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“Monkey Woke Babu Eat Salone!!” |
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Written by Christopher Koker
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Tuesday, 16 February 2010 15:17 |
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If my memory could serve me well which I'm very sure is the case, it was the late Sir Milton Margai, Sierra Leone's first Prime Minister and head of government, who made the following statement on the day and date before the day and date Sierra Leone was to gain her Independence from Great Britain, our colonial master: i.e. Wednesday, 26 April, 1961 preceding Independence day… Thursday, 27 April, 1961; - "independence means hard work, independence is not the right to do as we please; but the opportunity to please to do what is right".
The old man went further to say that now, it is not going to be… "Monkey Woke, babu eat O! as previously, but rather, it must now be seen to be monkey woke, monkey eat; if babu wants to eat, babu must be seen to really work for whatever it wants to eat, it must not be monkey woke, babu eat, but monkey woke, monkey eat…"
Siaka Stevens, who was Sierra Leone's second president after the late Chief Justice Christopher Okoro Elnathan Cole, who was Sierra Leone's first president - ceremonial though, while Siaka Stevens was Executive President repeated or underscored the statements of Dr. Milton Margai that when monkey woke, nar monkey for eat.
There can be no gainsaying the fact that the Chief Executive's, President Ernest Bai Koroma's clarion call for Attitudinal and Behavioural Change, when philosophically analysed, is the same like what both Sir Milton Margai and Siaka Stevens uttered by saying that when monkey woke, nar monkey for eat; and not when monkey woke babu eat.
Peep Magazine indeed, cannot agree with that statement more.
President Bai Koroma's Attitudinal and Behavioural Change call is simply to tell us Sierra Leoneans and non-Sierra Leoneans alike, dwelling within the four cardinal points of this country to stop doing what is wrong and start to do what is right.
Corruption!!! Which is the misuse, abuse and bad use of both public and private office for private or personal gain, benefit and profit, is the same thing as monkey woke, babu eat.
From the State House which is the seat of the Executive arm of the government, right down to the Parliament where we have got our law makers and further down to the Judiciary, our judges; the Law Lords, who are all paid from the consolidated revenue fund, and still yet again right down, down, down to the private businessman, there is some form of corruption - yuki-yuki in either of the above stated or mentioned high offices of the land.
Sierra Leone's endemic and deep rooted corruption simply means that this is a nation and country of "monkey woke, babu eat".
The Pen Rebels, or crooks and criminals, those Shylocks, who fraudulently convert state monies and funds by whatever way and means to their own private and personal use and benefit are the babus that eat what the masses - that is to say, the majority or commonalty that pay their hard worked and earned monies, otherwise referred to as the monkies work very, very hard for.
It was this same monkey woke babu eat attitude and behaviour that occasioned the rebel war or conflict which commenced in this country on Sunday, 23 March, 1991.
From the State House, right down to the Parliament, the Judiciary and even in the private business sectors, there is the attitude and behaviour of monkey woke, babu eat.
The media, especially the press keeps castigating the Executive, Parliamentary and Judiciary arms of the government.
Thus the Executive, Parliament, the Judiciary and the populace likewise accuse the media, especially the press, of being irresponsible, immoral, dangerous and replete with blackmail and any other vices you can think of under the heavens…
Who then is right and who is wrong?!
Take this now, dear reader… the baboon and the snake once had a very bitter argument over the issue of physiology and evolutionary changes.
Said the baboon to the snake: "what a pity that while we and some others can be seen going on either two or four legs, you are eternally seen going or crawling on your belly".
Then replied the snake to the utterances of the baboon: "I am sure and think that you don't even know and realize that you are very far removed from the evolutionary process; some times you walk on two legs and at other times you are seen going on your fours.
You are the wonder boy of Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory for you are neither man nor beast; that is why thinkers refer to you as being the creature of a halted evolution; so I would advise you to just shut your mouth and stop castigating others when you do not seem to know and realize your situation."
Yes! Indeed, the snake will ever go on its belly while the baboon is indeed the creature of a halted evolution, being neither man nor beast.
Monkey woke babu eat Salone!
One day, we pray and hope that the Almighty Jehovah will make Salone to be monkey woke, and monkey eats and not monkey woke and babu eat.
If and when babu wants to eat, babu must be seen to work for what to eat and not to fraudulent convert what monkey has worked for to babu's own use and benefit.
They own houses and a fleet of vehicles out of their meager salaries.
Is this not monkey woke, babu eat, in - Salone?! |
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