The road show moves on
We have had ministers under various leaders in the country, from Sir Milton Margai through his younger brother Sir Albert, on to Siaka Stevens, Joseph Saidu Momoh, to Ahmad Tejan-Kabbah and now Ernest Bai Koroma. Never before has there been so much fuss and excitement over a set of ministers as those recently appointed or elevated in President Koroma’s recent cabinet reshuffle. This to the extent that no less a person than his Excellency himself has allowed himself to make a special trip to Bo, Pujehun and Kenema to present his new brides to the people of those districts. By all indications the whole thing appeared to have been more of a carefully planned and stage managed road show. I am sure the one-drop Sankohs, the Sheik Seseys and a host of others, not leaving out the African Champion newspaper would want us to believe that the crowds’ one saw on television went out there voluntarily. Oh, that will be the day; who doesn’t know for fact that in the majority of cases there was free transport. (Photo: Dr Sama Banya)
One has to admit that from the view of a public relations job, it was done with the finesse as only Ernest has learnt to display. Why do you think members of the red sun worship the very ground on which he treads. But this stubborn uncle of his must ask why the large numbers of other ministers when fuel and wear and tear on the ministerial and other official vehicles are taken into consideration. But under the red sun these caravans and road shows are all part of the APC propaganda network.
Amidst all this the New Citizen newspaper quotes the minister of information and broadcasting as saying that the weekend visit by his Excellency and entourage to the South-Eastern region was NOT political, but to enable the President to inspect various development projects in the area. Oh really? Either the minister or his newspaper must regard the rest of us fools to believe such a story, or to put it more aptly it could only result from a total contempt for our intelligence. Which newspaper including the pro APC tabloids did not carry the pre tour story that his Excellency was going to ONSTENSBLY (italics mine) present his newly appointed ministers to the people of the region to say “you see what I have done for you?” oh brother IB tell that to the marines and not to the green berets. Well the honourable VICE president is scheduled to visit Buedu in constituency 4 of Kailahun district next Friday again ostensibly to have Juma prayers with the jamat. The presentation of the new deputy minister of health would I suppose be a mere coincidence.
It is a pity that some Paramount Chiefs allow themselves to be carried away so easily in their zeal to present themselves as being more ready to work with the government than their colleagues. Once again these misguided natural rulers are advised in their own future interests to remember that there will always be a change of regime in this country. Such Paramount chiefs like my own nephew Mohamed Sama Kailondo Banya of Kailahun Luawa chiefdom, Bai Kurr Kanagboro of Masingbi, Konike Barry chiefdom and more recently Kasanga of Makeni in Bombali Shebora chiefdom are definitely acting beyond the line of loyalty to the government in power. We the members of the Kailahun district SLPP now regard Chief Banya as a full blooded member of the All Peoples Congress (APC) party.
The 50th Independence Celebration Committee have recently come under a lot of criticism for presenting a budget of 25 million United States dollars at a time of economic squeeze when many citizens can barely have a square meal a day. The call-in messages on the various radio stations make interesting listening. That is democracy at work and it is good.
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