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UK: DR. JOSEPHUS J. BRIMAH: Some years ago I was taken aback when after a devastating hurricane in the Caribbean, someone with a sense of humour wrote on the walls of a wrecked building, ‘ I hate Ivan The Terrible. ’ Hurricanes are named and the said hurricane was called Ivan and its acts were indeed terrible. In Bo, a human hurricane has raised its ugly head since Musa Tarawally was appointed resident minister of the South. For this human hurricane, his party ’ s guiding principle of might/ force makes right must be literally followed: you either support us willingly or you will be compelled to so.

It is the expectation of all that those who are appointed as regional heads of government (SLPP or APC ) would serve with humility, respect and honour than unleashing a reign of terror over them. Abass Collier was , at some time, resident minister of Southern province and many in Sierra Leone could hardly lay claim to knowledge of this fact. He went about his duty gracefully as befitting his office. But oh yah (shaking my head in utter disbelief), this current minister is not only looking for trouble but is hell-bent in striking terror in the hearts of the decent citizens of Bo, making their lives unbearably difficult. Not only has he instigated a coterie of thugs to destroy SLPP ’ s office and paint road signs red in Bo but is even audacious enough as to arrogate to himself the role of an ’ Ayatollah ’ : meddling in the affairs of our Muslim compatriots by appointing a Sheik to head a council of his own creation. He has promised to use his authority to the fullest in order to browbeat all those who (may) oppose his APC-given right to hire and fire at will. But is he taking a lead from his boss or what? I cannot tell but Musa Tarawally, like the government he serves, has by his repeated actions demonstrated that he intends to sow seeds of discord among our people. This Hitlerian attitude makes one wonders what this bird-brained minister will do next? Probably, he will soon appoint a Cardinal responsible to him by virtue of his office. I say the latter with tongue in cheek.

Let me address this issue on a more serious note. Whilst he goes about creating one trouble to the next, it beggars belief that the President of the country has done nothing to address such unwanted provocation and thuggery which have been meted out against the people of Bo. Except the President wants some of us to believe that some words of scripture- they have eyes but cannot see, ears but cannot hear- are being fulfilled in his own life then he could be excused, if not forgiven. But this is a very difficult position for any sound mind to grasp. For with all that is being trumpeted about Musa Tarawally ‘ The Terrible ’ , an ideological zealot who serves at the President ’ s behest and pleasure, it will be hard to sell that the actions of this particular minister are not within the President ’ s ‘ known knowns ’ . I Hope my readers will excuse me here for being Rumsfeldian in my language. The President and other leaders of his party have failed not only to restrain this feral youth trapped in an adult body from meting out such dastardly acts against the people of Bo, but rather it would appear that this thug in the guise of an honourable is given the tacit green light to have a field day.

At times when such violent incidents are reported by some journalists, the latter are more often than not looked at with suspicion, as saboteurs. To debunk such reports, ideological zealots of the government even go as far as to lie for constitutional reasons rather than for guilt of conscience. They are adept in this and similar acts. One could therefore suppose this current government to have not only strategists for disinformation but a Department of Lies as well. They, however, fail to realise that some people can be fooled some of the time but not all of us all the time. We pipul kin say ‘ as ting kin make mumu talk nar so ting kin make fool man get sense [my emphasis]. ’ Our people will not only grow in wisdom, they will come to know you all for who you truly are as times progresses.

My point to the President as regards his minister, whilst taking note of his clarion call for attitudinal change, is for him and members of his government to adhere to the sound principle of critical self-appraisal. He should lead the way and in consonance with members of his government take out the log which blinds them from the ills meted out to peaceful men and women of Bo and all over the country and only thereafter will they be deemed both competent and morally justified to help us take the specks which blind us as a nation. The log I am referring to here is a mental one and if taken off, your minister in Bo, for example, will come to the understanding, if his neuronal cells are firing properly, that might does not make right. Finally, Mr President, if you want all not to take your mantra of attitudinal change as a mere political gimmick but make the conscious effort to live by it, then not only should you publicly condemn the thug you have as a minister in Bo but all must see you acting to right the wrongs he has done. Show him the door. If not, you will come to the realisation at some time that you all have failed. In political life to fail is a sin and old sins have long shadows. Come the end of five years, our people will punish you all, democratically speaking, at the ballot box. A word for the wise is quite sufficient.