MPs WANT DIPLOMATIC PASSPORTS: WHAT DO THE PEOPLE NEED AND WANT?
We have been hearing some very interesting vibes coming from Tower Hill in the last few days. Our MPs say the state must give them diplomatic passports which they believe will take away their problem of getting United Kingdom visas in particular. Well, we now know what they want and perhaps why some of them did all what they did to get to Tower Hill. On behalf of the people of Sierra Leone, we now present what the rest of the people NEED and WANT from the MPs. Here we go:
1. The people need and want clean drinking water, good schools, better health care services and safe and clean communities. They believe they elected the MPs to help make all of that possible.
2. The people need and want MPs who hold the executive to account whether they are in the same party or not with those in State House – not rubber stampers.
3. The people need and want MPs who will tell presidential nominees with a chequered record to go hang and reject their nominations.
4. The people need and want enough buses and good roads so they can travel across the country and trade with little difficulty. No passports and no visa required for that.
5.The people want and need MPs who can make representation on their behalf when required. MPs who are more in touch with the people who elected them than with Trafalgar Square, Oxford Street, Peckham, Camberwell or King Cross.
Now, the DG of Foreign Affairs says some MPs had "immigration issues in those countries before they became MPs". So let's tell them now that even diplomatic passports cannot open all consular doors, King Midas-style. The British are free to apply their visa rules as they deem fit. We absolutely believe that by refusing to grant some of our MPs a visa, they are telling us in not so many words to be very clear who we vote for when next we have an opportunity to do so. Well done! In Her Majesty's name of course.
KAN KAN KAN VERY ANGRY WITH GBANABOM OF SLBC
There's uneasiness in the Ministry of Information about a deal signed recently between the SLBC and a Chinese company called STAR TIMES having to do with a digital migration project. Kan Kan Kan feels the SLBC man has taken his idea of an independent broadcaster too far and his ministry must do something about it.
We will soon get a copy of the Memorandum of Understanding for publication but we hear the SLBC has committed itself to a US$ 10 million project with the Chinese Company. Kan Kan Kan is probably angry because his ministry is working with another company on the same issue and he would have loved to have the opportunity to personally look at both proposals and get the cabinet to have their say on the issue. Never mind why.
He found it strange that for a major project like that he only saw the pictures on Facebook. His supervisory powers have been seriously undermined. There's no way out now, he must fight back. And we are waiting.
This is so funny. Here is a Public Service Broadcaster that is unable to service its debts at two commercial banks in Freetown, entering into a US$ 10 million deal without the approval of government. And the Ag Board Chairman and civil society rep was heard singing the praise of the Chinese company executive. The man has since returned to China with an agreement in his suitcase. The stage is now set.
Kan Kan Kan's period at the ministry is proving to be something of a headache. Here's why: the Director General of the epileptic SLENA has filed at least two lawsuits against his own staff for God knows what; and the woefully under-performing SLBC has decided to stray a bit too far in the name of independence. Independence where needed – editorially – is nothing to write home about. Supervision where needed, is protected with jealousy. Very interesting times ahead!
WHERE IS JOHN GBLA OF MILE 91?
We hear that John Gbla, the man who a few days ago withdrew his candidature from the contest for the vacant seat in Mile 91 has disappeared. According to our sources, his supporters believe he betrayed them by agreeing to step down following the personal intervention and perhaps intimidation of De Pa. They also accuse him of receiving cash in exchange for his right to stand in the bye-election. We can't confirm the latter accusation but De Pa has a "track record" of changing people's lives with big cash. Some newspapers describe him as “the most generous man to ever occupy State House”. Has Gbla's life changed forever now? Yes or no, at the expense of his civic right. Strange country.
Gbla is an interesting but pathetic case. He started out as the undisputed replacement for Matthew Teambo (the way this man spells his surname is intriguing), at least for the ordinary people of the place, and ended up being rejected by the Red Flag executive in the area. He decided to press his case with the full support of the people as an independent candidate. But the Red Flag people hate opposition so much that they encouraged even De Pa to take Gbla into the secrecy of G-Complex guest house in Mile 91, for talks under conditions normally invoked at nuclear disarmament negotiations between United States and Russia.
They both emerged shouting "peace in our time" and "long live the Red Flag". But within a few hours of that meeting, Gbla was nowhere to be seen even by his supporters.
On the other side of town, supporters of the MP-in-waiting, Aaron Koroma are celebrating and singing songs declaring that THE HOUSE (John Gbla's election symbol) is on fire. Gbla supporters are completely crestfallen.
We ask again, does the PPRC not have a say in such matters? They will tell us it's an internal party matter. We would be very happy if they told us that in writing. We know why.
SANITATION WAHALA AT NJALA UNIVERSITY BO CAMPUS
We can't hide this any more. In fact we have waited too long for the authorities at Njala University in Bo, to do something about sanitation on that campus but it seems they are not interested. We have a duty to let the world know and here we go: let's start with the female hostels.
Apart from the fact that the living quarters in general are in really poor shape, the toilets in particular are worse than what obtains at Kroobay – this is no exaggeration. When we visited, we could smell raw faeces and urine from three hundred meters away. The young ladies in the place told us they were getting used to it now. From what we saw – and smelled – we concluded that as important as presenting good WASSCE results for admission, potential female students must also bring along one stool each which they use to relieve themselves before the content is poured into some of the worst toilets in the world. That's their way of fighting infection that people easily pick up from toilets.
What about the boys? I heard you loudly. Well they have badly maintained pit latrines also occupied by thousands of flies - it's really crazy. Strangely enough they call the pit latrines BO SCHOOL. None of them told us why.
Professor Abu Sesay and his people at Njala University must know that admitting thousands of students, starting all types of courses every year and shouting all over the place about being the best university in Sierra Leone begins with basic things like giving your students good sanitation facilities. May be they should adopt the escapist idea of their older friends at FBC who threw out all their students because they failed to fix the hostels. What a great way to solve a serious problem like that in the 21st century.
