WELCOME TO GOODLUCK JONATHAN OF NIGERIA
The leader of the most powerful nation in our sub-region has ended a one-day visit to lowly Sierra Leone on a high. We don’t have details of his discussions with our political leaders but we can speculate that he told them to behave themselves and keep the peace.
Nigeria is Sierra Leone’s main ally in this region and their fingerprints are all over our development moves. We congratulate Goodluck for coming and urge him to keep his eyes on Sierra Leone.
We pray that the low grade rebellion taking place in a small area of Nigeria will come to an end soon. God bless Nigeria.
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY AND MORE MONEY IN SALONE ELECTION
We are sitting in our little corners watching the political campaigns that are being carried out in an unprecedented way in this country. Let’s not hide it millions of dollars are being spent to woo or bribe voters into thinking along certain lines. All parties are spending beyond expectations but the whole nation is clear about who has the biggest hammer and is as such causing the greatest damage to our political fabric with money.
Our democracy is slipping away from our hands under our very eyes. Money will decide who gets into State House.
We can’t understand why the PPRC has failed to even start a debate on campaign financing. The PPRC has also failed to get the parties to declare their budgets as mandated by law.
We are sitting in our little corners watching cars upon cars, packed with people and loaded with fuel, moving all over the country on some of the world’s worst roads, campaigning for votes. They will succeed in fooling a
lot of our uneducated and politically naive compatriots to vote their way but the truth will reveal.
Look around Sierra Leone today and tell us all is well. Behind the facade lies a sick reality. Our country is sick.
KONO AGAIN – ARE WE RUNNING OUT OF IDEAS?
There is nobody in this country, including International Election Observers, who doesn’t know that Kono is a volatile place and must be kept under the security radar at all times. Let’s say it in simple language, security deployment in Kono cannot be the same as that in sleepy Moyamba or Bonthe just because we call them districts.
Kono means a lot to Sierra Leone. We feel very bad to hear frequent news about political violence in the district as if it’s the only place preparing for elections. Look at all the rallies going on all over the country. We certainly cannot say it’s all been peaceful but Kono is in a league of its own in terms of STUPIDITY. This must stop.
We know the people who are behind all of this and we are not sure the security has run out of ideas as to how to deal with those responsible. They are refusing to do so to satisfy people in high places. If it’s not so-called youths smearing faeces on the offices of the opposition, it’s the Vice President and the Internal Affairs minister deploying para-military police against mushrooming political gangs in Koidu town.
Now political opponents are attacking each other and all the government can do is issue a press release that mean ABSOLUTELY nothing. The police are weak in Kono because of selective justice. We know why the LUC Alareene was transferred from there – for doing good policing when the pay masters wanted him to do something else. What have they done to the gangs that attacked each other with fire arms and clubs on the
orders on Tarawalli and Chief Sidikie?
We noticed the swiftness of the authorities to issue a statement about the incident in Kono and remaining shamefully tight-lipped on the murder of the young man in Fourah Bay. Was he not a Sierra Leonean or
was it because he was an opposition supporter???!!! The law is never meant to be fair. God go kam don wan day!
GOVERNMENT MOVES AWAY FROM UDM. REALLY?
We saw a line on the SLBC/TV scroll bar at the weekend essentially saying that the government has distanced” itself from the utterances of Or Bangu against the American Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Michael Owen. Owen
had merely told a radio station in Sierra Leone that in the coming elections, there is “the possibility of a run-off”. Then Or Bangu went for his jugular as he did for that of Schulenburg.
De Pa’s government says it has nothing to do with the latest Or bangu antic against the US diplomat. Well, we are very happy about this latest move. On our twitter page last week we called on De Pa to call Or Bangu and tell him the people of Sierra Leone will not tolerate anyone trying to damage our relationship with the most powerful country in the world.
We must get the police to speak to Or Bangu because his words could trigger a demonstration on the streets against the ambassador which could then be infiltrated by, who knows who.
We must ask this question though: Why did De Pa not “distance” himself from Or Bangu’s attacks on Michael Schulenburg? Didn’t his government expel the man? Probably he had his blessing then.
Anyway...Once he claimed that scalp, Or Bangu raised the stakes and went for the jugular of Great America. Now De Pa has pulled back. Why not expel Michael Owen too? When we said America was a completely different kettle of fish we had our fingers on the pulse of the US State Department. We know why De Pa felt compelled to issue that statement.
“MEMS” IN MAKENI CAN’T CONTINUE LIKE THIS
The police in the northern headquarter town of Makeni must invite the owner of that entertainment joint called MEMS to their office for an important conversation. For the police to continue behaving as if all is well in that place is shocking and let nobody tell us we are taking things too seriously. What is happening at MEMS is an absolute disgrace and we can’t lay hands on the reason why it’s been going on for so long.
MEMS is almost an open air entertainment spot that sells cheap alcohol and has no restrictions as to who can buy and consume alcohol and at what time on their premises. How can parents of Makeni explain the fact that their 15- and 16-year old girls and boys are now very active at MEMS 7 days a week? School nor dae? Shame nor dae? Tumara nor dae?
The only outcry we heard in Makeni came from rival businesses who don’t like the new kid on the block because it’s taking customers people away from them. MEMS night club is a wholesale distributor’s place that is now selling retail. We don’t care about that. Our concerns are clear.
The police must make it clear to the owners of MEMS that as from next week they will not allow business as usual. There are laws dealing with the sale of alcohol at what time and to minors.
We are not judges of morality but without going into the details of what we saw with our own eyes, we want to call on the appropriate government bodies to speak to MEMS and get them to chuck those little boys and girls out of their nightly entertainment jamboree – send them away please.
We shall hold it here for the owners of MEMS and the police in Makeni to give us cause to lay things bare. We shall.
ELECTION DELAYS CHRISTMAS CAROLS
Christmas is fast approaching and despite hardship and disillusionment among the people, Sierra Leoneans have always found a few pennies to enjoy a day out with friends and family. It usually starts with CHRISTMAS CAROLS. This year though it’s all been about political campaigns and we doubt it very much if children will sing carols in school this year.
Given “the possibility of a run-off” the US ambassador spoke about which Or Bangu exploded over, we are concerned that the whole process could drag on till January, sweeping away Christmas celebrations and preventing those talkative and sometimes fake JAYCEES who come home every year, only to pretend to have come from heaven, from spending their little cash here.
We have to agree to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in January. NEC...sorry the POLITICIANS...oh sorry again their SUPPORTERS and DESPERADOS, should not continue spoiling Christmas in Sierra Leone.
