Dear Tonkolili Temne Warrior, Konekay RUF,
Seke yo!
The Sabbath ended at 16.26 Stockholm time and since it's not a life-threatening situation, it's only now that I have decided to reply to you.
Mood I'm in: The thermometer says that it's minus 11 degrees outside my kitchen window. Wishing that I would be spending tomorrow afternoon with or without the old lady, at Lumley Beach.
Ah these public letters in which we have to be so circumspect and polite and try to not offend Oga, the moderator or pollute the ears of innocent bystanders or onlookers.
Some of our brethren from other parts of Africa & Diaspora still do not know the extent to which Saro people are fond of titles: That e.g. whereas for Nigerians who have had so many military governments since Independence the local office chief is also decorated and rules his mini-kingdom as a despotic "Chief of staff" to be respected and to some extent feared ( as in "The beginning of wisdom is fear of Hashem") for the little Saro man who wants to be big, Bigger, BIGGEST, what is preferable is a SIR in front of his name (Knighthood by no less than by the ex-colony's great Grandmother Elisabeth II ) and little brain or even no brainer would rather like to wear glasses which make him look academic ( like Mahatma Gandhi or Malcolm X) and like Pa Davies, a string of degrees behind his good name ; MA. (Cantal), D. Phil. PhD, D.Litt. (Oxon) and if possible to crown it all – for services rendered to Motherland or to Humanity : The Star of Sierra Leone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'll call you tonight (Washington DC Time) about four hours from now.
My landline will be safe from any unauthorised eavesdropping etc. from Thursday onwards.
Now please take not that if somewhere along the line in this thread, right out of the blue you were to suddenly - indiscreetly observe , "wonder" or allege that Cornelius "supports and justifies Zionist claims but opposed Apartheid" - please don't expect that I will be thus accused and subjugate my reply to such an accusation to the subject heading of this thread which is "CORNELIUS - APC & LEBANON'S TRASH" or that anyone else can answer or dictate that answer for me in this or any other thread, without my permission . Whatever next! Will somebody else soon be writing poems or editing them for me - or be modifying my diction – for me or saying my prayers – for me – or even voting or taking the punishment instead of me? Had they better not be more fruitfully engaged correcting their own bad grammar and modifying their genocidal ideas, or converting their hatred to loving their perceived tribal enemies? As you know, some of us of the free-born species don't need to be granted a poetic license or more philosophical liberty when dealing with reality – so far I have only chosen to give a short even imprecise answer. I should also like to add that I have read the Holy Quran fourteen times and contrary to some venomous Islamophobic criticisms, cover to cover, I found no digression in it.
But in response to what you have just said (strictly relevant) and for the record: in my view, it would be wholly unjust to characterize Pa Kabbah's presidency and Our Ernest's presidency so far, as "terrible for the country". Did you actually make such predictions? I ask because it's usually easier to pass judgement in retrospect. Still - you ought to choose your words even more judiciously. Pa Kabbah had a lot of good ideas, many of which did not come to fruition within his mandate period but he did do a lot of good things - made a lot of memorable speeches and had embarked on a programme emphasising Sir Milton Margai's "education of the girl child" and was on the way to food security for the nation around the time that Dr. Monty Jones won the World Food Prize.
If anything, it's Ebola that has been terrible for the country – and true too , the Palm Tree Government had its own shortcomings – such as the pursuit and incarceration of Paul Kamara, that case of heroin in a diplomatic bag to London, the Momoh Pujeh diamond scandal , the failure of his Anti-Corruption Commission which only succeeded in prosecuting and nailing less than eight small fry in all the years of its existence.
You are absolutely wrong about Kabs Kanu to whom I doff my hat for his awesome contributions via Cocorioko and the then Cocorioko Forum ( I have the archives) to ensuring that Ernest Bai Koroma the APC flagbearer was able to trounce the incumbent SLPP at the 2007 elections. Unlike Sam Metzger (who I once knew personally) Kabs has never changed his alliance or loyalty to Our Ernest and the APC – and neither have I. We will see how things will go between now and 2017 when once more it will be time for the good people of Sierra Leone to choose the lesser of two evils.
