Josephine Koroma
The Sierra Leone Telegraph: 10 May 2014
The President of France – Francois Hollande uses public transport in Paris; the United Kingdom Prime Minister – David Cameron (Photo), uses public transport in London; the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom – Nick Clegg, uses Public Transport; the Leader of the Opposition – Ed Miliband uses public transport; the Mayor of London – Boris Johnson, uses bicycle to and from work; the Mayor of New York uses Public transport and the list goes on and on.
In fact, when the current British Prime Minister – David Cameron, was Leader of the opposition, he used his bicycle to go to work.
Members of Parliament from ALL political parties in the UK, on a daily basis, use buses to travel to and from work at the Houses of Parliament.
This is why a published photo and an article cheaply lampooning the Retired Brigadier Julius Maada Bio and his wife for using London public transport, by pro APC Newspapers – Standard Times, Awareness Times and Ernest Smith’s Salone View – a supporter of John Benjamin, must be regarded as ignorance of the highest order.
This is sheer ignorance about the importance of public transport to senior politicians in the developed world. The article is also an attempt to distract attention from the presidential term extension debate, which has left the ruling APC party battered.
When you have an APC government in which President Koroma and wife used the same public transport when his wife lived in London; Alpha Kanu and his wife used the same public transport in London; Sylvia Blyden’s mother and family members using the same public transport in London; Minister Moijueh Kaikai who was evicted from a council home in London, because he could not pay his council rent; Sam Sumana who worked as a Parking Attendant in Minneapolis Parking Lot in the USA; shows the level of hypocrisy and dishonesty of publishing such a derogatory article about Maada Bio in pro-APC Newspapers.
Maybe Ernest Smith – the editor of Sierra Leone View, who has been “deported” from Holland – and can only barely survive from allowances handed to him by John Benjamin, should have known that this nasty politics of lies and smear would not increase John Benjamin’s popularity in his own home town – Kailahun, where Maada Bio is capable of defeating him at any electoral contest.
Interestingly, on each occasion Maada Bio is in Sierra Leone, the pro-APC newspapers cry about Bio travelling around the country in convoy.
And now that the young man has gone to the UK to study towards a PHD degree – and President Koroma can only boast of a Third Division degree in Greek, Roman Culture and Civilisation from FBC, the Jeliba journalists just cannot live with the political envy.
The only politicians who are afraid to use public transport are those who have stolen money from their people, afraid of the risk of MOB JUSTICE.
I am proud of Brigadier Julius Maada Bio (Rtd), because by using public transport, he is showing that he will understand the needs ordinary people and the problems they face, when he becomes President in 2018.
One can at least say that Maada Bio is NOT like President Koroma, who couple of years ago used hundreds of thousands of dollars from the taxes of suffering Sierra Leoneans to charter a private plane to attend the graduation ceremony of his daughter in London.
We also know about President Koroma and several ministers who have lavished millions of pounds, buying houses in exclusive parts of London, such as Dulwich and Kensington.
These looters have emptied the state coffers to live lavish lifestyles, whilst ordinary people die from hunger and preventable diseases in Sierra Leone.
Yet they have the gall to lampoon Bio for travelling around London in public transport. Now we can see who is really enjoying the LOOT.
It is in the same way that John Benjamin who is supported by the “deported” Ernest Smith, emptied the SLPP party bank account, after he was chased out of office as Chairman.
The fact of the matter is that the recent ‘Open Letter to President Koroma’ by Maada Bio regarding Koroma’s third term, has put President Koroma on the back-foot and exposed him to the international community.
And like the responses to Bio’s Open Letter and his radio FM 98.1 interview, the ruling APC party can only be pretending to be blind and deaf, if they have not seen the plight and heard loudly the voices of the people.
Maada Bio will never be distracted, because he has always been a focused leader on the issues that matter to the common man.
Even Andrew Keili, who is not known to “ponder his thoughts” on the excesses of APC’s mismanagement and the incompetence of President Koroma, has congratulated Maada Bio for his tenacity in leading the debate.
Photo: Deputy British Prime Minister – Nick Clegg (right) – proudly using London’s public transport. He is seen here standing, because no one got up for him to seat down.
So, Standard Times, Awareness Times and John Benjamin’s tool-boy – Ernest Smith, can publish pictures and malicious articles about Bio using London’s public transport out of IGNORANCE and IDIOCY. But Maada Bio is focused on exposing this incompetent APC government and the manipulations of the President to stay in power like Siaka Stevens did.
As supporters of Maada Bio, we are proud of his leadership, and are confident that he will deliver the people of Sierra Leone from this APC bondage.
Who cares if Maada Bio is using public transport in the UK.
But why is he not doing so in Sierra Leone?
By the way its very common for ministers and top government officials to use public transport in Europe.