GREELEY, COLORADO, USA: PROF. KELFALA KALLON: The tendency for “bad” money to drive the “good” one out of circulation was discussed as far back as 405 B.C. by Aristophanes, the legendary Greek comedian and playwright in his play, The Frogs. In fact, he proposed a political corollary of this tendency – that “bad” politicians tend to drive “good” ones out of circulation in the following verse:

This tendency (for bad money to drive good money out of circulation) became known as Gresham’s Law on account of Sir Thomas Gresham’s reiteration of it in a 1558 letter to Queen Elizabeth I. Although the economic intuition from Gresham’s Law is important in its own right, I will focus my attention on the political version of Gresham’s Law and its implications for Sierra Leone.READ MORE

FREETOWN: RAYMOND DELE AWOONOR-GORDON awogordon@yahoo.co.uk:Like a bolt out of the blues came the announcement, which in itself was unambiguous. It simply stated that President Ernest Bai Koroma has announced the setting up of a commission of Inquiry to investigate alleged culpable individuals of government and institutions, including former ministers, in the Tejan Kabbah led government. “We are not going to tolerate a situation that would allow holders of public offices to abuse state property or embezzle state funds and get away with it” the release stated.READ MORE

FREETOWN: DR. SAMA BANYA - PUAWUI: At last someone is bold enough to do it; to say openly that "the King has no clothes on." I listened to Babadi's interview with Dr. Mariam Matembe on UN radio's teabreak programme last Friday morning with much interest. I don't know how many people listened to the programme or are aware of why she and some other colleagues from other parts of Africa are currently in Sierra Leone. It is to assist our women who are aspiring to political participation in governance with particular reference to the imminent local council elections. Those women, in association with the national Democratic Inststitute have been conducting a workshop mostly for women candidates, the majority of who are independent candidates. As a follow up of what they had been discussing, they have, by various methods, been monitoring the campaign trail and the conduct of the political parties and their supporters in general and towards women candidates in particular.READ MORE

FREETOWN: MAADA GBESSAY KAI: Concerned Sierra Leoneans have accused the Chief Electoral Commissioner of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) Madam Christiana Thorpe of double standards ahead of the July 5 Local Council elections. The accusation came following statement made by Dr. Thorpe at a news conference held on Monday June 23rd at SLENA that the closing date for the acceptance of withdrawal of candidates for the forthcoming elections is on Wednesday June 25th instead of the date she had announced before, May 25.
Speaking to New Vision yesterday a civil society activist Mohamed Fengai recalled Monday June 9th when Dr. Thorpe said at a news conference that thirty seven (37) letters of withdrawal from nominated candidates had reached the Commission and that their action was legitimate and in line with the nominations procedures laid down by the Commission. READ MORE

FREETOWN: MAADA GBESSAY KAI: Unruly youths of the ruling APC on Tuesday vowed to chop off the head of the SLPP Member of Parliament for Constituency 14 Kenema district, Francis Konuwa.
According to reports, the SLPP MP had to sneak out of Tongo yesterday Wednesday when irate youths of the APC Task Force regrouped and launched a full scale manhunt for him threatening to kill him and display his head. Hon. Konuwa could not talk to us when we contacted him last night. READ MORE

FREETOWN: SORIE FOFANA: The head of chancery at the Sierra Leone High Commission in London,earlier this week, tendered her letter of resignation on health grounds.
A top official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation described Mrs. Hawah Sumner as a diligent and highly intelligent diplomat and civil servant. READ MORE

FREETOWN: FROM THE NUSS EXECUTIVE TO THE NEW PEOPLE.

24 June 2008

PRESS RELEASE

Following the events of Sunday 20th June 2008 during which it is alleged that a NUSS convention was held one Mr. Felix Koroma of Fourah Bay College was purportedly declared as the unopposed candidate for the position of President of our noble Union and during which a certain Mr. Brima Swarray of the Institute of Public Administration and Management was arrested and unlawfully detained, the Executive Council of the Union wishes to make the following known to the general public:READ MORE

FREETOWN: MAADA GBESSAY KAI: The Chief Justice and acting president of the National Union of Students (NUSS), Umaru Napoleon Koroma, on Wednesday June 24, 2008 over the popular radio program Tea Break blasted the Ministry of Education and Youth and Sports for meddling into the affairs of students to the point of conducting an illegal convention for the students. In an angry tone, Napoleon said that the Ministry has no right to convene a convention for students. He said that he, as acting president, was marginalized in the entire process of the politically induced convention which saw for the first time a candidate going unopposed at a NUSS convention. READ MORE

