DAMP SQUIB IN CONSTITUENCY 92: DEMOCRACY UNDER STRAIN
We’ve been having some deep reflections about the health of our democracy lately, particularly after the farce of an election in Constituency 92 in the Freetown Peninsular. According to NEC figures (which come with a lot of questions) only ten thousand out of a possible fifty-two thousand registered voters bothered to turn out to vote. As far as we are concerned, this is worse than voter apathy. This is a statement from the people of Sierra Leone as represented in Western Area Rural, about their disillusionment with our democracy that has failed to deliver concrete results for the nation.
One of the greatest benefits of democracy – the RULE OF LAW – is in peril. De Pa talks about LAWLESSNESS and we agree with him that there are a group of Sierra Leoneans now in all areas of society who are operating well above the law. Some are very close to power and the nation understands what is happening.
Confidence in the justice system is dead and while we have courts and the façade of law officers delivering justice, there are very few Sierra Leoneans who believe the system works at all. They have personal experience.
Left with us, any election that fails to bring half the number of registered voters to the polls must be scrapped. Let nobody tell us about low voter turnout in Western democracies because in those countries whether people vote or not, the basic existence, including human rights, is not threatened at all. So now we have an MP with a ridiculous mandate sitting in parliament and Christiana Thorpe shouting to the whole nation that the process is complete. The outward initial joy should never overshadow the real concerns about democratic governance in Sierra Leone.
COMMONWEALTH MARAH ON SIERRA LEONE’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY
About three weeks ago we promised to spend a bit of time reading through some of the great speeches of our new Minister of Finance, Commonwealth Marah. The man is a great speaker and it’s always good to go over and over his speeches and try to test whatever he says against present day realities.
In this edition, we concentrate on his speech at a symposium organised by SLAJ on the theme: Sierra Leone at 50: Laying the Foundation for a New Generation.
“I am tempted to say that our collective love and service to our country or the last of it, has transformed her into a mountain lion deprived of the power to roar. She is now weak, lame, nearly lost control of her pride, and has almost lost the essence of love…many of the children of Mama Salone today will speak of love but will not necessarily show the same for their compatriots…”
Our Tweet - Sir, we knew that more than thirty years ago. At the time you made the speech, you looked completely out of touch with the feelings of the ordinary man. We were hoping that you would deal with the consequences of such unnecessary bad blood all over the place. Never mind we have you on record now as having added your voice to our cry all this time.
“We manifest no respect for public goods…Many public servants have become public lords, many business people are perpetual profiteers…non-performing contractors have derailed development projects, and the same could be said of procurement officials in many of our institutions”.
Our Tweet – Well said sir. You spoke in 2011 and look what we have for Auditor General’s report for 2012. As minister of finance, payment for all contractors will surely pass through you. We are keeping watch over our treasury. The Auditor General’s report on your watch should be interesting.
“Development tragedy ensues when politics is explained and guided by ‘we’ against ‘them’…History and every social discipline teaches us that collaboration, partnership and healthy competition are the ingredients of societal successes, not parochialism”.
Our tweet – It’s almost as if the Commonwealth Man is operating in another country. Sir, this thing is everywhere. Please no excuses, you’ve been here too long to pretend not to know. Why didn’t you give examples on this point – too afraid or shy eh? Didn’t you read the comment about not allowing a man alleged to be an opposition loyalist to lead a mere football association no matter how much support he has? We are only restating something senior government officials have said here. Can you now publicly condemn that as a good example of “parochialism”Mr Commonwealth?
“I have discovered since I returned since I returned to Freetown that the greatest pre-occupation of the Sierra Leonean is politics…We eat politics, drink politics, discuss politics, dream politics and everything is perceived in our preferred political colours…”
Our tweet –Again, minister from the Commonwealth, it’s a pity you are seeing this at first hand only now. We have had to live with this for years and years. In the first few weeks of De Pa’s first term, we heard some incredible things from IB Kargbo and his successor at the ministry of information, Alpha Kanu on the question of why Friday was the most dreaded day in Sierra Leone (nearly all high-profile dismissals were announced on Fridays). What they told the nation, is available to us. We shall refresh the national memory at the right time.
Assuming this is what you believe, we have to ask how you get along in cabinet with people who believe their political opponents must starve to death. May be it’s a case of do your own thing in your corner. It will not work sir.
We shall tweet a few more things on Commonwealth Man’s speeches in future editions.
POPE BENEDICT XVI RESIGNS: WE THINK HE WENT TOO SOON
Pope Benedict has unexpectedly quit his job and the search for his replacement will start soon. There are a few things Joseph Ratzinger was unable to deal with in his time as head of the most powerful Christian denomination on earth.
- He may have inherited the sex abuse scandals that rocked the church from many corners of the world, but he probably could have been a bit more decisive on the issue.
- He failed to stop the leakage of papal documents with his butler tried and sentenced and later pardoned by the pontiff.
- The Pope has resigned with Bishop Aruna still not on seat in the Holy See of Makeni. We hear that Bishop Aruna is running the Makeni Diocese from Freetown by email to some secretly loyal priests – a bit like NahimKhadi and the SLFA. What a good example of e-governance?
- The Pope also failed to stop George Biguzzi, who wanted to be in office till death, from mixing things up in Makeni while pretending to be the good Shepherd. We are not amused.
- When the search for a new Pope begins, we shall throw the names of three priests from the Makeni Diocese into the hat, plus four others to become cardinals and determine the next pope. When one of them becomes Pope, Bishop Aruna will be allowed to go to work in peace.
TODAY’S TEXT MESSAGES DELIVERED ONE WEEK LATER
Airtel continues to embarrass us day by day. We don’t want to lecture anybody about the reason why people send text messages. Airtel should know better. The new development with the oldest mobile phone network in Sierra Leone is that text messages are now more often than not delivered 48 hours late. We mean SMS not even MMS. Even as we write, they have not convinced themselves they owe us an explanation nevermindan apology.
Airtel must know that there are many cards we can play with as consumers. If this continues, we will play card number one on Tuesday of next week. Stand by!
