Sierra Leone Telegraph: 16 April 2021:
Parlaimentarians in Sierra Leone received a surprised notice from the Clerk of Parliament yesterday, saying that president Julius Maada Bio is convening an “emergency sitting” of all parliamentarians next Monday – 19th April 2021.
There is no indication of what the emergency meeting is about, or whether the president will be attending in person.
But what is clear is that there is widespread alarm across the country over the government’s decision to hold a mid-term national census without first obtaining parliamentary approval.
Some analysts believe that realising the gaff made by the president and his legal advisers – the Attorney General and relevant ministers, president Bio may now be working frantically to cover his tracks to obtain the legal basis for the mid-term national census.
There are suspicions also, the emergency meeting may involve the proposed Cybercrime legislation, which following recent events of police brutality over citizens’ use of mobile phones to record and share government’s failings, the president may want to speed up the legislative process.
The use of social media by citizens in Sierra Leone is picking up speed as people across the country express their dissatisfaction with the government’s performance after three years in office.
Many in government circles believe that controlling the social media space is key to the ruling SLPP party winning the 2023 elections.
Last night’s notice from the Clerk of Parliament reads:
“The Office of the Clerk of Parliament announces for the information of Hon. Members of Parliament, that pursuant to Section 86 (1) of Act No. 6 of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone, that His Excellency, Dr. Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone has convened an Emergency Sitting of Parliament on Monday 19th April 2021 in the Freetown International Conference Center, Bintumani, Aberdeen, Freetown at 10:00 AM prompt.
“Hon. Members of Parliament are informed accordingly and encouraged to attend and on time. Hon. Members, the second relocation of the venue of Parliamentary Sittings in the present Parliament assembled, is due to the ongoing renovation and rehabilitation works that are currently taking place in the precincts of Parliament.
“Hon. Members of Parliament and members of the general public who want to be in attendance are to put on face masks in adherence to the COVID-19 protocols. This announcement supersedes the last adjournment of Parliament.”
The development of the internet and the expanded connection to computer technology has generated new conveniences for work and business endeavors, as well as those who take part in illegal schemes. The acceleration of technology and online communication has not only provided a dramatic expansion in the incidence of criminal schemes but has also resulted in the emergence of what appears to be an unusual diversity of criminal activities. Both the expansion in the incidence of criminal activities and the possible emergence of modern varieties of criminal activity pose challenges for constitutional systems, as well as for law enforcement.
Before we start any conversation on Cyber-crime, we need to examine the sociological and technological factors that impact cyber-crime and cybersecurity, and articulate the significant circumstances and threats of cyber-crime in Sierra Leone. The study should comprise an approach to cyber-crime from theoretical and investigative points of view. Structured interviews with law enforcement agencies and governmental institutions for cyber security to be conducted. Data received through these research instruments undergo descriptive analysis and frequency counts in order to explain the activities of Sierra Leone cybercriminals based on existing theories of crime, and to understand their intents, purposes and methods. The whole idea of cyber-crime is a costly endeavor for a government proposition without the requisite infrastructure, electricity, water supply, a reliant fiber communication infrastructure, and wealth to sustain its citizens. Our government may want too much without examining the requirements.
Mr Stargazer – Many thanks for the compliments, and let me take this opportunity to say how really great it is to have you among us: the quality of your mind and the beauty of your writing are a joy to experience. Keep it up as I have no doubt that we are all grateful for the very incisive comments couched in lush and delicious language that you constantly make on the wide variety of issues relating to our homeland and Africa more generally that Mr Thomas and his invaluable paper keep bringing up for discussion. We owe him and The Sierra Leone Telegraph an incalculable debt of gratitude. He is a real saviour as his paper is a constant and much needed searchlight on the state of affairs in our motherland: on what those in power there are more often than not doing wrong.
