CROSS PARTY COMMITTEE
In the name of magnanimity and true Christianity, President Bio has set up a cross party committee to look into various acts of violence perpetrated mainly by his own party members. Contrast this move with the unchristian move by the APC when they won the 2007 elections. They swooped down on the SLPP headquarters and wrecked untold destruction.
What was the crime committed by the losing SLPP? None. Do you attack people you have defeated? Did the former President Ernest Bai Koroma apologize to the SLPP? Is that not why there is a suspicion that the vandalism was tacitly instigated by him? Now the people prayed for a God-fearing leader. And only a God-fearing leader can form a cross-party committee.
As far as that APC President was concerned the SLPP were enemies and he could never, in his wildest dreams, form a cross part committee.
Tolongbo into Political wilderness
There is nothing wrong with Tolongbo per se. It is the Temne word for straight. One does not know why they chose it, but it is the motto of APC veteran journalist newspaper, ‘The New Citizen ‘.
By adopting it the party meant they were returning straight into governance, ah yah! Fate did not accede to their wish. Instead they have gone Tolongbo into the political wilderness. How long they will be there is not known. They should ask Ernest Bai Koroma who assured them (or deceived them) that they would be in power for the next 50 years.
Samuel Valcarcel
It was written that Acting Director of the SLBC, Samuel Valcarcel, bragged that he would not serve under President Bio. But he has not still handed in his letter of resignation.
The fact is that this man is a Creole and was at one time acting President or Chairman of the Creole Descendants Union. The Creole feel that they do not care a two-penny damn even if some of their members are starving and even if heinous crimes against humanity are committed against the people as long as some of them, like Samuel Valcarcel, are well of. This is bare faced tribalisim practiced by an ethnic group that has their origins from savages.
New currency Note
For sometime extending to months on end the burning of old currency notes by the Bank of Sierra Leone was not done as usual. There is suspicion that the old notes to be withdrawn from circulation found themselves in the pockets of the Bank’s officials.
There were rumours that new notes have been printed with the image of Ernest Bai Koroma in spite of the massive financial mess under his corrupt administration. We hope that is not true.
MISUSE OF LANGUAGE
One of the functions of the media is to educate although our emphasis has obviously been on information. But from time to time Nightwatch, being a well- balanced newspaper, will perform its educational functions. The lines between English and Krio, its derivative, get blurred occasionally and meanings are muddled.
Here We go:
Some SLBC broadcasters in Parliament invent words instead of looking them up in the dictionary. Last week a female broadcaster, on Morning Coffee, was talking about GENUITY instead of GENUINENESS and she was not corrected by Dan Morseray. Dan is more interested in translating English idioms into Krio regardless of whether anyone Understands them. This is why Dan can say “Ah caught up with am.”How on earth do you expect the Krio listener to understand that? Another abuse is PETER Z with ‘THOUGTH AM FIT’, which is neither English nor Krio.
Yet another idiom translated directly is ‘Watin e take’ (what it takes). How many SS4 students understand that let alone the illiterates for whom the lingua franca is broadcast? KADIE JOHNSON should school her broadcasters.
Who looted State Lodge?
Sierra Leoneans can’t believe that State Lodge, the official residence of the President, is completely looted with virtually no furniture or other items. What is shameful is that the thieves carted away even minor items like bulbs and lamp holders. Was the theft a deliberate attempt to undermine the next occupant or the ‘Pa’ had fallen out with his boys who might have decided to conduct an “operation pay yourself”.
The Ministry of works has got to make fresh budget to ensure that His Excellency occupies the lodge in the not too distant future. Disgraceful.
Who Is Sahr Lamin, The New FS?
Is Sahr Lamin the new Financial Secretary? Was he not a member of the Ernest Koroma regime? Nightwatch understands that he was the Director of Public Debt Management Division of the Ministry of Finance. His functions included but not limited to participating in negotiations with creditors and advise on all government borrowing. How come that he could be easily brought into this new administration having badly advised the government, which has landed the country in 2.0 billion dollars external debt? The current regime is presently faced with the herculean task of financing these external debts advised by Sahr Lamin.
Was he appointed because he was a mole at the Ministry of Finance? We will bring you stark revelations on this individual in subsequent editions.
Where was there too much trumpeting on external debt throughout the campaign?
A survey conducted by the World Bank has indeed brought out 20 most indebted countries in Africa and Sierra Leone is far away from these countries. Many were blaming the past regime for what they described as huge external debt of 2.0 billion dollars with all the developments they were able to record with such debt.
The report, which categorically looked at the 20 most indebted countries, placed South Africa as Africa’s most indebted country, with a total debt of 137billion dollars, Ghana and Nigeria in West Africa with total debt of 11 billion and 10 billion dollars respectively.
Ethiopia is at the bottom of the list with 9,956 billion dollars far away from Sierra Leone. So the Bio government should stop making excuses about external debt and take on the work he was elected for by the people.