By Honourable Karamoh Kabba, Resident Minister, Eastern Region, Sierra Leone.
I am gravely saddened by the ill-motivated propaganda against me aimed at tarnishing my hard earned image.
Recently, I responded to a violent demonstration spurred by a few persons aided by an alarmist radio host who broadcast all day on his talk show (like in the Rwandan genocide days), for the "Kono people to rise and fight for their right", with the propensity to cause human and property casualties, as well as ruining the city (Koidu).
Besides being an indigene of Kono, I am the Resident Minister East, with the mandate to implement government policies as well as channel and facilitate the hopes and aspirations of my people.
In my robust response to protect lives and properties alongside the regional police commander when a few lawless people barricaded the main highway in and out of Koidu New Sembehun thereby violating the rights of commuters, an hour-long interview I gave to SLBC Kono has been taken out of context for the convenience and consumption of my detractors and their agents respectively to promote negative propaganda against me, all sponsored by unscrupulous persons because of my actions to protect my people from bad business people and my recent past in protecting my people from lawless persons.
Let it be known, therefore, that it was only a few seconds segment of my speech that had been extrapolated and taken out of context. This may have been caused by my inadvertent use of Krio words and as a result of my inadequacy with the Krio language, it has been taken advantage of and utilized to portray me negatively. The same message was understood desirably when I delivered it to the people in the Kono language, my mother tongue.
And above all, when the entire speech is listened to, the meaning is desirable, but my detractors only took a segment of it, which, when isolated, gives a negative interpretation of my well-intended message to the people.
For a quick background, the people of Koidu New Sembehun have decided to extract gravel beneath the Congo Creek bridge which has been the scene of illegal mining activity sponsored by bad business diamond dealers, which has compromised the bridge and the road as well as serving as a death trap for many citizens in badly dug foxholes along the bridge and the sides of the road for the last 40 years.
The Government of Sierra Leone is now constructing a new road and the people believe that the gravel which is believed to contain diamonds, if not extracted for all to see, will attract further illegal mining, compromising the new bridge and road as well s being a death trap for illegal miners.
And policing the road over the years has been a challenging and expensive venture for the Sierra Leone Police. Even more, one of the casualties of illegal mining of the road and bridge is said to be a police officer in the line of duty in policing the bridge.
We have evaluated the people’s argument as compelling but we will stop illegal mining; that will prevent further destruction of the road and the death of many more Kono people.
So far, I ask that my friends and family as well as those who appreciate my good work stay calm and should have no cause to worry about me. And I am enjoying a very favorable popularity among my people here in Kono. They are happy that I am always here on time to protect lives and properties
Kono is now calm and peaceful. Please disregard any ad hominem attacks by my detractors and false news dissemination by their agents.
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