That motherland – the ordinary man, woman and child in every region of Sierra Leone – is at the moment the victim of state capture. Its economy is in tatters, weighed down heavily by an inordinately corrupt political class, and its much needed ethno-regional balance and national cohesion in the distribution and exercise of power remain out of reach due to the narrow partisan interests of that selfsame political class. Add to these facts the episodes of State-inspired violence – recent terrible incidents in Makeni, at the Pademba Road Prison, at IPAM and at the Connaught Hospital come readily to mind.
It is no surprise therefore that many forumites, speaking out of the great love they feel for our country and the great hurt they currently experience on seeing her suffer, are increasingly subjecting Bio and his administration to intense, hostile criticism. At bottom, over and beyond our individual party political affiliations or the lack thereof, all of us want Bio and his government to succeed because that will be good for the country. However, their politics so far does not inspire confidence: it is a politics of division, antagonism, violence and ultimately utter and disastrous failure. Who in his/her right mind would want them to still be around after 2023? You might say that they can change direction between now and the next general election. How I wish that was true!
Oh my God what is this country turning into
When a notorious schemer – SOBEL, TWO-TIME COUPIST-TURNED-CIVILIAN PRESIDENT – convenes an emergency meeting of our legislators, one cannot g but feel very apprehensive regarding his true motives and intentions. This is because a man whose personality has something of the NIGHT about it, is almost always up to no good. Sierra Leoneans with an incurably sanguine disposition and outlook might be hoping that this most incompetent of Presidents having somehow wrestled with his conscience and finally seen reason, will on Monday and in a most unexpected spirit of selflessness and love of country, tender his resignation! The best gift if ever there was one he would give to a nation he has misgoverned and practically ruined since coming to power in 2018.
Of course Sierra Leoneans with a sceptical and pessimistic cast of mind may well fear that the worst of scenarios will unfold come Monday: the arm twisting of our legislators so as to pave the way for another term of NEW MISDIRECTION as the electoral rendezvous of 2023 looms ever larger. Fearing that voters now know them for being grossly incompetent and corrupt, the ever scheming NEW MISDIRECTORS most likely have something up their sleeves as they strive to invent new ways of holding onto power.
If Bio’s history as a SOBEL and TWO-TIME COUPIST is anything to go by, I prudently choose until proven wrong to side with the sceptics and pessimists.
Absolutely well said – Mr Yillah; It seems to me that the most brilliant minds on this glorious forum have now come to a firm conclusion that they will not continue to stand by and stand down,and watch our beloved Sierra Leone crumble to little fragments like fragile sandcastles in a storm being swept away by the massive unforgiving waves of authoritarian rule. Special agent Young4na has been heavily armed lately with the Cannons of truth and Mr Abraham Jalloh has kept them consistently running for cover with bullets zipping from his long range rifles of precision.
My big brother Alimamy “The illustrious” has been throwing hand grenades of frankness from afar and Mr Matturi has been popping in and out intermittently, armed to the teeth with the firearm of sincerity of purpose, with two double barrels mounted side by side, that waste no time in ejecting the spent bullet shells in the line of fire.
And lastly the WITNESS – a man with a strong internal locus of control – the Honorable Abdul Rashid Thomas, calmly observing it all.(lol)
One thing is clear. The people of Sierra Leone have long decided about voting this President out of office in 2023. His only play card now is to find ways in voter suppression and media silencing to win the next election. But the President should know, that is not going to work. He is also afraid of the fact that some of his supporters have started moving away from him because of his disastrous and reckless policies in tackling corruption and many other issues affecting the country. As Ngoh Sellu told me recently, this President will be disappointed by the results in the next elections. The alleged corruption by the First Lady Fatima Bio is one of the main problems with most of his former key supporters like Ngoh Sellu.
Can you imagine how thousands of voters and SLPP party supporters have already abandoned this president? How will this President behave when the APC party elects a leader who thinks of nothing but going for GOLD in 2023. He would just go uncontrollably berserk. Ladies and Gentlemen, lets continue to let our voices for democracy, social justice, law and order, meritocracy, respect for our women and all Sierra Leoneans, etc, be heard loud and clear all over the world till victory in 2023. Their political minds are now wavering because they know clearly that their days are numbered and their time is up.
