Dear Tech,                  

Another week has passed, and the expectations of the president of the Lebanese community in Sierra Leone for an immediate ceasefire between the Israeli –Hezbollah/Lebanese war are not only being dashed, it seems this war is going to last longer than anyone would have thought. But TECH Why this sudden concern for the Lebanese who are paying a heavy price for being the neighbours of Israel when we have enough of our own WAHALA back home.  I know you want to urge me to remember the days of JAMIL and SKIPA to know that the Israeli-Lebanese/Hezbollah war that was fought in 1982, that has been going on all over again in the past nineteen days, this time with more fire, has also been fought in Sierra Leone over and over again; it is therefore a story of LIKE LEBANON LIKE SIERRA LEONE…

THE LEBANESE DILEMMA

Many people say the Lebanese do not deserve this. But, TECH, I have a different, even if unpopular, view. I am not a sadist, TECH, you know that. I am not a wicked person; I am not the type that will laugh when others cry. But TECH I want to take you back to the time when Sierra Leone was going through a similar horrendous experience at the hands of so-called pro-democracy ECOMOG fighters under the command of Sanni Abacha trying to reinstate Kabbah in 1997/98. Aha, you now remember that there's a little difference. But you should also remember that the Lebanese had been part of Sierra Leone's history for only-God-knows-when. But when the war was raging, did they cry out on behalf of Sierra Leone? Even though they virtually controlled our economy, did that make any difference to the plight of the ordinary Sierra Leonean? There was not even a token Lebanese force in the whole operations of UNAMSIL. They all fled when things became terrible for us, only to come back when normalcy returned. And in the midst of that, they still think they control the government, they still insult the Sierra Leoneans that work for them, they still over-price goods beyond the reach of the ordinary Sierra Leonean, they still take our money, diamonds, gold, and what-ever away. And you'll never hear of the Lebanese engaging in any charitable enterprise to develop Sierra Leone. Instead they would build their own schools and brazenly call each LEBANESE SCHOOL, with a different curriculum, higher pay for teachers etc etc – so that at times when the rest of society suffers from sit-down strikes for lack of pay, the Lebanese children go to school as if everything is normal. Look, Tech, God does not sleep. I sympathise with the Lebanese at this time, yet they need to change their attitudes towards a country by which they have benefited so much…. Anyway, Tech, let's keep praying that the Middle East crisis comes to an end – if not, very soon, all of us could be consumed, at least by a scarcity of fuel.

BEREWA'S CROCODILE CRY

And, in the abundance of Lebanese water in Sierra Leone, Vice President Berewa says he is thirsty. Just last week a group of Japanese government officials visited Sierra Leone and VP Berewa was crying that the nation needs help in the energy sector. Berewa does not personally have an energy problem – he has all types of generators to electrify his home. He has been doing that for all these years. But next year Berewa wants to be president of Sierra Leone, so he has suddenly realized that Freetown is the darkest city in the world, and he now cries that the nation needs electricity. TECH I remember you quoting BEREWA in an interview in 2003 as saying that Sierra Leone needed about US$40 million to complete BUMBUNA and provide light for the whole of SL and beyond. But TECH where has all the AID MONEY flowing in since then gone.  O' these politicians, when will they be sincere to their conscience? TECH, the darkness in Sierra Leone does not need a Japanese solution. All we need are sincere politicians to put their house in order and then keep Sierra Leone going. After all where are all the diamonds, gold, bauxite, fish, cacao etc etc going? In the abundance of water, the fool is thirsty….. Rat Race!!! We all know that Berewa is merely shedding crocodile tears after feeding on the ignorance and complacency of Sierra Leoneans!

SUMANGURU'S LAST DAYS?

