Saturday December 17, 2011 - Remembering a young man in Tunisia, who a year ago today December 17,could take it no longer - sets himself on fire and sets ablaze the Arab Spring that has consumed decade-long regimes and shaken the foundations of despotic regimes across the Arab world.

A year ago today, December 17, a young Tunisian fruit seller took the rather unusual and very painful decision which later proved fatal to demonstrate against the government of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, a man who had ruled that country for some twenty three years. And today as a sign of respect and appreciation for his life, the new authorities in Tunisia have unveiled a statue in the young man's honour with new President Moncef Marzouki joining crowds waving flags to celebrate the life of the man whose action saw opposition to despots getting their voices heard and in the process toppling regimes in his country as well as in Egypt and Libya. Libya where the man who would be the President, if not already proclaimed, Africa, Colonel Khaddafi was killed as he and members of his family were forcefully removed from power.

The BBC takes up the story -

"Fruitseller Mohamed Bouazizi's suicide sparked a wave of unrest which swept from Sidi Bouzid across the Arab world. He was rushed to hospital in a coma with 90% burns, and died on 5 January. "Thank you to this land, which has been marginalised for centuries, for bringing dignity to the entire Tunisian people," said Mr Marzouki, who was named president earlier this week, after Tunisia's first free elections in October. Thousands of people carrying flags and pictures of Bouazizi and other dead protesters had flocked from around the country for the anniversary in the under-developed town. The 26-year-old fruit and vegetable salesman had supported eight people on less than $150 (£100) a month, and his ambition was to trade up from a wheelbarrow to a pick-up truck. His family say he refused to pay three council inspectors bribes, so they seized his goods and beat him. He was refused an audience with the governor so he poured a can of petrol over himself and lit a match".

As the world reflects on what could have led to a young man taking his own life as a sign of protest, we would again like to remind the new nation wreckers at State House whose display of intolerance to critics and perceived political opponents goes beyond the pale to learn from the lessons of history - that it takes only a little spark to start a conflagration.

That they heed well the criticisms of those who highlight the many facets of corruption that has now become the calling card of a government which had promised zero tolerance for corruption but which in reality is the opposite with its functionaries getting caught out in corrupt and unwholesome practices ranging from the award of government contracts to relations and friends through dubious deals with mining companies to the smoke and mirrors President continuing to politicise the security forces while justice takes a back seat.

If President Ernest Bai Koroma was really serious about transparency and accountability in the affairs of government, let him make public his asset declaration that was submitted to the Anti Corruption Commission, the ACC as well as explaining to the public the fate of the rice from India and neighbouring Guinea.

Pertinent to the questions raised above would be more questions - what has the government done so far to raise awareness among Sierra Leoneans about their rights and privileges and what avenues are available to the ordinary politically-unconnected Sierra Leonean to seek redress when his/her rights are abused by government operatives like the armed forces and a judiciary that remains manipulated by the puppet masters at State House? Sierra Leone, it has to be recalled is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and so is obliged to implement what is stated in this document as well as how its provisions are inbuilt in our national constitution.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms Navi Pillay in her message for this day has praise for those who press for the rights of people in all situations citing among the many examples, the fight for justice and equality that saw repressive governments tumbling down - thanks to social media.

"A year when a single word, embodying the thwarted quest of a single impoverished young man in a remote province of Tunisia, struck a chord which swiftly rose to a crescendo. Within days it had rolled into the capital, Tunis, with such a roar that, in just four weeks it knocked the foundations from under an entrenched and apparently invincible authoritarian regime. This precedent, and its radical revision of the art of the possible, quickly reverberated into the streets and squares of Cairo, followed one after another by towns and cities all across the region, and, ultimately, in different forms, across the world. That word, that quest, was for “dignity.”

In 2011, the very idea of “power” shifted. During the course of this extraordinary year, it was wielded not just by mighty institutions in marble buildings, but increasingly by ordinary men, women, and even children, courageously standing up to demand their rights. In the Middle East and North Africa, many thousands have paid with their lives, and tens of thousands have been injured, besieged, tortured, detained, and threatened, but their newfound determination to demand their rights has meant they are no longer willing to accept injustice. Today, as in the past, editorial and financial factors – as well as access – determine whether or not protests, and repression of protests, are televised or reported in newspapers around the world. But, wherever it happens, you can now guarantee it will be tweeted on Twitter, posted on Facebook, broadcast on Youtube, and uploaded onto the internet. Governments no longer hold the ability to monopolize the dissemination of information and censor what it says.

