VOTE SAFUL, GO HOME SAFUL, WAIT FOR RESULT SAFUL
Tomorrow is the day. Sierra Leoneans will vote to elect new leaders from the State House down to the last local council. Election materials, including ballot papers and Results and 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 and violence. 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.
ROGUE WATERLOO BUS DRIVERS FLEECE PASSENGERS
People traveling along the Waterloo – Freetown route go through hell every day because of the actions of very corrupt bus drivers. And these men conduct themselves in a way that creates the impression they are a law unto themselves. No questioning and certainly no arrest by the police. The reckless act by the drivers is done during rush hour. Seeing the teeming crowd of commuters in the morning in Waterloo they would say their final stop is Ferry Junction. The limited availability of commercial vehicles forces the commuters to jump in though in reality their normal and authorized point of disembarkation is PZ in the business district of the city.
Commuters are compelled to pay for the Ferry junction journey in desperation and immediately they leave the vehicle, the bus driver or apprentice would call out again that they would be going to PZ. Those who can afford the extra fare would jump on board with others having no choice but to walk the rest of the way into the city.
In the evening, the same Waterloo drivers pick up passengers from PZ and announce Jui junction as their final destination. They again collect fares and the passengers disembark but just about then again, they call out that they would be going to Waterloo. The passengers would then board once more, for what is another fare. So in reality, passengers spend twice or even more daily than what is the legitimate fare authorized by the Transport Ministry. The traffic division of the police knows that what the bus drivers are doing is illegal. But why can’t the police get these crooks arrested and punished? In this period of COVID-19 and its harsh economic conditions, the people commuting must not be fleeced by such a bunch of rogue bus drivers.
SLRA PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT AJ MOMOH STREET
This is undoubtedly one of the most important streets in this country but it’s in very bad shape and we cannot understand why it appears as if the SLRA is not aware of this dire situation in the heart of Freetown. Or are they just ignoring things and continue to dream that the rest of us would do the same?
Here’s why we describe AJ Momoh street as one of the most important streets in this country: Let’s say you approach from the Circular road end you will notice quickly that the whole street is full of some of the most important institutions in Sierra Leone. Here we go: There’s a vocational institute that trains many young people very close to the National Fire Force. The force is in difficulty and it’s easy to see that right at the entrance of their building.
A little bit up the road is Statistics Sierra Leone and the West African Examinations Council, WAEC very close to each other. A few meters ahead is the Former British Council building, then the secretariat of the University of Sierra Leone and the Institute of Public Administration and Management, IPAM which has more than TEN THOUSAND students.
Let’s continue our drive along AJ Momoh Street and find the Vice President’s office and the building housing the National Council for Vocational Education. That’s AJ Momoh Street. Why is it in such poor shape despite this?
The Entrance to AJ Momoh Street from the Circular road end is a disgrace and the many potholes and unregulated parking on that road creates a mess we cannot afford to have in that part of town. Over to you SLRA!
MENTAL HEALTH PATIENTS ON OUR STREETS: WHO CARES?
We are in sympathy with families that have to go through the pain of seeing their loved ones suffer serious mental health problems. Nobody wants to see relatives or friends suffer mental health but mental health issues have been part of the human condition since creation. Conventionally acceptable normal behavior and appearances are replaced by very unpleasant traits as the disease eats up a sufferer. Many such people could be seen on streets in our major cities and towns.
Their often pathetic state has attracted sympathetic attention and revulsion that nothing is being done to get them off the streets and house them at the Kissy Psychiatric hospital, the only separate facility in the country that is providing care for mental health patients in the country. Many years ago, specially trained people would be seen along the main streets of Freetown taking roaming mentally-challenged Sierra Leoneans to the Kissy Mental Home as the place was called then. By so doing, the threat they posed to public safety and their often embarrassing appearances are removed. But now no one seems to care.
The impressive looking Kissy Psychiatry hospital is in operation now after serious investment but what is the relevance of having such a hospital when the majority of those who should be having treatment there are all over the place.
We need to employ those who can go out and bring these people to the magnificent facility where they are assured of proper care. Nobody likes to see their relatives suffering like that in the full glare of the public.
LET’S GROW WHAT WE EAT IN SIERRA LEONE
No matter how much we grumble about the cost of a bag of rice, it will keep going up. The people of this country have to make a decision to grow what they eat or continue to depend on other countries where people spend their time working to feed themselves and to make money from agriculture. They don’t spend all their time talking about politics on the streets, in offices, football stadiums or even cemeteries.
Why should we complain about the cost of rice produced in Cambodia and shipped halfway around the world to Sierra Leone? The farmers out there work really hard so they should enjoy the benefit of their labor.
We have recently seen social media photos of individual farmers or groups of farmers, including military personnel showing off their harvest. That’s the way to go. Cambodia is not a rich country. Most of the farmers in India, China and Pakistan are ordinary folks just like our own farmers. Why should they feed us?
Our politicians would gladly buy bags and bags of imported rice to distribute to supporters who spend several hours a day at so-called ATAYA BASES instead of asking them to go to the bush and grow food.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (23/06/23)
