IS SIERRA LEONE NOW A POLICE STATE?
Apart from the highhandedness, over-bearing presence of the Sierra Leone Police and the obvious consequences for CIVIL LIBERTIES, a dangerous trend is emerging now that compels us to ask this very important question. The Police are daily chipping away at our civil liberties and a good many Sierra Leoneans have told us they are not amused by their foolishness.
There is Guest House up the hill at Nyandeyama in Kenema town, called Samanyande - a fantastic, homely place with very nice staff - two boys who are very dutiful and respectful. But these days when you check-in, you are made to enter your details on forms provided to the hotel, by the Sierra Leone Police. We have no problems with telling our hosts who we are and we would have no problems too with the police occasionally checking such Guest Houses in their general drive to secure the nation. But if the POLICE are now going to issue the forms, with their official CREST boldly printed on it, which is not done anywhere in the world, then we have a real problem. When are they going to start doing that to Airlines? The consequence will be people pulling out of Sierra Leone.
There is also a curious Police notice at the Youth Centre in Kenema in which they require the operators of the centre to give the police prior notification for meetings, workshops, seminars, social evenings and so on. As Sierra Leoneans, we should fight this inexcusable interference in our lives. Are they going to ask Ataya Bases to supply the names of people who spend the whole day in those places?
It's only in the opposition heartland that we have noticed this and we wonder why. This may well be start of the creation of a Police State in which the government plants fears about insecurity and then spies on its own people. We hope this is the work of an overzealous police regional boss (and he should be stopped now), but if we find out in the end that this was sanctioned by Same Soup Munu, we shall fight it till doomsday.
SLOWLY REVEREND SLOWLY!
A Reverend gentle man has put his name forward once again to be the opposition SLPP's Mayoral Candidate for Freetown. He's been in the race once without success and let's be frank there nothing wrong trying again. De Pa tried to be president in 2002 but was trounced by Pa Alhaji. He came back five years later and won. So we welcome the Reverend gentle man. But we have some concerns. When the Reverend Abraham Sesay-Jones (this combination is a little intoxicating sir. Sorry!) appeared on 98.1 to make his case, he used language that was a little difficult to take in for many people. In fact a lot of people were turned off by in the end by his use of expressions like 'me nor to raraygial' (I am no female prostitute). Sir, there are many 'raray boys' in all but name and some are men of God with huge congregations. By the way, those re-cycled policy ideas you mentioned are now threadbare. Think hard Reverend think! Freetown is bleeding.
You see, next time you approach an audience like the one you had on 98.1, you have to be respectful. You probably need more prayer than media advice. But it's media advice that we have. Reverend, don't forget to read your bible and pray everyday yah? The times are as uncertain as the question of who will become Mayor of Freetown on November 18.
PLAN A - PLAN B, HOW
FAR NOW SIR?
When The Dalai Lama spoke at the SLPP conference last year, he sounded and behaved like an angry Father who came home to find his house in disarray. And you know, his SLPP chums were sitting there listening to another party leader almost dictating the pace of their conference. The Dalai Lama did what he does best - he took the Ruling Party, his 'allies' to the cleaners, telling them they have failed and that he will soon put PLAN B in operation. So now we ask, what is PLAN B? Our fear is by the time you attempt to put you so-called PLAN B into operation, you will be the only member left in the PMDC.
You could accuse us of sounding a little alarmist - no problem. How else can we explain the fact that your MPs have all now pledged their LOVE AND LOYALTY to other parties.
The Dalai Lama should have known that the hate figure - UNCLE SOLO, that helped galvanize that ramshackle coalition called PMDC is no more; Ernest Koroma is now confident enough to go it alone and this business of listening only to your own voice, has proved your greatest undoing.
We are sorry sir, but we have reason to believe that your party is finished. PLEASE DON'T SUE US. WE NAR YOU BORBOR DEN.
LEONE STARS - SAN MONAR WE NAR SAO TOME - Sec Gen
We were hoping our SLFA Secretary General would be brutally honest with us to say we were outclassed by a country nobody has heard something about in world football. Instead he blamed humidity - great line sir, but coming from Sierra Leone in February, we thought these are conditions we are used to. We are West Africans man!
I hope you understand why many Sierra Leoneans are so peeved. This is why:
Sao Tome and Principe - a collection of small Islands not far from Nigeria (1000 sq - size) with zero football tradition - in fact they are more than one hundred places behind Sierra Leone on FIFA rankings.
Population 183, 176 in 2012 - 60% are women. They were definitely not part of the team.
Empty Beaches - Who's really going there?
One 'Good' Hotel - MIRAMAR - Only 54 rooms though. Where did the National Team stay then? Mr. Secretary General, did you spend the night at their equivalent of our Ataya Base?
If Christian Caulker and others are not serious, we will support Minister Paul Kamara to emulate the Ghanaian experience (not the juju thing) but to disband the team, withdraw from all competitions and select boys from FC Johansen and Old Edwardians to form the team. Apart from about three foreign - based players all other so-called professionals must stay in their non-descript teams in those dark corners of the world and stop causing us pain and shame.
They call the place PARADISE ON EARTH - We guess it was the day they beat the conquerors of Egypt, South Africa and Nigeria. Una enjoy yah!
