WHAT IS THE FCC MAYOR DOING ABOUT THE BEGGARS NEAR THE COTTON TREE?
We drive by what remains of the Cotton Tree daily and we have observed that the number of beggars there and those spreading up State Avenue leading to State House continues to grow with every passing day. It’s one of those sights we hate to see particularly in that part of Freetown. There are many reasons why we have so many of them in that area and in such locations across our major cities. It could well be that economic conditions have forced many people to take such desperate measures to survive or among those people are a hard core who believe begging on the streets is easier than using their strength and talent to put food on their table.
We know that when Mayor Kemokai came to office she started a program aimed at getting the mostly disabled beggars off the streets and for a time their number was drastically reduced. Now, we think it was a false situation because the numbers we see in this area alone tells a very bad story about how our Mayor is running Freetown. We’ve been looking around for information about that nine day wonder program that cleared our city center of beggars and it would appear as if nobody wants to talk to us about it. In this job we do, we are used to that kind of thing and we know why officials behave that way.
That cannot stop us making the following points anyway:
1. We can’t have so many Sierra Leoneans coming to that place daily to beg. It’s a shame. We have to find a way to reduce that number by some carefully designed social intervention as a first step. And the FCC should lead this effort again but they should first tell the people of this country what happened to their earlier effort.
2. We have to be honest some of those people might still go to the Cotton Tree daily even if they are given accommodation at Hill Station with hot meals and small pocket money. We should be firm with that small number and make it legally impossible for them to continue begging on the streets.
3. We urge Mayor Kemokai to please always remember to send people to that Cotton Tree area to clean after our beggar compatriots. Many parts of this city are in a mess but let’s keep the Cotton Tree general area very CLEAN. Thank You Mayor Kemokai.
CLOSE THE DISABILITY CAMP AT PADEMBA NOW
We complained a lot when Tolongbo opened that camp for disabled people along Pademba road near the prison yard. FIVE years on, the camp has expanded and become a real scar on our collective consciences. We know New Direction people drive along that road daily and come face to face with the misery in that little space. Why is nobody saying anything about that?
Why is the disability commission of all organizations turning a blind eye to this very serious situation? On the face of it those Sierra Leoneans living in that camp think they are fine but scratch that surface a bit and the real feelings about their living conditions would reveal. We don’t believe in having colonies of people living with disabilities anywhere in this country. They are Sierra Leoneans just like us who should live with their families with the state providing whatever support is available for them. They should get all the help they need to fend for themselves and their families. Tolongbo tried to solve a problem but ended up creating an even bigger one in that prominent part of Freetown. We have to destroy that picture and find a way of accommodating our brothers and sisters in decent places.
WHAT ABOUT ABANDONED VEHICLES ON OUR STREETS
Our FCC Mayor has made a lot of statements about the menace of abandoned vehicles littering our roads in this congested city making life very difficult for people wanting to park their cars briefly to buy fast food from a shop or drop off something. There are simply too many rotten cars abandoned by God know who on our streets. This is bad and it’s not enough for our Mayor to go around telling people about clean streets - meanwhile we are still looking out for those clean streets - she has to make the roads clear and available to people who have paid vehicle licenses and all other charges that clear them to drive safely on the roads.
Now is the time for the Mayor to meet the police and the SLRSA and possibly the SLRA so they can plan the immediate removal of all such abandoned vehicles. This is not a difficult thing to do. All these agencies can put in the money needed to do this job and all those whose vehicles are towed to an agreed place will pay the cost of that service plus a fine. We simply cannot continue like this.
The Mayor must also consider the vexed question of the unavailability of parking spaces in the Central Business District of her city. We can’t understand why despite all the complaints over the years the FCC is still unable or is REFUSING to take over parking from some rough boys who only manage to squeeze money from people because they block off what little spaces are available early in the morning and only clear them for cash or people pay them to stop them from stealing from their cars.
The FCC is losing millions daily to the street boys. FCC prefers to go all over the place complaining of inadequate support from the central government while ignoring a viable revenue stream on the altar of political correctness.
WAS THE ICC SET UP TO TRY ONLY AFRICANS
We begin by putting in an apology should we get this wrong – we were talking about the reason we are making this comment. It’s possible that what we saw as Karim Khan, the ICC Prosecutor being interviewed by Christine Amanpour of CNN was AI generated. These days there are many fake things being spread around. Anyway, Khan told CNN that some big guys somewhere told him that the ICC was set up for AFRICAN LEADERS and people like Vladimir Putin of Russia. In other words he was playing with fire asking for arrest warrants for the leaders of Israel in particular. In fact, we’ve now heard from the main centers of power in this world and we get that message clearly. What a world.
It’s a fact that some of the African Leaders that have been brought before that court are some of the most dangerous people we share the continent with and we absolutely support the actions of the ICC. Charles Taylor is sitting in a British jail for crimes committed in this country. We cannot even begin to imagine what Liberia and sub-region would have looked like with Taylor going around a free man.
Vladimir’s Putin’s indictment by the ICC for crimes in Ukraine was roundly welcomed in the powerful countries but now, for them, the ICC has stepped on the Tiger’s Tail. We are not under any illusion about fairness in the global arena but to tell us so openly that the ICC was there for only Africans, is enough for us to take care of ourselves and stop fooling ourselves that the institutions of this world would rescue us when that time comes around. We are not part of the reckoning. We only matter when it comes to raw materials and serving as military bases for the security of the big guys.
What the ICC does with Khan’s request will determine the future of the court. We will hang it here for now and wait. We believe that the Israeli Prime Minister and his Defence Minister will NEVER appear in the dock in The Hague.
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