FREETOWN: ABDUL OSAIO KAMARA: The APC candidate for the position of Kailahun District Chairman, Solomon Musa, who served several years in prison in Hong Kong for illegally selling diplomatic passports, has launched a vicious verbal attack against PMDC leader, Charles Margai. He claimed that his arrest and jailing in Hong Kong for the passport crimes wre engineered by Charles Margai, who he believes is key in the conspiracy to spring the trap on him while he was in Hong Kong. He said that he believes that Charles Margai always hated him because of his meteoric rise in the Sierra Leone Police and he feared that if he, Solomon Musa, became Inspector General of Police, he would more than likely set police on him and order his arrest.READ MORE

FREETOWN: ABDUL OSAIO KAMARA: Yesterday was a day in infamy. It was a disgraceful reminder of the days of dictatorship when the APC government of years gone arrested students union leaders and activists and put up stooges. The NUSS elections had been set up to take place at the National Stadium Hostel. For full impact, the APC government ensured that there was a heavy armed police presence and the Education Minister, Dr. Minkailu Bah and Dr Lansana Nyalley personally supervised the elections. First, the two APC ministers manipulated the officiating by banning the Chief Justice of NUSS (Napoleon Koroma) from arbitrating the elections and instead using the PRO, Dauda L. Bangura of Port Loko Teachers College who is a known APC party operative. The preferred APC candidate, Felix Koroma, had held prior meetings with the Education Minister and he had virtually been assured that he would be declared unopposed. To reassure him further, the Education Minister and his deputy made an undertaking to be present to ensure that the process of going unopposed would be effected. READ MORE

FREETOWN: ABDUL OSAIO KAMARA: Vice President Sam Sumana's links with the exploitation of diamonds in Sierra Leone is no secret. Before his foray into this nation's politics, he was a proxy businessman for a foreign company that he has never named. In fact, the foreign diamond mining concern is said to have offered the vice president a total of $250,000 which was then transferred to the then APC presidential candidate, Ernest Koroma, and hence his current position in the APC government. Much of the Vice President's finances and his meteoric rise in Sierra Leone politics have been attributed to the fact that he holds no scruples when it comes to entering unethical relationships that promote his self-interest. He has not stopped doing just that even as vice president. The New People can now authoritatively state that the vice-president for his unethical role in lifting the ban on the unregulated felling of tropical hardwoods in parts of eastern and southern Sierra Leone.READ MORE

FREETOWN: ABDUL OSAIO KAMARA: He entered the town singing a song portending danger and severe brutalisation if Kailahun district refuses to yield to the APC's will. He called it a "forceful appeal" as he sang "Faya faya faya faya, faya dae kam" - the song from the folk narrative warning residents of impending trouble and doom.

In the company of the top All Peoples Congress officials (so there is no denying that there is approval for this approach among the top APC brass), the Resident Minister Eastern Region William Juana Smith ordered the Kailahun district chiefs to either support the APC or be ready to both hand over their staff of office and know that there will be no development in Kailahun district for the next five years.READ MORE

FREETOWN: ELLA JONES-DOVE: In a poignant statement hinting that his Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) is set to investigate and deliver a stinging rebuke to the APC government for sundry acts of violence, Acting Commissioner Roland A Caesar has angrily said that the current violence unleashed on opposition supporters especially in Kono is unacceptable.

He noted that his commission is determined to once and for all apportion blame and inform Sierra Leoneans and the international community who is principally responsible for the spate of violence unleashed on opposition supporters and their offices since September 2007. READ MORE

ATTERIDGEVILLE - ALIE SANTIGIE: Gentlemen, please put this report out asap. You should have been proud to be Sierra Leonean today. Christian Caulker has no business playing in Sierra Leone. This boy was simply a marvel to behold. He is only 20 and he is authoritative in his area. He foiled every Soouth African attack. That said, Sierra Leone's defence was just gallant. They were not fazed by the multiple attacks through the middle by Modise, and attacks from over the top came to nothing as Obreh marshalled the Sierra Leone defence in a stout and heroic resistance. The South Africans got the call for corner after corner, but the Sierra Leone defence was steady and firm as they either cleared the danger or Christian Caulker rose every time to pluck the ball out of the air.READ MORE

