25 YEARS AGO TODAY SANKOH'S RUF ATTACKED SALONE
Sankoh and Maskita died some years ago. Our memory is so short as a nation that we seem to have forgotten about what they caused us and why they did so. Those two guys turned Sierra Leone into a Khmer Rouge-style killing field for more than 10 years. They tried to gain the whole world by using all the tricks in the books but ended up losing their souls. It's almost as if this thing happened just yesterday. Here we are today, still trying to pick up the pieces after that most disgraceful war that estimates say resulted in the deaths of TENS OF THOUSANDS of people. Among them many innocent ones.
We wonder what judgement day would look like for them.
25 years on, how are we doing as a country? It's a very important question to ask because Sankoh may have been a very despicable man but he spoke about many things that ordinary Sierra Leoneans were talking about on the streets. His decision to choose war and not politics caused all the problems here.
1. Sierra Leone is still a very corrupt and unequal country. People are these days constantly being stereotyped on the basis on NAME, REGION or TRIBE.
2. The image of brutality created by the war is still out there. Mention Sierra Leone and expect questions about amputations and unnecessary killings.
3. There are many poor people in jail who have no business being there. They are victims of the system.
4. Young people are jobless, idle and prone to violence. All politicians provide for them are so-called Ataya Bases where they go for marijuana-smoking and idle talk. Politicians easily recruit them from those places to dance on the streets and vote during elections. After that the politicians close their offices and the boys go back to wait for another five years. Welcome to Sierra Leone.
5. We are in a country where party membership is more important that citizenship rights. Those citizens who will never be part of any of these political clubs called parties are locked out of all opportunities. It's a strange place right?
CRC IS BROKE, WORK DELAYED, “MORE TIME” BY THE BACKDOOR?
Now we know why the CRC has not moved an inch to meet the good people of Sierra Leone to engage them on the draft constitution they put out recently. The CRC is broke - Very broke. We understand King Cowan has written to ask for “More Time”. Well that's the most plausible thing to do. We have no idea if the request has been granted even though we believe De Pa has no option but to approve. Nothing unconstitutional, we reckon, and no need to tie to the next general elections.
We are now at a very delicate phase in the work of the CRC such that we cannot afford to send any wrong signals to ourselves or the international community who have put a lot of money in the CRC process so far.
We can't help but raise the following concerns like any ordinary Sierra Leonean following the CRC would do.
1. CRC sources have told us that all legal officers attached to CRC have been withdrawn or called back to base for consultation just like diplomats. Is there anything we should read from that? We have in mind some of the critical issues dealt with in the draft constitution.
2. Could it also be that De Pa and his people have suddenly developed cold feet over the whole CRC business?
3. It would be a monumental waste of the people's money and time to have gone this far with something as serious as that, only to go back to the world saying there was no more cash to complete the job.
4. Maybe we should also look at the internal processes at the CRC. We are not suggesting any corruption but maybe we need to make some drastic cuts here and there.
5. While on that can we also tell the UN guy who is running the CRC show to also stop his whimsical hiring of so-called consultants? Some of those consultants are definitely not up to the task. It's becoming something like the UN guy putting money into the pockets of his friends. How are consultants selected in the first place? We can save a lot by just being a little careful.
FLY SALONE OFFICE IS VERY EMPTY. SO SOON GUY?
We passed by the office of the liquidated FlySalone airline office on Rawdon Street yesterday and found the little cage empty. Well, not completely because we saw a young man sitting there pretending to be working on his computer. What was the guy doing? Was he trying to arrange the chairs on the Titanic? We will pass by again by the weekend to see if our man will still be sitting there.
Honestly, the FlySalone office is looking like the offices of the so-called WEALTH BUILDERS NETWORK or the POWER RANGERS nonsense on the morning after the collapse of those two criminal enterprises. We are getting reports that they owe the Airports Authority a lot of money in landing fees. They owe even more cash for ground handling operations. What a way to do business in the FASTEST GROWING ECONOMY.
1. We've been waiting for Logus Koroma to take responsibility for this Fly Salone debacle and resign. He will never do that. This is Sierra Leone where we can count on our fingers the public officials who have resigned on principles.
2. Are we going to be able to recover all the debts owed to the SLAA? They can't even complain about that debt for fear that Powers from Above would take action against them. We understand that. You guys need to put food on the table for your families. But that doesn't stop us from speaking out.
3. We don't know how many, but some Sierra Leoneans have their jobs. Have they been treated according to the labour laws of this country? Maybe the guy we saw in the office yesterday is waiting for some cash. Interesting little country!
4. Not too long ago, we saw Logus in some social network forum indicating that Delta Airlines in America were on the verge of starting operations in Sierra Leone. We dismissed that out of hand because given the economic climate in this place, it made no business sense for Delta. But Logus took some people away with him to dreamland. The sound of Delta Airlines landing at Lungi or Mamamah would wake you up.
5. How does De Pa's government expect the good people of this country to react when next they announce something like FlySalone? It's good to score political points but the FlySalone saga is now an unbelievable OWN GOAL scored in the dying minutes of this match. When the final whistle is blown in 2018, many will remember the damage caused by this OWN GOAL.
6. By the way did we hear that De Pa is sending a special flight to bring back home all Sierra Leonean passengers stranded in Brussels after those terror attacks? Hahahaha! E nor sen na Libya…
FREETOWN UNDER ATTACK BY STRAY DOGS
The Freetown City Council is completely absent in the lives of the people of this city. The only place we see them are in markets collecting dues or rounding up traders or in the media, sometimes complaining about City Rates or grave spaces.
We are desperately looking forward to the next local elections so we do away with Bababode and his caboodle - a clean sweep is coming. This time the RED MOVEMENT is going to be so busy trying to save itself that those seeking offices under their name would have to win on their own steam.
We call on people living in Freetown to walk pass that eyesore the FCC has created in the middle of our city. Since they knocked down the former City Hall, the place has become an open defecation square for street boys and girls. The other day we saw a pack of dogs - and some puppies, about six or seven of them - just beneath the foundation at the Wallace Johnson Street end.
Those ones are going to join the many other stray dogs all over Freetown. We have complained and complained about stray dogs, stray pigs, raw sewerage, unauthorised street trading, many very bad Municipal schools and all that. Bababode has decided to ignore us. We have to keep going anyway.
This is perhaps the only country that doesn't seem to have a policy on pet ownership. Or animal husbandry issues in urban settings. May be we have the laws somewhere but political correctness is keeping Bababode away from following the rules.
See you at the polls.
(C) Politico 23/03/16
