Vanity Titles
Honor and shame from no condition rise; act well your part, there all the honor lies- Pope.
“U no udat ar bi?” This is one of the usual braggadocios that are spewed up from the months of people who think of themselves more highly than they ought to think. They are usually coconut heads of little or no impact in their various fields of endeavor. The syndrome of boastfulness is all to common and should be discouraged. They are simply flattering and adulatory titles.
The title of His/Her Excellency is accorded mainly to Heads of State and Ambassadors/High Commissioners when out of their countries of origin. When they are in country they are not accorded that title. It is only accorded because they are representing their heads of state.
Former Ex- Vice-President Solomon Berewa never accorded the title when he lost his office. Similarly former vice –President Sam Sumana is not being called by that title.
But some sycophants are still according the title Excellency to Ex-President Koroma as if he is President of Sierra Leone for life. Most objectionable that a Deputy Ambassador who was sacked is still being referred to as Ambassador as he styles himself in his Newspaper.
The most misused title is that of HONORABLE which is used by anyone who has lost his/her seat in Parliament. It’s not only that it is confusing to constituents, especially illiterate ones. Two or three persons in a constituency being called HONOURABLE can be bewildering,
Loyalty and homage is diffused. It is a fact that the legislators who should stand against such anomaly will ever legislate against it because they hope to benefit from it when they are out of the House. Only the Executive can bring pressure to bear to abolish such an obnoxious practice. A person should be weighed for what he/she is with not for the conferred title.
“Guard against that vanity which courts a compliment, or is fed by it-Chalings.
As a nation we should guard against such flattering titles that add no value to production in the state. In the days prior to our Independence national honors were awarded by Britain. There were such titles as O.B.E Order of the British Empire) which was mimicked as Obedient Boy of the Empire. K.C. M.G. ( Knight Commander of St. Michael and St. Georges) mimicked as Kindly Call me God Commanders of St. Michael and St. Georges as Call me God.
Prices Never Go down?
This is the cliché that goes around by enemies of government. But the incumbent SLPP government has proved that this is not so. During this regime fuel prices have gone up and down. The latest drop in price is that of rice, the staple food. It has been reduced substantially. Not only have that, the price of cement and building materials been reduced. So the lie has been given to all those who believe that priced of goods and foodstuff never goes down. They don’t go down under other deceptive political process but under the government of SLPP they go down Paopa