KEEP CHILDREN OUT OF ELECTION REGISTRATION CENTERS
ECSL now has no excuse not to put everything in place to stop children being registered for the June 2023 election because we have seen a video where the intention of Tolongbo to do so has been clearly expressed. We don't know what's happening on the other side because we have no concrete evidence of that as we have on the Tolongbo side. Even there, we don’t know if it’s a central policy or it’s just some rogue politician planning to use our children to achieve their political objectives. Whatever the case might be, it is our business to let ECSL know that we will from now on keep a really sharp eye on the registration process to make it totally impossible for children to be used once again.
By now, we believe the police should have spoken to the people in that video to let them know their plans are a criminal offence that could land them in jail.
We remember how Hon. Robin the son of Falley was picked up and thrown into prison for about two weeks on allegations that he organized under-aged voting. After some days on remand, Falley declared for Tolonbgo and the case dropped on the wayside. That’s why we believe that at least, the police ought to have spoken to those in that video and issued them a caution.
There are other things we want to know concerning that issue.
1. Why has Tolongbo failed to condemn their people who the world saw clearly in that video discussing how to do under-aged voting? They don’t appear to have this culture of condemning their own but this has made them look really bad.
2. Could it be that it’s also happening on the other side but they are clever enough not to go to a public meeting in these days of smartphones and imagine that things would remain a secret. People in politics should know that these days all meetings are infiltrated. How did we get to know about the tribal rants of Mayor Kemokai? We could hear them in the audio making sure the doors were firmly locked and all those in the meeting were friends aiming at the same thing.
3. Would ECSL assign police officers at registration centers to protect their staff and equipment? Would they also give those officers to arrest any children turning up to register? Just a few examples here and there and the criminal enterprise would be defeated.
WE HAVE TO SAY THE TRUTH TO OURSELVES OVER MUDSLIDES
Every Sierra Leonean knows that there would always be flooding and mudslides even on a small scale every year in Freetown. When we see people on social media expressing shock and all of that, we just take it as one of those things that people do to impress others. We should never pretend such happenings are a surprise anymore. It is that same hypocrisy, driven by politics that has landed us where we are again this year – a few more of our people have died needlessly and we are writing long essays on social media to show how clever they are.
We are living in a country where some people always wait for some calamity to strike before they start lecturing us about this and that. While waiting for that disaster they get what they want from the system but are quick to put themselves apart, pretending they have all the answers. That’s what the reggae star calls PLAYING SMART BUT NOT BEING CLEVER. We can see through it all.
There’s no doubt that our interaction with the environment, especially in Freetown rural and urban has landed us in this fine mess and we have very little time now to act before something even more catastrophic happens to Good Old Freetown.
1. Our politicians should stop playing politics with the lives of ordinary people. We absolutely need an open bi-partisan approach to a strong policy BANNING any housing development in certain areas in the Western Area in particular. It must start with a big debate in parliament and throughout the country. The time is NOW.
2. Politicians have to be strong enough to tell people to move out of all disaster-prone areas around Freetown. They should stop snitching on their political opponents to win cheap votes from the people who would eventually be swept away by floods after voting.
3. The ordinary people should be told in no uncertain terms that staying in their rural communities is better than pouring into this congested city for God Knows what. We have to stop encouraging them to believe life is better in Freetown.
4. We can now decide in parliament that we should do whole scale evacuation of certain communities and help people return to the rural areas. Let’s stop offering justification for people building makeshift dwellings in unsafe areas for the sake of politics. Even when people encroach on the water catchment areas of Guma Valley, we have those defending them against strong action from the government. The same people would go on social media in February and complain about the non-availability of water in the city. Politics is killing this place.
WATERLOO IS A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER
This is not the first time we are calling attention to the situation at Waterloo. On this issue, Waterloo doesn’t mean the town alone. We are talking about all the areas around Waterloo, from including Lumpa right up to Newton. We are asking the authorities to move extremely fast and deal with lawlessness and crime in Waterloo itself and the surrounding area.
The whole place is just too chaotic and unpredictable so that the presence of that police station means nothing when criminals want to do things. We know that state resources would have to be directed at other areas but to assume that the current structures by which security is maintained at Waterloo cannot be described in any way as adequate.
Here are some reasons why we think the security sector has to take a new approach to dealing with Waterloo.
1. Some of the most powerful and wicked land grabbers and their private army of thugs have set up their bases at Waterloo. They are busy grabbing and selling state land and their thugs are under instruction to kill anybody trying to disrupt that trade. That includes security personnel.
2. There was this case of a police officer who was called to a small corner of Waterloo as part of an investigation. The officer was killed and even at this moment we have no idea whether the killers of that officer were even arrested. Waterloo is a good hiding place for hardcore criminals. Armed robberies are organized and executed from Waterloo.
3. Hundreds of ex-combatants from our civil war, including those discharged from the military are now settled at Waterloo. A good many of them grabbed parcels of land and built homes. They are dangerous when they have no jobs and social amenities around them.
4. Apart from criminals roaming the vast market area of the town, teenage pregnancy, prostitution, high rates of school drop outs, even in the era of free education and lawlessness have taken hold in that place.
5. Most of the cars stolen on the streets of Freetown are taken to scrap yards in Waterloo. A notorious guy in that business was recently arrested in a blaze of publicity. We still don't know how that case ended. That's another lost opportunity.
FOR HOW LONG ARE WE GOING TO BE PATIENT WITH MUSA TOMBO?
We are waiting for Zappa Koroma and the SLFA to answer this question before we state the people’s case against Musa Tombo. Like millions of Sierra Leoneans we have seen the video going around of Musa Tombo misbehaving onboard the Leone Stars team bus, even attempting to damage the team bus. He was completely out of control and we don’t think that behavior is acceptable at all.
He has established a pattern that we should never allow to continue – he repeatedly offends, then he issues some kind of apology, the nation accepts and he does it again and again. This country has produced footballers greater than Tombo. The humility of Junior Tumbu and Parade is what we are used to. We love Tombo because he gets goals for us but we should NEVER allow him to disrespect our officials, embarrass himself in our national colors and create the impression he is indispensable. We are waiting to see what comes out of the SLFA.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online