In sum, in 2011, human rights went viral. On Human Rights Day 2011, I urge everyone, everywhere to join in the internet and social media campaign my office has launched to help more people know, demand and defend their human rights. It is a campaign that should be maintained so long as human rights abuses continue."

In Sierra Leone the government, in a bid to "silence" critics on the internet has set in motion a battery of websites all dedicated to hiding the truth from the ordinary man and woman. As we stated before, read one and you know what's in the rest as lies, more lies and damned lies are shared/syndicated among the paid purveyors of deceit, untruths and outright chicanery feeding fat on corruption, ready to defend at a whim any perceived critic of the thing which passes for a government in Freetown. Discerning readers have seen through it all and with these outlets losing credibility, assuming they had any in the first place, the praise singers are now getting exposed by the second. In the process they have now revealed their true colours - that they are all beneficiaries of the increasing levels of corruption and bad governance that threaten to take us back on the road all true patriots would rather not think about after our recent terrible history - ignited in the first instance by the then prevailing high levels of intolerance which has again reared its head in our one and only country, the land that we love, our very own Sierra Leone. Let us remind these purveyors of what is enshrined in our constitution, to wit -

"The press, radio and television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this Constitution and highlight the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people."

The sources of funding for these websites we shall reveal in the fullness of time and hence expose once again the arrogance that is born out of massive corruption and outright thieving.

The worth of the world is a finite quantity, and can therefore be easily measured and estimated. But the worth of the soul is an ever-growing, and in this sense a boundless, or infinite quantity, and can, therefore, never be estimated. The world is estimable; the soul is literally inestimable. No arithmetic can compute it; no finite mind grasp it. ....to gain the whole world would be to gain, after all, but little. And in fact, for a human being to possess the world, would be to him really no good at all; it would only load him with an ocean of cares, and anxieties, and perplexities, from which he could reap really no solid benefit. It would prove to him only what it did to Solomon; and Solomon, be it remembered, possessed as much of it as he knew what to do with. Like Solomon, he would find it vanity of vanities, and vexation of spirit. It would really be worse for a man, as far as his own happiness was concerned, than the most abject poverty."

So is this payback time?

Saturday December 3, 2011 - The arrogance of corruption as exhibited by Corruption Incorporated headquartered at State House in Freetown and led by the smoke and mirrors President, the one and only Ernest Bai Koroma...oops Dr Ernest Bai Koroma, PhD (everything), DSc (all things)...and Division Three (BA- Fourah Bay College?)

We have been watching, with rising unease and indeed great alarm the unprecedented display of arrogance as well as the tendency to make enemies of critics, the operatives of the thing in Sierra Leone which passes for a government. Dare criticise the government and the entire brigade of the internet flying toilets will come at you, using any barb they can fashion, as any and all bucketful of putrefaction is hurled in your direction with many a concoction only the imagination of the "authors" could best analyse. We have seen this before during the 24-year stranglehold of that awful horror known as APC rule under the great Bandele, Pass Ar Die fame and under his hand-picked heir, Joseph Saidu Momoh who was betrayed by the very men and women he had relied on to maintain his popularity when he first took over in 1985. Kindly recall that he promised then that for the first time Sierra Leoneans would no longer pick the crumbs that fell from the table, but would all be equal partakers at the table sitting as respected equals in the enjoyment of the national cake.

During those 24 years of the awful horror, Sierra Leoneans noticed the attitude of those put in positions of trust and how they cared less and less about the cries of ordinary Sierra Leoneans and just to ensure they hear what they wanted to hear, "Careless Talk" though not on the statute books became a crime - an unwritten piece of legislation that allowed perceived critics of the government to be picked up and locked away. It was an exercise that was carried out with an amount of zeal never seen in the annals of law enforcement in the country - thus creating an atmosphere of silence, an awesome silence that exploded in March 1991 when the first shots were fired across the border with Liberia as the Foday Sankoh invaders backed by elements of Liberia's NPFL forces as well as regular troops from Burkina Faso entered Sierra Leone territory.

It is the same policy of intolerance which led to our troubles and which we would be advised to steer clear of...but alas the new "conquerors" and their associates would have none of it quite believing that their corruption and disregard for law and order would remain a secret - that no one would know about what level of backhanders they could be receiving from "investors" including those from mining concerns now operating in the country. Allow us to quote a small section of the submission of President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Sierra Leone

1. "Government and all opinion formers should lead in the promotion of reconciliation and national reintegration. The effort in this regard should be real and practical....