FREETOWN - PRINCE MANNAH LUSENI: Popular radio journalist, David Tam Baryoh, wrote an article in some of the local tabloids asking for a change of the players of President Ernest Bai Koroma’s team. He catalogued a number of reasons why he was advocating for the repackaging of the president’s cards. His advice, like many other useful ones, fell on deaf ears. The president has stuck to his team and the players and he has shown faith in them even when some of them have continued to misbehave, underperform, and embarrass him and the country. From Zainab Bangura who opined support for the Chinese brutal oppression of the peaceful Tibetan protest to Dr. Sam Sesay who was arrested in an incident involving drunkenness in the USA, President Koroma’s players have shown a proclivity for shame and disgrace. But the man who has strengthened his notoriety for ignominy is the Presidential Press Secretary Sheka Tarawalie commonly called Shekito.READ MORE

"IT RINGS A BELL" (Courtesy Phillip Neville).

6.21.2008

FREETOWN: PRINCE MANNAH LUSENI: Early this month, the pro-APC newspaper African Champion owned by the deputy Information Minister, wrote scathing articles attacking the British High Commission for its continuous refusal of UK visa to top government officials. In typical quixotic fashion, the deputy information minister set up the British as enemies and he positioned his paper as the great pan-Africanist front engaged in an epic anti-colonial war. But this pan-Africanist knight is dressed in rags and carries a straw for a lance. The paper condemned what it sees as a Britih refusal to dignify APC officials by giving them visas. Evidently, the British High Commission explains that it has clear guidelines granting visas and that it expects all foreign nationals to meet those guidelines. So does the refusal indicate that APC officials are not meeting the necessary guidelines? Is there a credibility issue with APC officials? READ MORE

FREETOWN: PRINCE MANNAH LUSENI: A Nigerian businessman Emeka Nwosu is an unhappy man at the moment and has not only spoken to some pressmen in the country but plans to take legal action against the hopeless APC led government if his $117, 000 (one hundred and seventeen thousand dollars) is not refunded to him immediately.

Emeka Nwosu was very furious when he was talking to some security guards at the Nigerian High Commission in the Freetown last week, narrating his ordeal with the reckless government. He said he was arrested at Lungi International Airport when he was entering the country when it was discovered that he had $117, 000 on him. He said that he had filled a declaration form in which he declared the money. He was still arrested on some flimsy grounds of using the wrong line. READ MORE

FREETOWN: PRINCE MANNAH LUSENI: The ruling All People’s Congress (APC) has been unsure of itself since their unexpected victory in September last year.

With the Local Council Elections round the corner and the global issues coupled by the setting implosion within their ranks which has seen a number of candidates go Independent, the APC has been going round the country bribing candidates to step down and allow their aspirants to go unopposed in several wards in the country. READ MORE

FREETOWN: PRINCE MANNAH LUSENI: A whooping Le957, 000, 000 (nine hundred and fifty seven million leones) was allocated by the new management of the Freetown City Council for the demolition of the City Hall. Now an architect and civil engineer Mr. Zoker has put question marks over the viability and financial prudence of the project.

Speaking to newsmen recently in Freetown, Mr. Zoker said that the building was still strong enough and that the money allocated was not financially prudent. The engineer who has over ten years experience compared the demolition of the City Hall to the renovation of the Treasury Building saying that the latter had more wooden materials but was only renovated by the contractors while the former was made of thick concrete and had its pillars and foundation still intact. The engineer said that the better option for the City Hall contractors and management was to have part of the Le 957, 000, 000 to strengthen the pillars and walls of the building and do the exterior civil work instead of wasting that money only on demolition. READ MORE.

FREETOWN: ERNEST KABBA:A criminal militia set up by the ruling APC to terrorize political opponents has intensified its ruthless attacks on supporters of the opposition SLPP.

