Dr Bernadette Lahai
By Mohamed Vandi
A Le 79, 537, 500 project proposal forwarded to the Chief Executive Officer of OCTEA Mining Company by Bernadette Lahai - MP for Constituency 13 and Francis Amara Konuwa - MP for Constituency 14 has been criticised by the Paramount Chief of Lower Bambara Chiefdom, Alimamy Farma.
The proposal dated 10August 2015, was written on behalf of the Lower Bambara Chiefdom soliciting funds to conduct chiefdom-wide sensitisation on the Ebola virus.
As part of its objective, the proposal intends to "inform the citizens of Lower Bambara of the by-laws put in place by the chiefdom" and explain to the citizens measures Government and NGOs have put in place to fight Ebola.
In a counter letter dated 15 August, with the subject "Request on behalf of Lower Bambara Chiefdom for funding to conduct a chiefdom-wide sensitisation on the Ebola Virus" written to OCTEA mining, PC. Alimamy Moiwo Farma says "since the outbreak of this deadly Ebola Virus in Sierra Leone, I have not set eyes on the two Honourables..."
He said that as the custodian of the land he had sub-chiefs, including women’s leaders and youth leaders who should have met and concertedly requested for such funds for the development of the chiefdom, and "not" the Parliamentarians.
The letter continues: "I am not against the request for funding to conduct sensitisation, but...Hon. Francis Konuwa and Hon. Bernadette Lahai are not the rightful persons to make such request."
On 1September, section chiefs of the chiefdom wrote a letter to the Parliamentarians with the subject "Your insult on the Paramount Chief of Lower Bambara chiefdom.’’
The chiefs alleged that their paramount chief was "insulted" by the two MPs in a radio discussion programme on Star-Line Radio.
"The behaviour of both of you without reference to the other authorities of the chiefdom is tantamount to disrupting the peace of the chiefdom", part of the letter reads, adding "we therefore stand by the paramount chief because we feel that the insult is not only on [him], but [on] all of us."
The two parliamentarians replied to the section chiefs on 3rd September denying insulting the chief, and that they only "responded appropriately to the Star Line radio discussion he orchestrated against us".
The MPs accused the chief of "calculated moves to discredit us and to tarnish the character of our people", adding that since the section chiefs made no efforts to hear from them, they had resolved that "unless and until you withdraw your letter, we are not ready for any dialogue with you".
This development has created a frosty relationship between the two MPs and the Chiefs with some natives of the chiefdom expressing concern that this will adversely affect the fight against Ebola in their chiefdom.
(C) Politico, 11/09/14
