"NETWORKS OF GOODWILL" vs. "NETWORKS OF LAWLESSNESS"
It's 18 months since De Pa declared at a big State House set-piece event that he would "dismantle Networks of Lawlessness" and promote "Networks of Goodwill". When the most powerful man in the country said that with the passion and seriousness we saw on that day, many were convinced that at least De Pa's fingers were definitely on the pulse of the nation. We can however now say that, in fact, the "Networks of Lawlessness" have become more powerful since. May be he shouldn't have made that speech after all.
You see, what's the point in making such a flamboyant speech when the only thing we've seen since is a badly-organised, so-called Operation WID that fizzled out even before it started, and AIG Menuna who is more concerned about her place in history than policing a modern democracy.
The "Networks of Goodwill" include the ordinary people of Sierra Leone who pay their taxes but get no services. They send their children to school but our education system is in ruins; the Freetown City Council can't run the city - jobless young men with criminal tendencies are running our streets, collecting parking charges; senior government officials are stealing state funds (The evidence is at the ACC). Okada boys are out of control; school children have organised cliques to stab each other at the slightest provocation and the police are opening fire when it least matters and so on.
So lawlessness is winning and De Pa must call the nation to State House again to make another big speech and declare that he has lost the battle against the "Networks of Lawlessness" and then send everybody home - including himself.
A GENTLE REMINDER FOR DE PA: NO MINISTER IN FOR THE EAST
The news from the east of Sierra Leone these days is about Ebola ravaging some of the poorest communities in one of the poorest countries of the world. Please forgive us for taking you off that for now to remind De Pa that a huge political vacuum opened up in the place on the death of William J. Smith. We can even say that political leadership in the east during this Ebola Wahala is completely missing. Many people in the region can't touch arrogant Sarah Palin of the health ministry with a ten-foot barge pole.
There are many other vacancies in government and De Pa's favourite tactic has been to ask his un-elected Strategic Policy Unit people to "supervise" those empty ministries - in effect consolidating all power at State House. Look at the disaster created by De Pa putting a failed former manager of NPA in charge of the energy ministry. A man whose leadership was clueless and fraught with inertia and HALAKI to the extent there were industrial actions week-in week-out. Can De Pa please tell us who is "supervising" the late Juana Smith's portfolio?
We hope De Pa is not thinking about appointing Robin the son of Fallay who made a nuisance of himself recently with his Third Term nonsense. Old Robin started campaigning the moment he heard that Juana Smith was sick - man buttu, man wach. He is definitely not qualified and the parliament should know that. But again, we are talking about the Sierra Leone parliament.
In fact, what is De Pa telling us with his new approach to running governance in this country? He sacks ministers "with immediate effect" and makes no replacements even after LONG EFFECT. Instead he calls in people like that failed former NPA man to supervise a whole ministry. Come on De Pa, you have to change course. There are rough seas ahead however numbered the days of your tenure may be.
FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS AT PRINCE OF WALES SCHOOL
Here's the REFRAIN from the school song of the Prince of Wales school:
"For search in Sierra Leone far and wide no school can well be found that sends forth truer gentlemen of stand on firmer ground".
But these days the school appears to have departed significantly for this refrain. And we're not celebrating this, please. POW is one of our best schools in Sierra Leone. In the last few years though, while the Education Minister has been on his endless search for Ghost Teachers, Ghost Schools and Ghost education policies, standards have so fallen that the story we are about to tell is like some Alice in Wonderland nonsense.
1. Teachers are imposing fines on students who don't attend extra lessons at a house along Adelaide Street.
2. Pupils pay Le 2,000 every Friday for God knows what.
3. When third term exam papers were distributed and the exams underway, irate teachers stormed the hall and disrupted the process. They were angry that their boss didn't allow them to organise a money-spinning variety show. The teachers tore all the papers to shreds. In the end, rebel-style negotiations took place and the variety show would now take place on 28th June 2014.
Is this really Prince of Wales? We know those for whom the bell is tolling. Keep your eyes on Politico. Meanwhile see you at the VARIETY SHOW. Hahahahahahaha. Twitter will be represented MA!
PHOTO - OPPORTUNITIES GALORE AT FIFA CONGRESS, LONG LIVE DE MADAM!
De Madam of the SLFA and her flip-flopping note-taker are back home after a FIFA congress from which all we saw were photos on Facebook they took with football officials from other countries. When we analysed those photos, we concluded that in 80% of them it appeared as if our SLFA people were completely ecstatic about the photos than the other people. Our people smiled broadly while the others looked like people being led to the gallows. Hahahaaahhaha!
Welcome home people. When is the next SLFA congress. Please don't try that trick you are thinking about. We hear that you want to organise regional elections first, to give you an opportunity to put your own people into office before calling congress. Please try another trick. It's so easy for everyone to see through what you want to construct.
De Madam is not good at keeping people like us in the dark about what she is doing. We knew the Acting Secretary General Swaray would be sacked the day De Madam was confirmed in office. We knew her relationship with the Pope wouldn't last and we can now say that only a miracle will save her from being successfully impeached whenever the SLFA congress is called.
The Madam can be sure we will be there to pick up the pieces after the most psychologically and physically costly civil war in the SLFA. It's getting to a climax.
(C) Politico 19/06/14
