APPLICATION OF EMERGENCY RULES IN MAMA SALONE
So lawyers assembled in one of their courtrooms to discuss the recent sacking of Chief Sidikie as Vice President of Mama Salone by De Pa. They had a simple question to answer. We say simple because as people of the law, the whole meeting with an agenda like that ought to have lasted for less than half an hour – during that time, a press release should be ready for issue. It turned out that our lawyers were divided on the issue. OK, we accept that but where on earth did Munu Boys get their orders from to force that meeting to come to an end?
Here's the point: Many Sierra Leoneans have complained about the way State of Emergency rules are being applied by Munu Boys under the supervision of the Red Movement. Some people are more Sierra Leonean than others. This is no joke. Take a look at this:
1. About 40 football administrators met recently to discuss issues relating to the running of the game. Next day there was a mass arrest. The CID questioned them on matters of breaching emergency rules and cases are still being prepared against them. On the other side the current head of the SLFA conducted a big road show in Kenema attended by hundreds. As we speak, Munu Boys have done nothing about that. In this situation, can anybody say all Sierra Leoneans are equal?
2. In the last few days, Red Movement partisans travelled more than 200 miles in three trucks, passing through security and Ebola checkpoints and entered the heart of Freetown singing the praise of De Pa and applauding the sacking of Chief Sidikie. Munu Boys lost their sight during the two days they spent in the city. As soon as other Sierra Leoneans assembled to present alternative views to that of the Red Movement, Munu begins to talk about emergency laws. What kind of country is this?
SLAJ wants the State of Emergency lifted immediately. We agree. How can it be correct when one party does something and totally wrong when other people even consider the same thing? The people are far too intelligent than the rulers imagine.
LIFE AS A SACKED VICE PRESIDENT: A TYPICAL DAY FOR CHIEF SIDIKIE
Well even in his early years as Vice President, Chief Sidikie was never the guy who moved all over the place meeting people. He was always very formal – opening some workshop here, receiving some guests there and occasionally taking the kick-off at some international match. Essentially, we are saying he should be reasonably fine with where he finds himself now. Some say under a virtual house arrest, others say...well not exactly but something that looks like that. Can we ask the BERATER please, the reactive government spokesman?
So let's see what Chief Sidikie does now on a typical day.
1. Generally, Chief gets up very early to say his prayers as a Muslim. Even the Red Movement didn't question him being a Muslim, their point is he became a Muslim too close to being selected as running mate in 2007. HAHAHA! Anyway…So after prayers the Chief spends the next few hours working his DSTV remote control device, catching up with developments around the world while he slept. These days he is very disgusted with the lies and spin on the SLBC but to keep his records, he watches a few programmes like that so-called media programme which is now simply a forum for the aggressive expression of eccentric opinions.
2. Then it's time for some brief period in the gym – keeping fit. The Chief looks very fit but he enjoys doing it again and again. U NOR KNOW WETIN GO KAM BAN BAI. We are not sure when the Chief will turn up to play squash anymore. Even the owners of the club would politely encourage him to leave because they wouldn't like to upset their most powerful customer.
3. Breakfast time for Chief and the few friends remaining…and they are very few. NA U DOUBT SALONE MAN. Anyway…Four hours into the new day, Chief has not received a single telephone call. In the same period in normal times, he would have received close to 50 and rejected about 70 others. How life can change with just one press release.
4. The Chief then strolls around in his almost deserted compound – official cars, gone; security guards, gone; long line of visitors, gone; even those stray dogs which used to loiter outside the Chief's compound have left.
5. Prayer time and back to some TV programmes, then a little rest and prayer at 4pm and so on.
6. More TV programmes and final prayer at night – and we all know what he is praying for. Chief goes to bed early. Only five calls throughout the day. Three from journalists asking about him being under house arrest or not, the two others from very close family members.
7. It's the same routine day in and day out these days. Start writing you story sir. It will be a bestseller. Remember to open with the dramatic events of Saturday March 14 – if you choose to. Beginning with your days at Jaiama Secondary School or life in Minnesota will be too boring – don’t you think?
WHAT ELSE IS NOT ABOUT CHINA IN OUR COUNTRY TODAY?
We have nothing against the great country of China. They have a lot for countries like ours to copy from as we continue to figure out a path by which we can develop our country. Great country, China! But alarm bells are ringing about the way we are relating to the People's Republic and we have to put that on record. What is a newspaper all about, if it's not to penetrate the beam of a torch into some dark areas?
1. Scholarships from China keep pouring into this country, nothing wrong with that. However, unlike the Australians, for example, who are so rigorous about the quality of people we send across, the Chinese couldn't care less. The whole programme has now become a matter of compensating political activists and friends. Let the Education Ministry publish records of how people are selected for such scholarships. Long live Access to Information. Our application is on its way.
2. Our SELECTED Vice President takes the podium on being selected for a job for which another person was ELECTED and paints a picture of a dead country without China. With that gaffe, he might just have succeeded to anger our African and Western allies who have always been here. It was a kind of mild diplomatic rebuke to the other countries and multilateral organisations like the European Union. But does he really care – or does he even know about diplomatic faux pas?
3. The corporate body, China King Ho is all over the place. And talking about them, they seem to have just gone quiet these days. What's going on people? Another set of Chinese is set to run African Minerals on their own terms...see that?
4. Chinese retail shops are flooding our country with largely inferior goods. Where are our politicians? Can't they see that the Gara industry in Makeni for example, is dead? Killed by cheap Chinese imports?
5. If we are not careful we will wake up one morning to find the Chinese carrying out the functions of MASADA. As long as we are prepared to let them get their hands on our mineral resources.
EBOLA LOCKDOWN, OUR HAND-TO-MOUTH EXISTENCE AND OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES
We are on record as supporting all measures taken so far by this government to fight and defeat Ebola. It's not been easy but like De Pa said, extraordinary measures demand extraordinary measures. But the prospect of another lockdown throughout Sierra Leone is weighing us down. And we cannot help but say why we think from now on, there should be no more lockdowns.
1. Apart from local lockdowns in parts of the country, this is the third time a national lockdown is being implemented. At first they called it Ose to Ose. We don't think this is making any serious impact on the Ebola war. If some people in Rosanda are not in jail, paying huge fines and losing their staff of office after that suicidal misbehaviour, how can we expect to win easily?
2. How would people get water to drink in Freetown during the lockdown? Forget about electricity. Even in the best of times water is a big problem. Please send Guma Valley water vehicles around so we don't die.
3. We feel sorry for those who have to go to the streets daily to feed. Can they be treated as quarantined people and provided with food?
4. Please let there be no further lockdowns in this country, please.
© Politico 24/03/15