Governments should maintain zero tolerance for corruption. Above all, Governments should avoid the use of public funds to promote political causes and in order to ensure its stay in power. I have given in this Statement a glaring example of how the APC Party was intent on using public funds to prevent the holding of elections which it was sure to lose. This was an instance of blatant abuse of office and it was bound to provoke the resentment of the people.....the use of hired thugs to advance any political objective should be proscribed as a threat to the security of the state....I am aware of the cynical attitude of the people generally against politicians. We need to demonstrate this in a practical way. It is for this reason that I have often described myself as the Chief Servant of the people and required all other public officers to regard themselves as servants of the people."

We had in the past, pointed to the operations of one Frank Timis who appeared to have been granted some large, very large concessions in our country and we hear that he is not only involved in the Tonkolili iron ore projects, but does have his phalanges in nearly all "good pies" Sierra Leone can offer to be exploited including oil. We also brought you our observation that the press in Sierra Leone appears to see no evil, no wrong in Mr Timis fuelling our suspicions that all is not well in a country where the once-vibrant press knew no sacred cows.

Please be reminded that Sierra Leone is a signatory to the Extractive reporting process and apart from that when the time is ripe for an investigation into the activities of mining concerns like those operated by Frank Timis, nothing will be hidden, all will be exposed including bank accounts, who operates these accounts and whatever funding that goes into the pockets of government and Ernest Bai Koroma operatives.

We yet have to see a section of the press investigating the activities of Mr Frank Timis and his gang within and outside Sierra Leone.

MORE

Thursday December 1, 2011 - A big step forward for the women of Africa as Gambian Mrs Fatou Bensouda is all set to succeed Luis Moreno-Ocampo as prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, the ICC next year. Mr Luis Moreno Ocampo steps down next year after nine years in the job and will be remembered for his vigorous pursuit of all those who are alleged to have committed grave human rights abuses, war crimes and other crimes related to those against humanity.

All is now set for the first African woman to become the second prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, the ICC, at the Hague. Mrs Fatou Bensouda, a woman with a charming smile that belies her tough stance against wrong-doers is set to succeed Mr Luis Moreno-Ocampo when he steps down next year after serving as the prosecutor for some nine years. Gambian Mrs Bensouda has been his deputy and women's groups have hailed the news with praise and thumbs-up gestures sending home the message that women are also capable of doing what their male counterparts can do, if not better. And to add even more icing to this cake of achievement is the fact that this woman who will ascend to this high post is a woman from Africa. So say what you will about the Gambia and Sierra Leone, good things do emerge from these helpless and hopeless-looking countries buttressing the fact that from both countries, you do have men and women of goodwill. Decent men and women who refuse to compromise their stance and principles in the search for justice and the equality of everyone under the law.

The BBC adds - "The 50-year-old lawyer from the Gambia serves as the deputy to Luis Moreno-Ocampo, whose term ends next year. She previously worked as a legal adviser at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Tanzania. The ICC's cases are currently all in Africa, and some of the continent's leaders have accused it of only pursuing Africans. A successor to Luis Moreno-Ocampo will be formally elected by the Assembly of States Parties - the body representing the 119 countries that support the tribunal - at its annual meeting in New York on 12 December. However, the president of the ASP, Liechtenstein's UN ambassador Christian Wenaweser, says she is now the only candidate."

This paves the way for her elevation to this top post in the court that was set up in 2002 to try those alleged to have committed crimes relating to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Describing her as the consensus candidate, an article on the website of the ICC stated how this status was reached

On 25 October 2011 the Search Committee for the position of Prosecutor submitted its report to the Bureau, with a shortlist of four candidates. After the release of the report the President of the Assembly, with the assistance of five regional focal points, began a process of consultations over a four week period which included a series of meetings of the New York Working Group of the Bureau, where the four candidates shortlisted by the Search Committee were given the opportunity to present themselves to States Parties. The consultations carried out resulted in an informal agreement among the States Parties to have a consensus candidate, Ms. Fatou B. Bensouda, from The Gambia, nominated for the consideration by the Assembly of States Parties. Ms. Fatou Bensouda will be elected at the tenth session of the Assembly on 12 December 2011, at the United Nations Headquarters, and assume the post on 16 June 2012. Ms. Bensouda was elected Deputy Prosecutor by the Assembly of States Parties on 8 September 2004. She is in charge of the Prosecution Division of the Office of the Prosecutor.

The International Criminal Court (ICC), governed by the Rome Statute is the first permanent, treaty based, international criminal court established to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community. The ICC is an independent international organisation, and is not part of the United Nations system. Again we would want to remind the actors of state in Sierra Leone including the smoke and mirrors President that "the ICC is a court of last resort. It will not act if a case is investigated or prosecuted by a national judicial system unless the national proceedings are not genuine, for example if formal proceedings were undertaken solely to shield a person from criminal responsibility. In addition, the ICC only tries those accused of the gravest crimes".