Finally, have they started packing their suitcases and handbags to “get SALONE sorted”? I hope they do. God bless and help our capable and progressive parliamentarians to reject any bogus and dodgy proposals by this President and his rogue political blokes and operatives to cheat the people of Sierra Leone from electing their right President in 2023. What are they thinking about. Sierra Leoneans are no fools and can no longer be manipulated by rogue and thuggish politicians to win elections by hook or by crook. Yeah.
Butterflies in the sun,catch you I must before the day is gone; Butterflies big blue majestic butterflies that soar like kites towards the sky; What is this Dictator and crowd of imposters up to now? What kinds of suspicious rabbits is he going to try and pull out of his spurious, old,crooked hat this time? Butterflies,big blue transparent butterflies when will the delusions and discreet thieving attitudes of the Criminal SLPP cabal come to an end? Will our President come clean this time, show remorse and give back what he has stolen from our struggling people? Only time will tell,let us wait and see.
Mr Stargazer your poetic language is so refreshing and woven in language that only bright minds can appreciate the way they are conveyed. Which reminds me of that great English poet William Shakespeare, that conveyed events of his times. You are highly appreciated in our country. What our country lacks in political leadership, we on this forum can more than augment interlectutally, time and time again about the issues affecting our country. What that shows we are not going to allow Bio and his corrupt government drag us back into the dark ages.
I salute all of us for our efforts to try and keep a check on these politicians that promise us so much and have so far delivered very little. What that says we are not going to allow Bio and his government lie to us. We deal with facts. And right now if we want to move our country forward, we have to keep to the facts lane.
Politicians have lied to us so many times, we are not going to allow anyone lie to us. We question things more Which is healthy and helpful for our democracy. And Right now our country is faced with the most corrupt and unrepentant politicians. Indeed if corruption was an Olympic event, we will nominate Bio and his government to be tbe Olympic torch bearer of corruption. Given the state of our country, we will carry all the gold medals for the most blessed country with natural resources, but little to show for it. And we should always be thankful and greatful to Mr Abdul Rashid Thomas and his management team for giving us this medium to air and debate issues affecting our country. He is a great independent patriot.
I would recommend typhoid vaccine to all children as part of their immuninisation programme. Most fevers in children and adults in Sierra Leone are due to malaria often misdiagnosed for typhoid fever because of poor treatment for malaria and poor diagnosis of malaria. A very low platelet count in the absence of malaria parasites in the blood is highly suggestive of malaria and should be treated as malaria. Neighbouring Guinea is giving thphoid vaccine donated by WHO.
We don’t want to second guess what Bio has to say in this emergency meeting. Any inference or reference to what is in the mind of this out of touch president, is purely speculative. What is clear in the mind of majority of people that put their trust in you Mr President, and voted for you, as opposed to the other presidential candidates, is they believe in you. That Presidential race was not a beauty contest or who stays in the big brother house, but its about bread and butter issues. People voted with their hearts and minds and believed in you. That the promises you made mister president, like tackling corruption, and bringing our country together, still recovering from the brutality of the civil war, one would have hope you hit the ground running.
You know the problems and the pressures families up and down the country confront every day in their lives, just to survive, which is made more harder by the covid19 pandemic, and all the restrictions that come with that. Instead you and your government ignore the suffering of the people of the country, and unleash the worst form of human rights abuses in peace time Sierra Leone.Took the press hostage. You assaulted the judiciary, you compromised the independence of the security services. The army by sacking or forcing some services chiefs to retire early. You turned the Sierra Leone police force to a private army. You have SLPP Uber for hire thugs to do your dirty work. I hope this meeting is a reset. But I am not holding my breath.
Looking into those components with transparency to make the citizens of Sierra Leone have confidence in the gorvernance system is a welcoming news. Keep the good work going Mr. President.