PRINCIPAL IN CHINA WITH AN EXPECTANT PEOPLE BACK HOME
Principal is on a state visit to the People’s Republic of China. China is now a global power and when foreign leaders land there on such visits, they expect to bring back the best deals they can get for the benefit of their people. We have seen some initial announcements about cooperation agreements being signed, debt cancellation, cash and food donations. Things are looking good so far but the devil, they say, is in the details.
Someone asked us after the announcement was made by State House Communications, whether the Chinese have their own scorecard by which they track eligibility for their cash – a bit like the one administered by UNCLE SAM under the MCC arrangement.
We reply now in this way: The Chinese definitely have their own version of a score card but they don’t put it in the open like UNCLE SAM. Naturally, we haven't seen it but we believe that there are only TWO boxes on the Chinese scorecard that their partners must tick to qualify for money:
1. All nations, well those that want to benefit from Chinese largesse MUST believe in the ONE CHINA policy. They don’t play around at all about that – there is ONE CHINA and Taiwan is an indivisible part of it. When the mainland is ready, they will go and take it. Thou shalt have NO diplomatic relations with TAIWAN. Sierra Leone absolutely ticks this box.
2. The other box is all about natural resources tied to the great BELT and ROAD initiative. On this one, as far as Sierra Leone is concerned, the jury is still out regarding our qualification. We have natural resources that China needs but are we ready to do the deals Beijing wants?
Anyway, a recent struggle for control of our vital Port and Rail facility ended in favor of a Chinese mining company called LEONE ROCK, formally known as KINGHO. Maybe that sends a message about the state of affairs regarding the second box. Let’s wait and see how things pan out.
ACC AND THIS OATH – TAKING BUSINESS: WHAT’S GOING ON?
Last week we received an intriguing press statement from the Anti-Corruption Commission. The commission called attention to what appears to be a new activity taking place in some Ministries Departments and Agencies. It was the first time we were hearing of this nature and it would appear as if some of those that have been subjected to such oaths informed the ACC.
We don’t know if the ACC is the right organization to handle such matters but this is what we have for now so let’s highlight some portions of the press statement and throw in our views:
ACC - “…compelling staff to sign Oaths of Secrecy in Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, outside of standard professionalism requirements generally required for all public officers, can undermine transparency and accountability and create an unsafe space for subordinates in their professional public duties”.
We think it’s wrong for public servants to take any oaths apart from that prescribed by law for certain positions. The problem with this ACC statement is that it deliberately refused to be specific. We would have loved to read about the MDAs asking their staff to subscribe to oaths. That would have given us a sense of why that was the case. What the ACC has succeeded in doing with this tactic is to turn all MDAs into suspects and create the impression that illegal oath-taking is widespread. It may well be, but when a good organization like the ACC communicates they should leave no gaps. For now, this looks like throwing punches in the dark hoping to hit an enemy in the face. That punch may land on the wall.
Could it also be that the ACC is flying a kite so that those who see it would start talking and the ACC would move in and arrest all the BABALAWOS?
ACC “The Commission views this new spate of forced proliferation of “Oaths of Secrecy and Confidentiality” as deliberate and intended to avoid public accountability and scrutiny, more so when they deter employees from speaking out on issues of public concern, thereby stifling whistle-blowing efforts and hindering efforts to address systemic problems and sometimes maladministration, corruption, and corrupt practices”.
In fact in this section the ACC talks about “forced proliferation of oaths of secrecy and confidentiality“, and suggests that so-called whistleblowers would be afraid to come out and talk about wrongdoings inside those MDAs. Can the ACC please tell us how negatively these oaths have impacted the information gathering process? We don’t expect an answer to this but it’s easy to know from the tone of this press release that the ACC has lost the cooperation of key informants and they suspect this illegal oath-taking business is responsible. We get the point.
Anyway, we assure the ACC that many Sierra Leoneans have little or no respect for oaths –legal or illegal. For example:
1. People take oaths in court to say the truth and nothing but the truth knowing fully well that they agreed to testify not to assist the court reach a just verdict but to tell LIES and swing justice away from those who deserve it. The beneficiaries of such lies actually celebrate those people.
2. The same happens when people appear before the parliamentary appointment committee and take an oath to serve in some offices. We will not push this beyond this point because we have all seen the result in our MDAs
3. How many times have illegal oaths been administered to people who simply do the complete opposite? Think about those Electoral College delegates in Sierra Leone who subscribe to oaths by eating pieces of raw meat soaked in palm oil and end up casting their ballots the other way.
We don’t think the ACC should worry too much about these oaths because people are still going to reach them with information.
SALONE TEAM DISGRACED IN LIBERIA AGAIN
We are beginning to sound like a broken record on this particular issue but we have no choice. Thomas Daddy Brima of the SLFA has to understand that Leone Stars is not the same as Wilberforce Strikers. The difference is the latter belongs to Brima exclusively while the former is owned by ALL Sierra Leoneans. While he can choose to subject his team to humiliation, we the good people of Sierra Leone are completely fed up with what is happening to all layers of our national squad.
People have to be accountable for whatever happens on the field of play. Both the senior sides have been disgraced all over the place – from South Africa to Morocco and Liberia. This has to stop now. We are putting a lot of money in the game and we have a right to expect positive returns. We will be back with this issue in a detailed way.
POLICE TEAM PUNISHED FOR FOOTBALL VIOLENCE
We wonder why it took the police so long to act against their medical officer and a few others in charge of their female football team who attacked a referee for awarding a penalty against the police team in a match in Kambia district. We don’t know what was there to investigate when there was clear video evidence of those people assaulting the female referee who did her job to the best of her ability.
We hold no brief for any football referee but they are human beings who have to make split second decisions that are always contested by fans depending on which team benefits. We are not saying that they are not sometimes influenced by corruption or incompetence. What we are saying is that no match official or player should be assaulted for their decisions on the field. Those who behave in such a manner should face the consequences and we don’t believe the police have done enough. In fact, the idea that a trained police officer, paid by the state to protect life and property can chase and attack a referee over a red card decision is most disgraceful.
We warn IG Fayia Sellu not to whitewash the investigation or try to blind us with hasty suspension only to quietly return the guilty guys to the squad while all of us have gone to bed. If we wake up one morning and find them back in office, we will conclude that Fayia Sellu has declared war on decency in the Force for Good and we will respond by putting the case for the people who pay their salaries and allowances.
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