By Andrew Keili
Those who thought the fight between Former Mayor and Mayor Elect, Yvonne Aki-Sawyer (YAS) and the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs had ended and both parties would turn over a new leaf during her second term must be disappointed that the fight has started again. This time, if YAS had sat down quietly at home waiting for those “disaggregated results”, as one commentator suggested, it would not have been necessary. “But no, she jumped on a plane and went all over the place, even generating more publicity than those who went to UNGA”. Said the commentator. This time, she went to “Heaven”-I will explain that later! Her signing of an accord with the Mayor of New Haven, Connecticut in the USA, reaffirming an earlier agreement between that city and Freetown has not gone down well with the Ministry.
The Ministry has been quite unequivocal in its press release on the issue. They consider this agreement as null and void, as YAS was not properly seated as Mayor to sign any agreement. The release called upon the Sierra Leone Ambassador to the USA to contact the Mayor of New Haven and apprise her of this matter. The release also warns that, “this act of fraudulence will be investigated to bring out details of the source of funding for this illegal engagement”. Detractors are asking questions about where YAS got the money from to travel all over the place. Could this be a case for the ACC? Did she go with any entourage utilizing government or FCC funds that would warrant ACC’s intervention? The Ministry reiterates that “Sierra Leone is a sovereign nation that has prided itself in the rule of law”. And, indeed, we are a sovereign state that takes care of itself. Why the hell would people want to interfere into our business? The release also encourages citizens not to take this agreement seriously and has disclosed that the Ministry has been “overwhelmed with calls from concerned citizens over the reaffirmation agreement”. One only hopes someone kept a tab on the number of complaints for YAS to realize the seriousness of her infraction. The Ministry considers the agreement null and void.
The only problem is that in its haste to put out the release before YAS embarked upon another tour, the Press release refers to “New Heaven” in several instances instead of New Haven, spells “necessity” as “necessesity” and also makes reference to “Mayor of Connecticut”. As for “New Heaven”, the typist probably thought it was correct, as there is reference to New Heaven in Revelations 21- “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven……”. She probably picked this up from Winners Chapel’s Bible study.
It is comforting however to learn from an email sent to YAS by the Mayor of New Haven that YAS signed the agreement with the acknowledgement that it was non-binding and merely symbolic to reaffirm an earlier agreement. So what are they fighting over? Legitimate questions could however be posed to both sides. Why did YAS not just wait until the current political impasse was settled instead of popping up in all places and hobnobbing with the rich and famous? And to the Ministry- would it not have helped if all facts about an “infraction” were investigated before rushing to judgment? And lastly, an advice-change that typist or transfer him/her to YAS when she becomes Mayor again!