the “mad man” out, the whole country would have complained about the brutal conduct of the presidential guards. The fact is presidential convoys everywhere in the world are never disrupted when on the roll. So what was?
3. What if the so-called mad man was normal but pretended to have a mental health issue as a decoy to cause harm? Please don’t accuse us of making too much out of this. We believe this was a serious incident.
4. We hear that the police officers in that section of the road returned to their normal activity with Kekeh and Okada riders as soon as Principal’s own vehicle had passed them. Don’t ask us what that normal activity is.
5. Anyway, IG Sovula should pay serious attention to his traffic officers. He was once head of that division so he knows what to do.
NO TWO-TIER SYSTEM OF COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS PLEASE
We have to be honest with ourselves and agree that defeating community transmission of COVID 19 will be extremely difficult – perhaps impossible – simply because we are flouting carefully-worked-out restrictions on movements and gatherings, while behaving as though things are normal.
We know that no two countries are the same but the measures we have in place in this country appear to have helped other countries “flatten the curve” against this deadly pandemic. When former Vice President Solomon Berewa died the restrictions were observed for his funeral, it was the same thing for the burial of the late academic giant Professor Elderd Jones. Since then however, people have simply ignored the restrictions when it comes to burials depending on the social status of the deceased. Why should we have a two-tier system when it comes to law enforcement especially in fighting a pandemic? Even Principal quarantined himself when one of his guards tested positive for the virus.
The burial of Ngor Margai in Bo, that of the former APC MP in Freetown all drew crowds in total violation of COVID 19 restrictions. From what we saw on social media video clips of the funeral of the former Education Minister in the last few days, people turned out without any concern for government restrictions. We know what funerals mean to Sierra Leoneans but these are certainly not normal times. Here’s what we think
1. If the government wants to review the restrictions to relax them, let them go ahead and do that. It makes zero sense to have laws in place and not enforce them or turn a blind eye when people behaved as if they are above the law.
2. We have to find a new way to communicate with hundreds of thousands of Sierra Leoneans who have been misleadingly told and verily believe that this coronavirus is a hoax aimed at getting money from donors. In these days of satellite television and social media, how can people still think this medieval way when hundreds of thousands are dying daily all over the world?
3. This Sierra Leonean disease that turns everything into a political football should be flushed out of this war against COVID 19. Sierra Leoneans are sick, Sierra Leoneans are dying and development is stagnating because of COVID 19. This is no politics!
4. Those running quarantined homes please do your job properly. How was it possible for Case NUMBER 90 to escape multiple times? Those security guards who collude with people to help them escape should be punished severely. Let’s also not stigmatize our brothers and sisters that are unfortunately infected.
5. Those who are busy profiteering during every lockdown should just remember what Bob Marley said: THINK YOU’RE IN HEAVEN BUT YOU’RE LIVING IN HELL…TIME WILL TELL.
QUEEN FATIMA’S FOOD BASKET TOUCHING LIVES
Hundreds of ordinary people across the country have been feeding from the First Lady’s extremely large food basket over the last few weeks. We congratulate her for doing this during every Ramadan – a very unusual Ramadan we all know all due to CORONA. They say blessed is the hand that giveth than the one that taketh. We can only urge the First Lady to continue because the food she provides means everything to those beneficiaries.
This year’s food basket landed when the world is fighting a deadly virus that has left many people without a normal life and regular income. Whether there is a political reward from this is a matter for another day. For now let the ordinary people enjoy their food.
While all of this is going on we have noticed something about the First Lady in the last three weeks or so.
1. Her critics have been unusually silent about her food basket. There is a small community of Sierra Leoneans who hang on all her actions and words from a critical sometimes vicious point of view. We haven’t heard from them on this food basket thing.
2. She is normally attacked and portrayed as somebody trying to become a Grace Mugabe in Sierra Leone or receiving money from the Consolidated Revenue Fund for her charity work. Is the latter correct in this case please? We genuinely want to know. Where did the money come from please?
3. By the way Madam First Lady can your office please tell the world how many people have received the food and in which communities? It’s important to know, so that we know the PAOPA voter bases are not the only or even main places considered. You are Mother of the Nation since the 2018 election.
4. Can you also do a food basket for people who look well fed and happy but in reality are hungry and angry? We have a lot of them in the main cities of this country. And, by the way, how about the Christians when their own season comes? What is good for the goose must be good for the gander too. We know you are Muslim but your husband is Christian and after all you are Mother of ALL faiths in the country.
5. Our First Lady, what you have done is a really good thing for which God will bless you. Don’t be afraid to put a SWEH (curse) on anybody who tries to take the shine off it. Long Live the First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone.
Copyright © 22/05/20 Politico Online
