PREPARING FOR STATE HOUSE NEWS CONFERENCE THIS JULY
Once again we applaud De Pa for agreeing to adopt Advisory Note number 8 - Regular Meetings with the media. We are already looking forward eagerly for July's edition of the presidential news conference. We have very important questions to put to De Pa.
Our brand of journalism doesn't allow us to send questions in advance because we really hate stilted responses, sexed up with weasel words – essentially refusing to be specific. What we can however do is to make known the broad area of our questions will cover. This July we will be asking questions concerning the relationship between De Pa and his constitutional Principal Assistant. We have heard a lot but now we have a great opportunity to nail the issues once and for all.
The latest we heard relates to Chief Sidikie's treatment by Diana, Queen of Kono of all people. We are told that in the absence of De Pa, Chief Sidikie should have chaired an INTER-MINISTERIAL COUNCIL MEETING at Hill Valley Hotel in Freetown on local government matters. It turned out that the Kono Queen refused to let the Chief do his job. She represented De Pa at that meeting. What is really going on?
It cannot be right that a nation elects a VP only for him to occupy a nice office with no real work to do. And we are now gone beyond cosmetic responses like "De Pa and the VP are working hand in hand", when we know deep down that something is very wrong at the heart of government.
We hope we will be allowed to ask supplementary questions because we may have to pinpoint specific instances so that De Pa will understand the extent of alienation Chief Sidikie must be feeling. Watch this space.
POMASU LOGUS SHEDS CROCODILE TEARS IN KONO
How dare Pomasu Logus Koroma stand up in Koidu and tell people to "unite for the development of Kono district"? We hate this hypocrisy in politics. Does Pomasu really think we don't know how he got to where he sits now? He has used every trick in the book including bringing the whole country to the brink of chaos by urging De Pa to run for an unconstitutional third term, just to become a minister. This guy was really desperate.
What beats us is that this is the same man who was sacked and thrown out of Chief Sidikie's office under a cloud, and we are still trying to roll away that cloud so that we can understand why or what has changed to make him suitable for office again.
The fingerprints of Pomasu and a handful of others are all over the disunity that the people are talking about in Kono. As far as we are concerned, he can make as many speeches at Fachima Hall as he chooses, we know the facts.
END UNNECESSARY POLITICAL HOME-COMING CARNIVALS
We want to make a humble plea to De Pa for him to do two things for us:
(I.) Stop all Ministries, Departments and Agencies from organising retreats at our expense.
Since De Pa organised that Bumbuna Retreat when he took power in 2007, it's been one retreat after another by MDAs. Freetown City Council under Herbert George-Williams organised their own retreat in Lungi only for the Mayor to be indicted for corruption before the end of his term.
Only a few weeks in office, Pomasu Logus Koroma took part in a retreat in Bo organised by Road Transport Authority (Did he not ask ever-obedient Sarah Bendu to set it up?) Retreat, Retreat and more Retreat, we are fed up. And our money is being wasted! It's all about sleeping in expensive hotels, eating expensive food, engaging in mindless discussions, producing documents that mean nothing and perhaps most crucially, collecting per diem. Now we understand why Wardens are arresting drivers all over Freetown, most times without cause. The fines are needed to support more RETREATS.
(II) HOME-COMING TOURS: We are on our knees begging De Pa to stop every minister he appoints from organising a road show from Freetown to their village just to announce their appointment to those small communities. Again, we are concerned about the cost and the time they waste away from their desks. Pomasu and that man who was encouraged to leave State House after that "accident" in which huge money was lost on the way to Makeni have just completed one such road show in Kono. Can you imagine if all ministers in the US and UK decided to organise such road shows on being appointed? If De Pa does not stop them we will tell Obama.
In fact the latest one in Kono was an interesting affair. We saw crowds rented from Bombali returning home after the event. The vehicles were clearly marked. Why was it really necessary to bring people from Makeni for a program meant for Kono people.
Pomasu rented all rooms at Uncle Ben's Hotel. We are calculating the cost. He also put Road Transport Authority buses on the road, assembling people in Freetown from as early as 05:30.
Pomasu is one man who has this Siaka Stevens mentality when it comes to governance. This country has moved on but unfortunately, we find ourselves lumbered with people like him.
WHEN IS A MASSACRE NOT A MASSACRE?
When Captain Musa Dadis Camara's soldiers killed people at a football stadium in Guinea the whole world called it a massacre. In fact, that set in motion a chain of events that culminated into Camara being shot by the soldier who masterminded the stadium massacre and the end of his foolish attempt to rule Guinea. Today Dadis leaves in some obscurity in the rebel-loving country of Burkina Faso. A trial is taking place in Guinea of those alleged to have taken part in the massacre and Dadis himself will one day come before a court. So we all agree that a massacre took place there.
Now, how do we describe what happened near that Republican Guard facility in Cairo where we now know 51 people were cut down by soldier fire, a massacre or a proportionate response to civilian provocation by the Egyptian military. You see, there's no serious international outrage and deafening calls for justice as happened in the case of Guinea. And for that we smell double standards.
The West in particular is not willing to shout too much on Egypt. They can't even describe the removal of Morsi from power by the military, as a coup. When a coup is not a coup!
We understand Egypt's strategic importance in the geo-political arrangement in the volatile Middle-east but it is always good to treat all countries as equals. Imagine this: Supposing in the last Olympic Games, the organisers had told African athletes to wait until American and European athletes had left their starting blocks before they started the sprints and relays, what do you think would have happened? The whole Games would have descended into a disgraceful farce. Egyptian and Guinean bloods are the same.
GOVERNMENT PRINTING DEPARTMENT - THE REALITY.
Government Printing Department is a department we’ve been taking a close look at since the Private Public Partnership arrangement was formally launched by a presidential adviser and some ministers.
Public Private Partnerships have worked really well in recent times all over the world. But, there are always concerns that people like us are not afraid to voice out the interest of the PUBLIC side of things. PRIVATE people are in this to make money, no problems with that. We are concerned about public safety and security and the interest of the hardworking and dedicated Sierra Leonean staff caught up in this PPP arrangement.
1. We request, most respectfully, that all documents relating to this PPP be made public. We will not be disappointed because we are used to being ignored over serious matters like this. We shall make that request again when the Freedom of Information Law comes into force. For now we can only say that it’s a reasonable request in the interest of our people.
2. Why is it that the Sierra Leoneans working at the GPD have not experienced any movement in terms of their welfare? They are now under a PPP arrangement, somebody must tell them what that means for them and by extension their families. As it is now, they are sitting in one place while their Ghanaian overlords are where they are. Isn’t this a legitimate question to ask as we proceed with PPP? Another word for it is “subjugation”. In our own country? No!
3. We warn Kan Kan Kan not to even discuss the proposal from the Ghanaian side of the PPP to rename the GPD as EPP. If, as the Ghanaians have proposed, Kan Kan Kan went ahead and renamed the place, it would represent a serious slap across the faces of Sierra Leoneans and we shall resist it. We know the proposal has been made. In a very stealthy manner our Ghanaian brothers want to play out the Carmel and the Arab situation.
