MAADA BIO AND HIS 150 SUPPORTERS
The SLPP “welcomed” their leader from abroad the other day in the most extraordinary fashion. They had the perfect opportunity to demonstrate strength in Freetown, a region in which they have received serious battering in terms of high profile defections to the APC and daily media kicking over this and that – this was Maada’s day in the sun – in the sun or under the palm-tree? Anyway!
Next day Alpha Kanu told nationwide radio that from his watchtower at Youyi building, he only saw 150 people with the SLPP leader. Why was this minister of state wasting precious government time watching a political rally on a Monday morning? What he in fact saw were groups of ordinary people around Brookfields trying to get transport to go to work and school. Some of them only happened to be in green. To prove us wrong, just peep through your window daily at Bus halt and King Harman Road junction with Main Motor Road, you will think a political rally is always taking place. Transportation is a big problem under your government.
Minister Sir, the real rally was taking place in town. We think the SLPP were a little disappointed with the turnout but it was good enough to send shockwaves and move the APC out of their complacency in Freetown.
Observing the rally from our vantage point, we noticed a few things that we thought we might bring to your notice minister Kanu. Please investigate and make a statement on your favourite radio station 98.1. Mohamed Bangura knows how to do it if you need help.
We saw hands popping out of government buildings, all along the route, including Youyi wishing the well-wishers well with the victory sign. Close to Percival Street, we saw a minister-type vehicle stop briefly and as if on cue, about two dozen of those dancing for Maada went to the booth and collected chilled Grafton water in packets of twelve, which they shared among themselves. Sir, please check where all your ministerial colleagues were at the time of that rally. Anyone without a good enough alibi was the man in the vehicle. And those hands...we don’t know how you will deal with them. We saw no faces. If you add all those hands we saw, plus the man in that minister-type vehicle and his followers, Maada had at least 250 people with him on that day. What do you think? “Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear” check the one on your car Kottor Alpha.
MUSA TARAWALLI AND THE HAPPY 75
When we come to write the history of Ernest Bai Koroma’s government, whether he gets a second term or not, the name Musa Tarawalli will feature prominently. No doubt the findings of the Shears-Moses commission of inquiry will be a good reference point to understand the character of this man. But his dealings with the SLPP and PMDC will also make interesting reading. In fact, how he’s managed to stay in government despite the findings of Shear-Moses and the government’s own Whitepaper is a whole 250-page book with the title: Surviving in Politics under Ernest Bai Koroma – 2007 to...?
A key chapter in that book will capture the Minister of Internal Affairs conducting at least two raids: (1) Musa Tarawalli commands his troops led by police officer SIZEMAN to arrest Aziz Carew of Fourah Bay. The minister was there in person after pushing aside so-called police IG, Francis Munu. Munu’s job was to call a news conference a day later to deny accusations that the police lobbed canisters of tear gas into the home of Carew. Now we know that the accusation was correct. SIZEMAN has told people of how he “dealt with that SLPP dog.” Come on Mr. Force for good! We also know that the day after your troops raided Fourah Bay you were taken in triumph to see a big man – trust Politico.
(2) Musa Tarawalli commands his troops to arrest the HAPPY 75 otherwise called armed robbers. By some misfortune, we watched the reality comedy show that Musa Tarawalli and his HAPPY 75 put on for the nation on TV. Here was our minister, “meek and gentle” with people he called armed robbers who are busy terrorising ordinary people. In fact where are they now? What was the minister doing with so-called armed robbers? Where was Munu in all this? This will be the most interesting chapter. As we say in Journalism, WATCH THIS SPACE!
RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY AND NEVER COME AGAIN!
The rain is here at last. Those of us who live in Freetown know that certain things will definitely happen at times like this, it’s become a yearly ritual and we hardly ever learn the lessons of the previous year.
(1) There will be flooding at Kroo Bay; pigs will be washed away; homes will be destroyed and there will be a huge outcry about life at Kroo Bay. NGOs will turn up alongside journalists and project proposals will be written and monies collected mostly from abroad to “save” the people of Kroo Bay. Yet the people will remain unsaved.
(2) Government ministers (almost certainly Alpha Kanu or IB Kargbo or both) will make emotional statements about their government’s “commitment” to the welfare of the people, bla, bla, bla.
(3) Houses on the hills overlooking Freetown will be struck by huge boulders washed down by rain and some people will be killed...no Sierra Leonean should be killed in such circumstances but aw for do?
