By Dennis Deen-Sie
With inquest into the deaths/murders of former APCers (Bambay Kamara & Co.) as its latest development policy (coming to think of it, apart from selling off the country's resources to foreigners - some with dubious reputations - for pennies, while making millions of dollars for themselves in kickbacks, the APC geniuses back home cannot be accused of having any other policies at all!) that will lift Salone out of the chronic underdevelopment, economic retardation, nepotism, entrenched corruption, etc. quicksand in which it is firmly anchored, our self-appointed defenders of the rule of law and justice and opponents of impunity (APC and the rule of law, justice and impunity = oxymoron!) in the so-called new APC government and their supporters should go a step further. That is, establish an inquest/a commission to investigate the deaths/murders of Taqi & Co., as well as dozens of other Sierra Leoneans the old APC of Siaka Stevens and Momoh Tumba sent to the gallows or, like the late Sam Bangura and other less known, had murdered in cold blood!
Why Bambay Kamara's famaily/relatives, and not the victims of the old APC? Don't the family/relatives of those killed or had murdered by Shaki Big Nose and Momoh Tumba have the right to know the truth why their relatives/sons/husbands/fathers were killed? Selective justice is not justice, and selective indignation is hypocrisy!
Since inquest hysteria has become this so-called new APC government's new policy trend, I say let's have two parallel inquests at the same times and place. One investigation the sins of the NPRC and the other the sins of the old APC. After that we can compose and dance to a song titled "Justice & Impunity", with Prezo EBK, our own Goebbels, Alhaji (with so many Alhajis and Hajas in this government, heaven's just a death away for the people of Sierra Leone!) I. B. Kargbo aka Minister of APC Disinformation & Propaganda and Serry Kamal, Minister of Injustice & Nolle Prosecui infamy, as lead vocals. After all, we Sierra Leoneans love to party and dance for just about anything, don't we?
Or is the so-called new APC only interested in "investigating" the deaths/murders of old APCers by others, but not those murdered by the old APC? But again, with a president that is ignorant of the separation of powers and/or unwilling to accept the independence of the Judiciary branch of government, not to mention an Attorney-General that interferes in or dismisses court cases in which APC government officials are defendants, leaving complainants (almost always ordinary citizens) high and dry, this so-called new APC has shown itself to be no respecter of the rule of law or a friend of the ordinary citizen when it comes to justice.
I ask again, is Ernest Koroma a puppet president, with real power in the hands of a powerful cabal of faceless individuals wielding power behind the scenes? With daily reports and evidence of blatant corruption and abuse of power, under-performance by ministers and public officials (ministers who have made themselves into demi-gods, above the law and citizens, land grabbing, threatening and assaulting journalists and ordinary citizens, rape, interference in the judicial process to the disadvantage of ordinary citizens, contempt of court, politicizing the military and police, soliciting and accepting bribes, converting rice meant for citizens into a rice selling business, buying rotten ferries, having GST receipts printed in another country and overpricing cost, signing dubious mines contracts which violate the laws of the country and yield zero benefits to the country, and the list will go on forever.) yet not only has he kept silently silent, none of the ministers and public officials involved or mentioned has been investigated or shown the door.
Unless Ernest Koroma is sight, hearing and speech impaired, he cannot say he has neither seen nor heard/read about the behavior and actions of some of his ministers and heads of parastatals and their negative impact on the lives of ordinary citizens and country's development. So, why this deafening silence from the man who three years ago took an oath to defend the constitution, uphold the rule of law and equal justice for all? Even more worrying is the fact that it is members of his government that are making a mockery of the country's constitution, trampling on citizens rights, denying citizens justice, disrespecting the judiciary and treating the laws of the country with disdain, and robbing the country blind at the same time.
If this is what Ernest Koroma means with his Agenda for Change or running the country like a business, I pity our country of birth and the poor souls who have to live with this slogan-mongering so-called new APC and its honey-coated tongue snake oil seller president.
That said, one could not help but conclude that those ministers and public officials who have been sacked or suspended (why do they all end up being charged with corruption?!) either never had the support of the powers behind EBK's presidential throne when they were appointed, or if they had, they lost it (did not share the loot?) and, as such, were thrown out as sacrificial lambs/scapegoats; giving our puppet president and his puppet masters' phony no sacred cows and zero tolerance slogans a semblance of seriousness and truthiness.
To those in the habit of blathering about solutions from others, last time I checked, I found no one who has stopped you from coming up with yours. That is, if you have any lying around in your house! After all, if the GoSL is paying Tony Blair hundreds of thousands of dollars in consultancy/lobby fees, with zero dividends for the country, why should I give mine for free. On a public discussion forum, for that matter!
Just the unsolicited opinions, not solutions, of one person, called Deen-Sie