Yes, the Govt. ought to be making sure that everybody has immediate access to a clinic within at least a ten mile radius of where they live and have a bus or ambulance available. (Over here it's a five minute walk to my hospital and in case of emergency even helicopters are available for those who may need one. Unfortunately, just in case I might have to make a quick getaway, it's an hour's drive to the international airport)
About Rathbone (I vaguely recollect my Better Half getting some kind of authorisation from him to access the archives of the colonial office in the British museum). What do you mean by he "debunked" Arthur Abraham's book – his doctoral thesis? Did Kenneth Little (no relative of Malcolm X) do likewise? Methinks that your putdown of Arthur's book and your putdown of the Mende's innate democratic instinct is nothing less than Temne-man's jealousy of the Mende: for example the Mende have female/ women Chiefs -such as the illustrious Madam Yoko and late great Madam Ella Koblo Gulama – whereas the Temnes do not have female paramount chiefs and therefore cannot boast like the Mende. Sorry about that. Proud Tonkolili Warrior, what does this suggest to you about Temne notions of gender equality, even under the good old days of Mammy Queen (Queen Victoria)?
About the Mende-man's democratic instinct, having only spent less than a few hours in Mendeland's fabled hospitality, maybe I am a little biased and my judgment is mainly predicated on my observation of Arthur Abraham at close quarters - very eloquent , discursive - a veritable unstoppable waterfall of verbiage once he got going, - but then again, as I found myself explaining to Irishman Karl Murphy ( on November 27th, 2015) unlike poor me, on the whole, those of my countrymen who attended either St. Edwards or CKC under the benign tutelage of their Irish and other Catholic schoolmasters tended to be blessed and inculcated more of an unfettered spirit of enquiry and argumentative tendencies than those who were reared under more Gradgrindian principles. But of course, best of all were the Princes Boys , (science and languages) free electrons in the province of freedom who were not taught any religion at school but who nonetheless had a school choir, a chess club, cricket and athletics club, literary and debating society, conducted mock sessions of the UN General Assembly and even had a prefect hood…
Given the ethnic nature of Sierra Leone politics it is no surprise if what you say is true, of some of the Sierra Leone Chiefs that "some of the Paramount Chiefs have no respect for EBK, but do not have the cojones to confront him a la one of my RUF Paramount Chiefs the late Bai Yorsor Kholifa (from Dr. Mohamed Sorie Forna and Foday Sankoh's chiefdom) who was a thorn on the side of Stevens, Momoh and Tejan Kabbah."
Finally, Konekay RUF, the good brother and friend, the Proud Bombali Warrior that I spoke to is Limba. Or rather of Limba and Mandinka parentage. And unlike some other Shierra Leoneans, he is an honest man , one who combines the bravery of Chief Bai Bureh an the blood of Almamy Suluku flowing through his arteries…
Talk to you later.
Cornelius
On Friday, 15 January 2016 08:11:46 UTC+1, william bangura wrote:
Korthor Cornelius,I will call you tomorrow.My predictions on the late President Tejan Kabbah and the current president EBK that they would both be terrible for the country has come to pass.Kabs Kanu is no different than his "hero" the late Sam Metzger who used to be the propagandist for Sir Albert Margai's SLPP but later became the partisan for Siaka Stevens and his APC's tyranny. Kabs' conviction is for self-aggrandizement. EBK and his APC must call for an election in 2017.If EBK had constructed poli-clinics in every village the Ebola disease would not have been a pandemic. But he is too busy stealing from the country.Richard Rathbone debunks Arthur Abraham's book, "Mende Government and Politics under Colonial Rule" on the 'democracy' of the Mendes. I support Rathbone, because in my analysis of Mende they preach democracy, but do not believe in the system. This is true of most Temnes and the numerous ethnic groups.Who was the proud Bombali warrior that you spoke to? Is he/she a Temne a Limba? That "warrior" is lying, some of the Paramount Chiefs have no respect for EBK, but do not have the cojones to confront him a la one of my RUF Paramount Chiefs the late Bai Yorsor Kholifa (from Dr. Mohamed Sorie Forna and Foday Sankoh's chiefdom) who was a thorn on the side of Stevens, Momoh and Tejan Kabbah.William BanguraKonekay RUFOn Thu, Jan 14, 2016 at 4:20 PM, Cornelius Hamelberg <cornelius...@gmail.com> wrote:--Proud Temne Warrior from Tonkolili,Seke yo!
