TWO-TRACK APPROACH: FIGHT EBOLA DISEASE AND FIGHT EBOLA CORRUPTION
When Pallo Conteh announced recently that ghost healthcare workers had been found on the payroll of NERC, the whole nation was disappointed. Disappointed because people had exploited the weaknesses in the Ebola response and were busy stealing money while our people died in dozens. It was a good thing he spoke out like that but what has he done about that since? We've not heard anything about arrests and prosecution – surely, this must not go unpunished.
So we understand why SLAJ has decided that as from now on, the media in Sierra Leone should pay serious attention to corruption like the one we have just mentioned. When we did some calculation based on Pallo's own figures, we saw billions of leones going into private pockets. The people want healthcare workers to be treated with respect and paid on time – decent wages too – but if those same health workers allowed the system to be corrupted, the law must come into play.
So we warn all corrupt Ebola response people that journalists have been unleashed. People will be held to account even in a State of Emergency. Please cooperate when we turn up at your doorstep to ask for information about certain issues. The two-track approach is here. We hope journalists will not now violate their own ethical principles and engage in attack-collect-defend-collect journalism. That's old time journalism. Let's get this job done. The infection rate must start going down now.
RIGHT-HAND DRIVE VEHICLES, A GENTLE REMINDER PLEASE LOGUS
We are now in the second week of December and by all indication the SLRTA and minister Logus Koroma have no intention to carry out a well-publicised government policy to remove Right-Hand Drive vehicles from our streets. Towards the end of November we drew attention to the promise made by these two institutions when they failed to meet their own deadline of September 2014.
No jokes about this, it makes absolutely no sense to institute a policy and not implement it. The SLRTA has put a lot of money and time into the campaign to take Right Hand Drive vehicles off our roads but we are convinced now, more than ever before, that the policy has failed. Here's why:
1. Big Guys have fantastic Right-Hand Drive vehicles and they are not going to allow the SLRTA to deny them the opportunity to drive their cars in Freetown.
2. Some powerful people are behind the importation of such cars so they will fight any policy that threatens their investment.
3. The SLRTA and the ministry were not really serious about implementing this policy. All the publicity and media campaign was simply at diverting attention from other important issues in the ministry which were failing.
4. In fact it is the ministry that instructed the SLRTA to cease fire because, as usual, Logus is weighing up the political implications of him implementing the policy to the letter. But aren't we passed that stage now?
5. In recent times in Sierra Leone, policies are made only for them to be shelved after a few people who are affected negatively run to a radio station to complain about being marginalised and therefore thinking of changing their political allegiances. Hahahahahahahahah! Interesting country!
SINGING CHRISTMAS CAROLS IN A STATE OF EMERGENCY
This year we have to be very careful with choral groups that come to our homes to render carols as they usually do to put us in the mood for Christmas. It's a good practice which we enjoy but these are not normal times. In fact, that's why we are in a State of Emergency and such will constitute a breach. We advise thus:
1. 12 people in your compound singing carols could be interpreted as an illegal gathering in an Ebola emergency and you don't want Munu Boys to arrest you on the eve of Christmas.
2. With an increase in armed robbery in Freetown what prevents criminals from forming their own choral groups to gain access to your compound and then showing you their true colours once inside.
3 Let's be honest, a lot of these hurriedly arranged choral groups have not practiced since May because of Ebola, how can they now be expected to produce the kind of harmony we are looking for when they sing “While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks By Night”.
4. This year “Nine Lessons and Carols” should be done in broad daylight and Christmas eve masses should be done in the morning so everybody will be home with their families before 7pm. Criminals might just spring a surprise on some church and distress worshippers particularly in those churches where staff of one of these banks always wait outside to pick up monies collected after every service. Sometimes they conduct three sessions. Fantastic!
5. Let's all try and get copies of Bony M's evergreen Christmas album to play in our homes after heavy meals with our families. Don't get hurt, there are many more Christmases to celebrate.
SLFA STAKEHOLDERS' CONGRESS, 10 DAYS TO GO
We are definitely counting down now to an extraordinary event that could change Sierra Leone Football forever. Those who own and run the clubs that make up the SLFA are going to congress against the wish of their “elected” leaders at the Secretariat. They say the outcome is binding on the Secretariat. We think so, but the Secretariat people have their own date that their corrupt Godfathers in Zurich have approved.
We are looking forward to Abega and Primo who are FIFA's hit men in Africa to return to Freetown and tilt this battle in favour of the secretariat once again. The only problem now for them is that their bogey man, Rodney Michael is not involved in all the noise-making right now. The Secretariat is struggling to find an excuse to bring the government in once again. Besides, Pope John Paul has fallen out with the Queen so there is no hiding place right now.
We hope the media will be invited to all critical sessions of this congress. We shall be running a live page on social media for people all over the world to get real time information on the congress.
It's easy to agree on bringing down the SLFA Queen. What happens after the Queen is thrown out of office is the real question. We know, without any doubt, that the Queen will be successfully impeached at this congress and FIFA can only do so much.
FIFA will not want to stand against the overwhelming will of the clubs that make up the SLFA so the Queen is in trouble. But please let's leave some opening: there may not be a congress after all. One statement from MUNU is enough to send the delegates home.
If the stakeholders fail to impeach the Queen this time, they might as well wait for her to complete her term.
© Politico 09/12/14