Hindolo Sumanguru Trye's decision to join the APC has opened a whole Pandora's Box that must have left him thinking twice about his future. He has been attacked from many quarters, notably from the SLPP, especially from his former buddy, Totangi, who is SLLP Secretary General in the US. Yet, TECH, politicians have to be thick-skinned, aren't they? And it is not our business to condemn Guru about invoking his 1977 student spirit or whether Olu Gordon supports him in the bid to throw his hat for the APC. I just want you, TECH, to know that I find it absurd, at least on the surface, for Guru to have pitched tents with the APC. Let me explain: In 1977, Sumanguru led a students' protest against the APC, by which action he became a semi hero; and in 1992, the military junta that overthrew the APC made Sumanguru Minister of Information, by which position he was able to justify the overthrow of the APC; and if in 2004, the same Sumanguru pledges support to the same APC, is that not absurd? But politicians always have their way of explaining things away. Guru is not short of them. Now he is saying he was fighting against a ‘SHIT-STEM' and not the APC; and afterwards the APC is now being led by a new leadership. Well and good, no bones to pick on that. My only concern, TECH, is Guru's record as Minister of Information…. Can you recall that he actually championed the stifling of press freedom in Sierra Leone? Let me take you back to memory lane then…. Read these excerpts from a report on the Sierra Leone media at the time:

“On July 10, 1992, the NPRC struck at the press with Decree 6, The Press Guidelines, of which Section 15 authorized the Post Office General Manager to confiscate any materials "from or to any territory" and submit them to a State Censor for as long as "he deems necessary." Section 16 of the decree stated that publications or broadcasts that influence "public opinion" in a manner likely to be prejudicial to public safety, public tranquility, maintenance of public order" can be restricted. And Section 17 stated, "Any person who publishes any report or statement which is likely to cause alarm or despondency or be prejudiced to public safety, public tranquility or maintenance of public order "may face a fine of up to (US $1,000) or up to five years imprisonment."

“On February 1, 1993, upon the order of the NPRC Information Secretary, the Press Re-Registration Guidelines were issued for all newspapers to comply with by February 8. The guidelines demanded full access to newspapers' printing plates/dummy sheets 24 hours in advance of press time. This action effectively banned 19 independent newspapers, while other succumbed to self-censorship in order to survive. The NPRC used this as a means to determine which media would support them under duress because the decision had already been made to retain power longer than they had originally stated. The following requirements of the Press Guidelines sealed the fate of those 19 newspapers:

“These NPRC Press Guidelines forcibly reduced the press from approximately 30 weekly newspapers to 10 publications, two of which were state-controlled. Information Secretary Hindolo Trye (who reported to Public Liaison Officer Captain Julius Maada Bio) supervised the re-registration scheme.”

 TECH, I leave you to decide….By the way I am sure you will be the last to be in hurry to raise your finger for GURU since your paper THE NEW ORACLE was among the 19 that were axed by his notorious guidelines as you were then accused of operating from your small FBC room.  The only thing I need to add is that, if Guru misses it this time, it may be the end of his political career.

…AND THE NPRC MOGULS LURK BEHIND SLPP MASK

But it's not only Sumanguru that's trying to hide behind a political party to dance to the new tune. So, while the SLPP critics are throwing stones, they should remember that they live in a glass house. After all, Hidolo Trye was not the most devilish in the NPRC. As you must have read in that report about the media during the NPRC regime, you would see that Sumanguru was literally being controlled by Maada Bio, who actually became Number Two to Strasser, then became Number One after overthrowing Strasser, and Bio actually tried to cancel the elections – only botched by the resilience of the people. TECH I am sure you remember the great mobilization –I mean the true match for democracy—coded-named THE PEOPLE'S POWER.  And that same NGOR Bio was actually one of the candidates that vied for the presidential ticket of the SLPP earlier this year. He would have won; and though he did not, he is now one of the staunchest supporters of Solomon Berewa's candidature. And nobody is actually coughing about that. But that's not all… the former Secretary General of the NPRC, John Benjamin, is now the SLPP's Minister of Finance; and the former NPRC Foreign Minister, Dr. Abass Bundu, is now a full-fledged SLPP member with eyes on the Vice Presidency. So it's all a story of the pot calling the kettle black. Just look who's talking….And TECH you remember the EX-‘pro-democracy' spokesman Julius Spencer, the MR EVERYTHING IS UNDER CONTROL, another member of the NPRC junta think-tank, was the first to LAY-BELLEH…AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET THAT KABBAH AND BEREWA WERE ADVISERS TO THE NPRC JUNTA UNTIL BRO. STRASSER DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO OFF-LOAD THE KAKI FOR THE AGBADA. So TECH, you see nothing has changed in our DEMOCRACY; it is STIL just THE old SHIT-STEM. OR IS IT A SIMPLE QUESTION OF PAY-BACK TIME; WELL TECH OVER TO YOU…