I presume that the "and counting" in "your APC has "governed" Sierra Leone for 32 years and counting" is a snide reference to this BBC blip speculating about another term for O' Bai Koroma ?
All that I have to say on this matter I have already said here and here
As to the prospects of President Koroma going for a third term, if it is done constitutionally - i.e. the constitution is amended to accommodate that possibility – or by two thirds majority / referendum etc. - that what would be the basis of your objection/s?
One of the arguments employed by Rev Kanu for giving O'Bai Koroma more time is that the SLPP's Alhaji Ahmed Tejan Kabbah's first term was interrupted for more than ten months when Johnny Paul Koroma took over by a military coup and Pa Kabbah had to hop into the first helicopter to safety in Guinea Conakry and that the length of that period of the interregnum (10 months) was added to Pa Kabbah's time when he was restored to power ( anecdotally – when on the 6th of January 1998 I phoned the then Chief Justice of Sierra Leone Samuel Olu Beccles-Davies , my uncle Olu, one of the most senior members of my mother's family to break the sad news that she had just passed away in London - - when he picked up the phone, he told me that Nigerian soldiers were all over his house – what for ?- I asked him – "They are looking for Johnny Paul Koroma" – he told me ( he had sworn in Johnny Paul Koroma as head of state after the coup) - so where is he? – I asked him – "The rascal is up in the hills" - he told me - "but you can go ahead and talk…")
So Kabs wants to make the same plea for Ernest Bai whose good works have been interrupted - unnaturally - by eighteen months of having to deal with Ebola – and don't forget that Ernest Bai's good works include improved Health Care in Sierra Leone….
What sayest thou?
Last night I talked to a proud Bombali warrior and he told me that one of the things that Ernest Bai Koroma has going for him is that he respects and has shown a lot of respect to all of the traditional chiefs and their respective chieftaincies – at which point I thought fondly of proud Temne Warrior William Bangura of Tonkolili who has told us a few times now that in Temne-land people "revere the chieftaincy and not the chief"…
Arthur Abraham (old friend) and his Mende Government and Politics under Colonial Rule tell it differently for the Mende people.
By the way, I have phoned you several times between Jesus' Birthday and the New Year. Why don't you pick up the phone? Is it because I am not a chief or member of any chiefdom/ chieftaincy?
Again, Ignoramus was only asking
Cornelius
On Thursday, 14 January 2016 20:52:34 UTC+1, william bangura wrote:Or Bai Cornelius,You should not be surprised by your President Ernest Bai Koroma (EBK) and your APC's attempt to accept Lebanon's trash. I have articulated on this forum why there is no difference between Siaka Stevens' "old" APC and your EBK's 'new APC'. In the late 1970's or early 1980s Stevens wanted to receive nuclear waste from the US. This did not materialize because of demonstrations and the intervention of the "international community".But the fundamental problem of Sierra Leone is that majority of her citizens in the diaspora and the country do not understand the basics of governance, accountability and transparency.Stevens' diabolical governance from April 1968 to November 1985 a total of seventeen years crystallized corruption which is now a norm. Momoh's "administration" from November 1985 until April 29, 1992 compounded this corruption. Consequently, your APC has "governed" Sierra Leone for 32 years and counting.William BanguraKonekay RUF
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