(4) De Pa will appear in those places to sympathise with the people and then promise to help them. TV cameras will be there to do Usu Boie-style coverage to portray a caring De Pa. Maada Bio and the SLPP people will attempt to compete and also pay a visit. Like the families killed by the mudslide at Mountain Cut some two years ago or so, we will never get to know what will happen to those who will be killed by heavy downpour and poor city planning and erratic government response to disasters. Cry with the victims and damn them shortly afterward. God save us.
(5) Finally, the DISASTER RELIEF people at ONS will be caught off-guard, again. They will later appear on radio and TV to pontificate about how to manage disasters and how ill-equipped they are. After that they will go to sleep to wake up a year later for another lecture.
You will remember Politico when these things start to unfold insha Allah.
LAND OF PORNOGRAPHY? Watin dae apin ba?
Since the Sierrawood movie street-titled “Christiana Bull” was released, it looks as though hardly does a week pass by without some pornographic video turning up on the streets of Freetown, taking the city by storm and giving parents worries about how this might affect their children, or worrying children about whether their parents are involved in it too. Certainly the Darfur video is perhaps on many laptops and office workstations now; the soldiers of the defence ministry and many others. What is this!? And we are concerned that the materials are being sold openly on the streets with no age restrictions. We surely can’t allow this to continue.
The other day we met a young man selling Sierra Leone movies. We asked for the video from Darfur. He quickly went into his bag and brought out a CD marked “Salone Blues.” He could have sold that to even a 5-year-old with Le 5,000 in hand.
With the improvement in technology, adults behaving like children and children behaving like adults, this trend can only continue. We must warn the authorities however that pornographic materials are not easily distributed anywhere in the world as in Sierra Leone. There are young minds we must protect from the imitative effect of the products of this growing porn industry. And those adults, who think they should put these activities on record, please keep them as private as they should be and stop messing things up in this way. The police must arrest and prosecute all those selling the stuff and any minors found taking part in the game. Sex is happening everywhere but people don’t go around messing up like the way we do here. And guess the irony here… Information Minister IB Kargbo had said that government would put a moratorium on children watching porns or porns being shown on the streets or cinema halls screening them. Whatever happened to that! Like with many other policy statements we’ve heard in the last few years, it is dead in water.
SL PREMIER LEAGUE BOARD – MOVES AT LAST
Victor Lewis is a small, quiet man who decided to take on an enormous responsibility on behalf of the Sierra Leone Football Association without the necessary support to deliver. It’s not been easy running the Premier League but the game is on across the country and some good results are coming through. We truly enjoy giant killings. Look at this: Freetown City Council, lying at the bottom of the table impressively beat East End Lions and FC Kallon by the same score line; Gem Stars from far away Tongo beat East End Lions and Ports Authority in Freetown – fantastic!
But Victor and his people should be tougher next time when cracking down on indiscipline as it could ruin the whole game. Some teams and officials just can’t take defeat; they must win all the time. A handful of players think they are not subject to the decision of the Referees. We don’t agree with our Referees sometimes but they are in charge and we respect their decisions. We should never allow a situation in which a few people feel they can act with impunity to take hold in the game, many people will be completely turned off and you will be left with empty stadiums and those few will then be free to run riot like War Lords.
We don’t know if Victor is responsible for this again but we have to ask this question: What is presidential about the Presidential Stand of the National Stadium? All the foolish things that used to take place in other stands have now been transferred to the so-called Presidential Stand. People are getting fed up with this mess. The other day people rushed out of the stand about five minutes before the end of the match to save their cars from the trouble that eventually took place after the defeat of FC Kallon. Mr. Lewis this is not right. You have to decide at some point whether the atmosphere is conducive enough to bring people to the stadium. Winning all the time is as impossible as it is arrogant. We have a lot of respect for you Mr. Lewis but, we don begin tire.
NAHIM KADI IS BACK
Absentee SLFA president Nahim Kadi is back. Is the FIFA cash due soon sir? The SLFA is the only organisation in this world that will allow their president to stay out of office for so long without being thrown out. Not even on medical grounds will that be acceptable. The Sierra Leone constitution is very clear about what happens when the president’s absence from the country becomes protracted. What authority does Nahim really have? JS Kelfala has been quietly running the show and enjoying whatever is there to enjoy. How long can Nahim and others fool people? By the way, how did the meeting with...go? Surprised! We will tell you more in due course.