The violence which erupted past Sunday after youths chanting slogans in support of Vice President Sam-Sumana failed in their attempt to disrupt the opposition’s campaign launch, has now taken a new dimension. As we go to press the marauding gang are said to have moved from house to house, physically hunting SLPP Local Council Election candidates, whom they intend to kidnap and place in captivity until the upcoming elections are over, reports from the area say READ MORE

FREETOWN: ERNEST KABBA:On the weekend of 13^th and 14th June 2008, the regional cities of Bo and Kenema were engulfed in excitement following the launch of the opposition SLPP’s campaign for the upcoming Local Council Elections. The atmosphere was awesome and exhilarating; the massive crowds were agile and ecstatic; while the pomp and pageantry that characterized the impressive events was absolutely stunning. Bo and Kenema which had been literally dead since September 17 last year (the day the presidential run-off results were announced) sprang back to life reinforcing assertions of political commentators that the two cities are traditional SLPP strongholds and from all indications will remain so for a long time to come taking cognizance of the fierce loyalty of residents to the main opposition party. READ MORE

LONDON: DYLAN SOGIE-THOMAS: On Thursday 12 th June 2008, I received response from ACC stating that ACC does not have power to investigate forgery under the ACC Act 2000. I have therefore listed some of the most common offences that might be concealed through the act of forgery. Forgery in most cases will lead to no audit tailback will not achieve its objectives without proper fraud/forgery investigation and prosecuting powers.

-Fraud or theft which may involve falsification of accounting records

-Misappropriation of assets and conceal such acts by forging documents

-Insider dealing when awarding contracts READ MORE

PRETORIA: ALIE SANKOH: Atteridgeville will be the place; the duel will be between the Leone Stars and South Afrfica's Bafana Bafana. All speculations in newspapers here are that Leone Stars will not be twice as lucky, but Joel Santana's men know that they do face an uphill task, both to lift themselves after back to back defeats and with a Leone Stars team brimming with confidence that another win will blow the group wide open fr a possible second place finish. Bafana captain Aaron Mokoena, who is back from injury believes that the game is Bafana's to lose. He pointed out yesterday that the game is a must-win if they should continue making an impact in these qualifying rounds of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the Super Stadium on Saturday.READ MORE.

FREETOWN: DR. SAMA BANYA - PUAWUI: The picture begins to unfold on that shameful incident in Kono. It shows that no matter how hard others try to move this country away from those barbaric episodes of yester years, there are elements in the APC who don't give a damn and would rather throw us into another abyss of shame and notoriety. The sad thing about it all is that there are still people around who ought to tell the self-labelled new APC how it all began, just like this, way back in 1968. It continued unabated until it dragged us all down and for eleven years, we saw and experienced nothing but murder, rape, destruction and other degrading acts which sent us back for another 40 years before the tact, patience and tenacity of the SLPP leadership rescued us. The wonder is that there are the ABS Jannehs, ET Kamaras, Sossor Contehs etc. who should be telling these things to today's APC leadership and yet they go on.READ MORE

OFFICIAL SLPP COMPLAINT TO THE PPRC: What Will Roland Ade Caeser Esq Do?.

6.18.2008

FREETOWN: AWARENESS TIMES NEWSPAPER: It was a day of shame and disgrace for Sierra Leoneans in general but for the sitting Vice President of Sierra Leone, Chief Samuel Sam-Sumana in particular as his well known supporters of the ruling All People’s Congress (APC), yesterday Sunday June 15th 2008, went on a violent, barely controlled rampage in his home district of Kono against their political opponents in the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP).READ MORE

FREETOWN: DR. SAMA BANYA - PUAWUI: The ink has hardly dried on the paper on which the PPRC drew up a code of conduct for the forthcoming local government elections to which all the Political parties contesting the imminent local government elections appended their signature in agreement. In Kono district, which was expected to be volatile, specific days had been allocated to the different political parties to formally launch their campaign. The APC, led by no less a person than the Vice President had launched their campaign unhindered and unmolested. They had boasted that the whole of Kono was now APC; not satisfied with that claim, the Paramount Chiefs who are expected to support the programmes of the government of the day, had stepped out of line by urging all and sundry to vote for the APC. Not satisfied with that, some of them, along with APC party officials, had been busy coaxing and coercing SLPP candidates to step down in favour of their APC opponents.READ MORE

DUBAI: UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: A New People insider travelling on the trip by the first lady, Mrs. Sia Nyama Koroma, has informed The New People editorial team that the first lady's delegation has landed and they have been ferried to her hotel. The summit, which is underway at the JW Marriott Hotel, Dubai will take place through June 19, 2008. The summit is the Corporate Social Responsibility summit that deals with how companies can minimise an adverse impact on the environment and carbon-footprinting as well as deal with renewables and the use of renewable sources of energy. the summit is sponsored by Dow Chemical Company, Dubai Properties and Microsoft. Supporters of the Summit are CSR Middle East, Dubai Centre for Corporate Values, and the UN Development Programme.READ MORE

