ORSAMU APPEARS ON BBC NEWSDAY: But just a few concerns sir.
It was good to hear Orsamu on BBC on Tuesday morning speaking about re-building the health infrastructure in Sierra Leone post-Ebola. The point is Orsamu hardly talks to the local media. We've been asking repeated questions about the possibility that Sierra Leoneans are among the thousands of Africans dying all the time in the Mediterranean Sea, but Orsamu has kept tight lips. Ok, we suspect the guy can't stand the local media - unless it's about reporting on that party office in Kamalo, but the people who elected this government want to know what he's doing.
Anyway back to the BBC interview. We are concerned because this was our foreign minister on the most popular breakfast programme on radio in the world. Orsamu told the interviewer, the post-Ebola planning would target "infectious diseases like malaria". We are not medics but we don't think that malaria could be correctly described as an "infectious" disease. How about that?
Next point: Orsamu said, Sierra Leone should also be ready to fight diseases including "small pox". Really sir? As far as we know, "small pox" was eradicated from the face of this earth after worldwide immunisation in 1980, an effort masterminded by WHO. So which one are we going to be fighting here? May be we should have titled this piece - the return of small pox - great title.
Final point sir, the interviewer compared Sierra Leone to Rwanda. He asked why Rwanda that went through an odious genocide, was able to come back and take itself out of a very messy situation in such a short time while good old Sierra Leone remained in grinding poverty and under-development? We didn't get any clear answer to that interesting question.
Look at this: 800, 000 people killed, infrastructure destroyed, war raging in the neighbourhood and occasional raids across the border, but Rwanda is now a great African country. The head of the African Development Bank which helps Sierra Leone so much is a Rwandan called Donald Kaberuka. Orsamu is campaigning now to replace Kaberuka. He may well get the job because he is a brilliant economist. But why is Sierra Leone not up to Rwanda's standard? That's the question sir.
CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE CLEAN UP FILTHY PUJEHUN HOSPITAL?
The southern district of Pujehun was widely praised for winning an early individual victory against the deadly Ebola virus disease. Even De Pa travelled south to publicly acknowledge that. So we congratulate them. But there is still this small matter of the main government hospital in Pujehun being very filthy. We have monitored this place for about four weeks now. So this is not just somebody going into a hospital by chance and making erroneous generalisations. We kept going in and out of the place. We checked out the water pump area, even the wards. It's as if nobody cares about the place.
The danger facing the place now is that people would go into Pujehun hospital with a certain disease and end up picking up a few more viruses on their way out temporarily. Because it's almost certain they will return before long.
Companies are busy signing contracts for a job as basic as cleaning a hospital but even in modern times like these, we are complaining about a filthy hospital in Pujehun. This is not done.
PIGS COULD OVERRUN PARTS OF KINGTOM IN A FEW WEEKS
We have some good friends around who don't like us talking about issues like this and other matters relating to the City Council - like Victoria Park, but come on, in which 21st century city do we have filthy pigs feeding on human waste and all other kinds of rubbish, roaming whole communities? This is not about having political stakes in any government; it's about people living a basic and decent life.
We can authoritatively reveal that pigs have invaded Kingtom and it seems the serenity of parts of this settlement has been badly compromised. Pigs that were hallmarks of Kroo Bay - the scar on the conscience of our leaders - now stroll around 7Up, Hennessy Street all day, all night. New pens have been established spreading the mess around. They are not caged so they are wreaking havoc on compounds and backyard gardens.
Their owners couldn't care less, giving the pigs the gumption to want to talk back at you if you question their unsightly behaviour or their owner's disregard for law and order and decency.
We could lay hands on no reason why Bababode has been completely unable to deal with this problem. Animal husbandry is great - it's good business but if the animals are going to be living in such squalid conditions and threatening decency in communities in the heart of the city, then somebody has got to do something about that. That person is Bababode. We are prepared to keep this in the headlines until he acts. We just can't have filthy pigs feeding on excreta and hospital waste roaming Freetown and eventually finding their way to some dinner tables. Now way!
Let their owner be told to go to rural Freetown to run their farms. Let's enforce the law
SWASAL SLFA BLACKOUT CONTINUES: BUT HOW EFFECTIVE IS IT?
Sports Journalists in Sierra Leone say they will keep the Football Association away from the limelight for a long time - well until the association apologises to them, for allegedly causing their members to be detained and eventually deported from Cameroon recently. The truth about that incident is neither here nor there and we absolutely condemn the treatment of the journalists but is a media blackout on SLFA the only way to react?
After more than three months the blackout question came up for review when the association met on Tuesday. But they decided to keep the blackout in place until they receive a formal apology from the SLFA. So the hardliners in SAWSAL won the day. That's not bad but here are the dangers ahead. We owe it to good journalism to put these points on paper.
1. The SLFA enjoys the blackout. They couldn't care less how long it lasts. They don't want people to know what's going on at Kingtom. Even to call a congress to answer to their members' queries is a problem. De Pa has had to intervene to announce a date for the congress. Come on guys!
2. SWASAL is definitely unable to bring all its members along on this blackout train. The SLFA is easily able to pay for airtime on major radio stations to talk about the queen traveling to Brazil or Zurich or Kenema. Those programs are hosted by SWASAL members. What can the association do to them.
3. Other news organisations which stood by SWASAL to make their point against the SLFA, are now reconsidering. News organisations want to do fair journalism. SWASAL is beginning to look isolated.
4. On the eve of a major stakeholders' congress of the SLFA, how could SWASAL justify this blackout which appears to favour one side of a contentious issue? Imagine if at the Olympic games the rules for the 100meters sprint were such that at the sound of the gun Usain Bolt and a few other were allowed to leave their blocks first with others following a few seconds later. The whole thing would descend into an unbelieveable farce.
5. Next time when SWASAL decides to impose a blackout they should also plan an exit strategy. It's as simple as that.
© Politico 25/02/15
