Crooked thinking again

Before I get to the subject matter of crooked thinking let me call the attention of reads to yet another act of desperation of the ruling APC. Everyone one is aware of Sylvia Blyden as a very successful and fearless publisher of a very popular newspaper the Awareness Times. Sylvia is fearfully independent but a fair publisher who at the same time does not suffer fools gladly. In the past she has shamelessly been vilified by the official APC mouthpieces and accused of being a member of the SLPP. No one has ever responded to her challenge for evidence that she is SLPP. She has on occasions been hash in her criticism of the SLPP; but I like Sylvia and above all I admire her gut courage to speak the truth and with fairness. The APC government has been boasting of its achievements in barely three years in office, compared, in their words with the dismal eleven years of SLPP misrule and kleptocracy. But the party appears desperate for publicity and endorsement of its performance. In that desperation they are stopping at nothing. One Ahmed Kamara and his cohorts have done just that in London with an online publication, which states that “Sylvia Blyden confirms that President Koroma holds an unblemished and enviable public record.’ Much to their embarrassment Sylvia immediately issued a denial. (Photo: Dr. Sama Banya)

I have written at different times about various types of liars. There are those who base their lies on some aspect of reality but twisting it around to give it the semblance of truth. Some others are expert at giving a story a twist to suit their purpose. A third category specializes in fabricating a story which they attribute to someone else and then proceed to vehemently criticise the product of their imagination as if it was factual. Readers would recall that I have described such characters as CROOKED THINKERS. But they all fall under the phenomenon which Al Franken refers to as “Lies and the Lying Liars who tell them.”

Over the weekend I participated in a TV/Radio discussion on SLBC TV. The other panelists were honourable Alpha Kanu, APC minister and Presidential spokesman, Theo Nicol of the Premier News newspaper and Marcella Macaulay coordinator of programmes in the Campaign Good Governance. Alpha Kanu tried but in vain to make a case for President Koroma’s three years in office referring to infrastructure, agriculture, Energy and the free health care delivery. We acknowledged the improvement in the power sector and lauded the health care programme. But we all disagreed with him on other issues and stressed that the APC’s policies had divided the country. However when Theo Nicol mentioned the non separation of the offices of Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Marcella and I came out very strongly in support of Alpha Kanu that the issue was not important and that in any case, it was an entrenched constitutional provision.

Where on earth did the editor of the pro government New Citizen newspaper get the idea that we had criticized the President for not separating the offices? What did we preach on that programme that we never practiced? Why has the editor fabricated a story just to enable him to attack us? Either he did not watch the programme, or listened to the views expressed or that he is an inveterate liar. I am convinced that he is indeed a liar and a crooked thinker. As for the matters for which we criticised the government, should the editor undertake a poll on those issues, he would in all certainty come to the conclusion that only sycophants and praise singes would applaud the government’s divisive policy under the pretext of appointing to offices only those in whom the President had trust and confidence.

Paul Kamara has started it again; in his boring “pikin and mama salone” farce he has described the likes of us as satanic cultists. I wonder if in using that expression Paul considered that it is not only intemperate language but one that is very offensive. I have repeatedly advised the managing editor of the for-di-people that he is losing his grip. My final warning to Paul is that he is not to attribute his loss of grip to age, still less likely to lapse in his command of vocabulary, but definitely to his daily habit of imbibing large  quantities of whisky. I can’t be sure if the particular brand is scotch. Paul should learn from his past encounters with the dynamic publisher of the Awareness Times newspaper or with the editor of the opposition Unity newspaper. Once more Paul, I urge you to recall the theme song of the musical, “Anne get your gun,” which is ANYTHING YOU CAN DO I CAN DO, BETTER. LONTA!

Addendum: Sep 23, 2010

“In my article on CROOKED THINKING i mentioned that the section on the position of Attorney-General and Minister of Justice was an Entrenched clause. I have been corrected by a generous friend who is “learned” (and note NOT “my learned friend”) that section 108(3) of the 1991 Sierra Leone constitution gives a list of Entrenched clauses but section 64(1) which which establishes the post of Attorney-General and Minister of Justice IS NOT ENTRENCHED. Neither did Alpha kanu make any such claim. Many thanks to my friend who is learned for his gesture.”

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