THE NEXT IMPORTANT STEPS TO MAKE PARLIAMENT FREE OF CORRUPTION
This country is still trying to come to terms with the result of a recent survey Centre for Accountability and Rule of Law, CARL which ranked parliament as one of the FOUR most corrupt institutions in the country. Just before parliament could begin their normal fight back, one of their own went on the BBC World Service to confirm that corrupt practices are taking place in the corridors of that magnificent building on Tower Hill.
The danger facing this report and the national outrage that followed the bold revelation by Hon. Ngevao of Kailahun is that in typical Sierra Leone style, the news agenda will move on soon and even the much talked about ACC investigation will fade away and we will all return to the NORMAL of pretending corruption doesn’t exist so life must go on. The CARL report will take its place on the shelves like many others while we wait for another donor to become sufficiently interested to fund another study.
From our little corner, we believe that this report must force this nation to do something about parliament in particular and public offices in general. To ignore this report is to lay the foundations a continuous degrading of politics and thus opening the way for populist parties and politicians without the necessary training and experience to win political power in Sierra Leone campaigning on a single issue – CLEANING UP THE SYSTEM.
We suggest the following steps. In fact we have made such call before but we repeat them here for emphasis.
1. The good people of Sierra Leone UNEQUIVOCALLY call for a review of the 1991 constitution to the RIGHT OF RECALL by which ordinary people would be able to recall their representative from that house after TWO YEARS should they fall prey to this monster of corruption or for being constantly absent for debates and generally poor quality of representation including failing to engage their constituents once elected.
The people are also calling for an ETHICS COMMITTEE appointed from outside parliament to monitor standards in public life in general. Successful democracies have put such structures in place. Ordinary Sierra Leoneans are getting absolutely fed up with the way people in public life are conducting themselves.
2. While all of this is happening the ACC should investigate the current allegations of corruption in parliament immediately and prosecute those caught in the net. Civil society groups and the media should call a public meeting for all those who have been forced to unjustly spend money on that hill to speak out. We know that some people are ready to do it openly. We have to make that possible with any shadow of malice.
ACC’S FINDINGS AFTER LIMKOKWING INVESTIGATION: NO SURPRISES
Now we have reached a stage in the Limkokwing saga from which we believe something concrete can be done to end the misery of those our brothers and sisters who were definitely huge pawns in the game that Bra Minks and Malaysian buddies were playing at Hill Station.
Bra Minks is dead now but he was alive when Biobele and friends reportedly named him as the guy who for ten years at least, ran the MOST CORRUPT MINISTRY in this country.
Frankly there was nothing left for the ACC to investigate. The Ministry of Finance had basically put all the necessary information in the public domain. The only thing some people didn’t know is that the Limkokwing project in Sierra Leone was the idea of a guy who was thrown out of his own project by Bra Minks. The owners of the Limkokwing brand also ditched the guy and went with the political flow. Now Bran Minks and his political party are gone and Limkokwing is looking for friends.
The ACC has outlined a number of recommendations for the authorities to act on. We have always called for the authorities to end the suffering of our children. We make the following suggestions.
1. We can simply do Special Admission for the current students into other institutions offering their courses in this country. All of them will get grants –in –aid just like those in government colleges. Academic credits will be transferred and the various universities will offer the degrees.
2. We say Special Admission because of what we know about the entry requirements that landed many of the students in that college. We will close our eyes to this batch and bring this situation to an end.
3. There are students who have completed their courses without paying fees and they cannot now graduate. We call on Principal to pay the fees of this class at least and free them up.
4. Let’s calculate the monetary value of all the services the college ought to have provided to the government under the Memorandum of Understanding and ask them to pay that into our treasury. Let them also pay their rent for our property starting January 2020.
5. Never again should any minister do such deal. Imagine two young Sierra Leoneans living in the same compound from average families taking the same WASSCE. One of them gets a distinction and proceeds to a state college with her parents paying from their savings from petty trading. The other girl gets, say three credits but goes to Limkokwing and the government pays THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS a year to educate her. What kind of country was Bra Mink really creating? Why should anybody defend this with a so-called MOU not seen by parliament?
MESSI IS STAYING AT BARCELONA AFTER ALL
So what was this nonsense about Lionel Messi, the Argentine footballer asking to leave Barcelona, a club he’s been with for the last THIRTEEN YEARS or so? Messi is a great footballer. He has been voted the best footballer in the world SIX TIMES. The guy is a real joy to watch out on the field but asking to leave Barcelona immediately after his team received a disgraceful beating at the hands of Bayern Munich in the last Champions League was a clear case of him being ungrateful to the Catalans. There may have been some underlying causes but surely that decision to quit was triggered by that defeat.
After several meetings involving his father who is also his agent and Barcelona, we now hear that he will stay at Camp Nou. Maybe that’s the best outcome for a man who in realistic terms has only two more years of really active football. Messi asked to leave for the following reasons. We will not countenance any explanation to the contrary.
1. Messi has no problem taking defeats. In fact they receive defeats in La Liga but to suffer an 8 – 2 crushing is too disgraceful for the best footballer in the world. He wanted to erase that defeat from our memory by joining another club. We are sorry to disappoint him. Messi was part of that defeated Barcelona side.
2. The new manager, Ronald Koeman is not sure his rebuilding drive will be done with Messi at the center of things. How dare he even dream of sidelining Messi at Barcelona? Messi is Barcelona. The club administration surrendered to the diminutive Argentine long ago. They have just confirmed their surrender by agreeing to keep an unhappy player in their team.
3. Messi thinks he will make more cash working with money bags in PSG or Man City. He is very close to the end of his playing time so now it’s time to make money.
4. Like an old boxer, many players in La Liga have captured the essentials of how Messi throws his punches on the field so they can now dodge very well and land punches of their own effectively. Having reached that stage, he wanted to move on. The day a village bully is thrown in a wrestling match is the day he should retire or move to a new village.
5. Messi is absolutely fed up living in Spain. He will never be the same player again. Some fans will certainly get on his case at some point during this league season.
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