WASHINGTON DC: NEW PEOPLE CORRESPONDENT: When the Press Secretary to the President of Sierra Leone engages in petty lies and deceptions, one wonders about the credibility of the office and person he represents. But perhaps decption is normal for the APC government. But the latest blatant attempt by Sheka Tarawallie to deceive Sierra Leoneans about his self-importance or the significance of his USA visit is an embarassment to Sierra Leoneans. The facts speak out loudly:

1. Cocorioko and other pro-APC online news sources allege that Shekito met with with Dana Perino on June 11 or past week. A little diligence perhaps and the editors of those news sources would not have engaged in perpetuating Shekito's falsehoods.READ MORE WITH PICTURES

FROM PEEP ONLINE: RAYMOND AWOONOR-GORDON: Raymond Awoonor-Gordon- awogordon@yahoo.co.uk: “After the off-loading of the rice, we will then sit and negotiate with the importers on the price, to ensure the product is available to the people at an affordable cost” That is the honourable Minister of Trade and Industry of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Alimamy P. Koroma, addressing a cross-section of journalists on the arrival of a consignment of rice from India. At least, as is the trademark of this administration, the above has not been denied.READ MORE

FROM KICK-OFF.COM at the Freetown National Stadium: Two late goalline saves by Sierra Leone’s goalkeeper, Christian Caulker, secured a dramatic 1-0 win over South Africa, severely denting Bafana Bafana’s chances of qualifying for the 2010 African Nations Cup finals. An 18th minute penalty by Sierra Leone’s captain and star player Mohammed Kallon separated the teams, but it was rough justice on Joel Santana’s men who were unlucky not have gained a point from their trip to Freetown. READ MORE

SIERRA LEONE: a Country Crying for Good Governance.

6.14.2008

HOW 'NATIONAL' is the National Revenue Authority: APC Party Recruitments on the Rise.

6.14.2008

NOT A FORCE FOR GOOD, Police Chief Acha Admits.

6.13.2008

FIRST LADY AND VICE PRESIDENT Intimidate Kono Voters.

6.13.2008

FREETOWN: PRINCE MANNAH LUSENI:Trade and Industry Minister, Alimamy P. Koroma, and his deputy Mrs. Mabinty Daramy, abandoned a vital workshop at China House on Monday June 9, 2008 with some lame excuse that they had to attend to other matters. The workshop, which was intended to identify a national list of sensitive products for the economic partnership agreement (EPA) negotiations, drew experts and consultants on the identification of the sensitive products, to determine the trade dimension of the EPA which West Africa is negotiating with the European Union, and to establish the degree and the extent of trade liberalization,READ MORE

APC MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT Imports Banned Maxam Toothpaste Under False Pretences.

6.10.2008

LET THE PPRC GET OFF Our Backs.

6.10.2008

FREETOWN: PRINCE MANNAH LUSENI: Before now, recruitment into the National Revenue Authority (NRA) was verythorough. Applicants were vetted and made to write exams after which the best performers would go through an interview and later training. But all of that seems to have changed now at the NRA under the stewardship of Commissioner General Alieu Sesay. Recently some recruitment was made at NRA without any procedure but just connection and party affiliation. Some 25 permanent staff and an undisclosed temporary staff were recruited by the NRA. Our investigations are that the Commissioner for Customs Mr. BambaREAD MORE

FREETOWN: PRINCE MANNAH LUSENI: The Secretary General of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) Jacob Jusu Saffa and the spokesman of the Peoples Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC) Mohamed Bangura have both accused the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) party of recruiting private militia. They claimed the APC Task Force is intimidating, harassing and molesting opposition candidates ahead of the July 5 Local Council Elections.READ MORE

FREETOWN: ELLA JONES-DOVE: Two weeks ago, on May 31, Presidential and Public Affairs Minister, Alpha Kanu, travelled to Bo to represent the president at a meeting with Imams belonging to the Supreme Islamic Council. Associated for better or for worse for a long time with Islam and pilgrimages, Alpha Kanu, who is an Alhaji, was the appropriate person to make such a presentation until he shocked the assembled imams with his first massive blunder. He opened his presentation that the prophet (SAW) was like Ernest Bai Koroma because the call in Quran for discipline is consistent with President Ernest Koroma's message on attitudinal change. As he made that first announcement, imams stared vacantly at one another, not sure what to make of this blatant blasphemy.READ MORE