Wednesday November 30, 2011 - Former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo lands in Holland as the International Criminal Court, the ICC begins the road to justice for all those dismembered, raped, murdered and suffered emotional and other pains during that country's troubles. Rights group say Gbagbo is not the only alleged perpetrators of human rights abuses - that key elements within the Ouattara administration must be hauled before the court if the whole exercise is not to be seen as a "victor's justice".

Ah - this thing called justice. The Sierra Herald called for the arrest and trial of Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo years ago in 2002 when reports started emerging that he had been urging his supporters to attack nationals from other West African countries whom he accused of supporting the opposition. Sections of the capital known to be the abode of these suspected "enemies" were attacked, residents shot and killed while others escaped with bodily harm, at least grateful they had not been put to death. Their homes were also torched and many fellow West Africans were dispossessed and had to leave Ivory Coast penniless and with barely what they were wearing at the time as they fled the persecution unleashed by Laurent Gbagbo and his supporters. The international community sat on folded hands and did nothing even though rights groups had warned and highlighted the horrors perpetuated against perceived "opponents" of Laurent Gbagbo and his ruling party.

It took the outrage of events a little over a year ago when atrocities were unleashed against the people of Ivory Coast as the battle raged between supporters of Laurent Gbagbo and those of Allasane Ouattara with the latter helped along by the rebel New Forces, the army from the north that had tried unsuccessfully to stage a military takeover of the country. They were prevented from getting to the south of the country, the seat of government by forces loyal to President Gbagbo and international forces led by France and other interested nations allied to President Gbagbo.

Thursday November 24, 2011 - Sierra Leone's Vice President's office - the place to be if you are interested in under-the table-activities?....as respected international broadcaster Al Jazeera goes under cover to show a part of what obtains in the serfdom of the smoke and mirrors President. This undercover investigative journalism focusing on how our country's natural resources are being exploited is an eye opener to what obtains behind the doors of those entrusted with the management of the country's resources. Nice one Sorious...soon and very soon....you will be labelled an SLPP top party card holder for daring to expose the thieving and deceitful hustlers in government!!!!!

Al Jazeera's documentary focussing on how, as one of the villains in the film puts it, "money talks in Africa" highlights once again the vultures into whose care the management of the country's natural resources operate in what is clearly an illegal and at the same time a desperate measure by people claiming to have the right connections rip off not only any potential investor, but highlights the unpatriotic beggars that adorn the offices of government - this time, as the documentary shows - that of the Vice President, the second most powerful and influential political seat in Sierra Leone.

It demonstrates just why real investors who work hard for their money and who invest wisely shy away from Sierra Leone for fear of getting involved in underhand deals that could well land them in a corrupt situation where "they can enjoy the protection of the Vice President" and others in what passes for a government. The wheeler dealers are heard boasting how the "investor in logging" should feel proud and secure at being in the office of the Vice President and been made to part with money for the man in whose offices the deal was being struck - and there was the man counting money, demanding that the "investor" budget for some fifty thousand dollars as a start-up point to set up his logging export industry in Sierra Leone - and this with a ban on logging in force!!!

We are reliably made to understand that the two villains involved in the scandal, operating from the office of the Vice President Sam Sumana are opportunistic leeches from the United States who smooth-talked their way into the present government by presenting themselves as "true patriots who left all the good things and better conditions in that country" to go help the struggling masses in our dear and beloved one and only Sierra Leone.

"Later the two men, Alex Mansaray and Momoh Konte, sought and accepted cash payments from the ‘businessmen’, which they claimed would help secure the Vice-President’s support for a timber export business that the undercover reporters wished to establish. Vice-President Sumana later admitted to Al Jazeera that he knew the men but said their claims to be his advisors were false and that he hadn’t received any money solicited by them on his behalf."

We, in the Sierra Herald see this as the tip of the iceberg in a murky climate created by the greedy and warts and all minions and their masters/handlers in top positions of government and could well beg the question - what operates in other ministries as well as at the very heart of deceit and corruption - State House itself?

Congratulations Al Jazeera and to you Sorious Samura for helping throw light on the secret operations of the cabal that passes for a government in Sierra Leone. We say well done and be prepared for the internet flying toilets that will soon be launched on your name and character by beneficiaries of the massive corruption that has become a daily fare of those in positions of trust.

Don't be surprised Sorious, if in their "articles" you are termed a top brass of the SLPP and that you have an agenda to derail the government of the "progressive" NASDAQ bell-ringing calvary of lies, more lies and damned lies.