By Amin Kef (Ranger)
Mohamed Gento Kamara, the well renowned and most endearing Mayoral aspirant, vying under the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), out of growing fear for his growing popularity, has, of late, become the subject of seemingly real but bogus, misplaced and misguided lampooning by failed cowards as well as jittering opposition forces , who, out of fear that is driven by paranoid and panicky apprehensions, have sank down so low and even going to the extent of cleverly fabricating grandiose promises of bringing down heaven on earth purporting, in a convincing manner through social media posts, that they form part of Gento’s manifesto; what he intends doing after being elected as FCC Mayor.
Using the Social Media, these fretful and cowardly politicians, hiding under the cloak of their supporters, have made baseless claims and circulated such far and wide that Gento promised free education at all educational levels when he becomes the Mayor of the Freetown City Council (FCC).
This medium is of the strongest conviction that such a bogus claim, when cognizance is taken of the huge costs involved, is not feasible or attainable at this material time as it is deemed to be farfetched. That bogus deceptive claim was not in any way meant to enhance Gento’s election bid but rather to denigrate him by putting him in a funny position that will depict him somehow as a personality that does not keep to his promises.
Another of those fabricated lies that the spinsters have been circulating on Social Media is that even though he has not yet become Mayor of Freetown, Gento is so development-oriented that he already has his 100 days plan in office which includes installing street lights on all major streets In Freetown, from Upgun through Bai Bureh Road to Allen Town and also from Upgun through Blackhall Road to Calaba Town; from Upgun Kissy Road East End Police, Kissy Old Bypass Road to Allen Town, Upgun to Cline Town/Cline Town through Fourah
Bay Road to East End Police area; Siaka Stevens Street to St. John and all the major streets/important public places in Western Area, among other ambitious plans.
This medium, out of its thorough investigative skills has proven beyond all reasonable doubts that was never said or promised by Gento.
It must be noted that Gento is mainly focused and zestful of changing the face of the Freetown Metropolis but in doing so he will never promise what he could not deliver, this medium was reliably intimated.
Agreed that embarking on beautification of the city will obviously include the installation of street lights, however, such is not part of any laid down plan of Gento but understandably with time and availability of funds such a venture could be welcoming as long as such will help in enhancing tourism and also positively project the capital city’s image.
Having failed in their initial attempts, the political saboteurs have decided to make mountains out of molehill by giving distorted interpretations to a religious tolerant statement that Gento made at a mosque in Freetown last Friday but was contextually misunderstood.
Their interpretation or say misinterpretation of the Mayoral aspirant’s assertion that many Muslim brothers and sisters are leaving mosques to go to churches because they believe they will secure jobs and that the majority of the unemployed people in the country are Muslims, as him preaching religious hatred or division when in actual fact he was hammering home the salient point of love for one another regardless of religious orientation or leaning..
However, as Gento himself stated in a recent media programme if anyone misunderstood his message in the mosque and thought that he preached religious tension, he is sorry but that was not what he intended to do.
As a matter of fact he even told the congregation that him, being a Muslim, he will chose a Christian as his running mate with the intention of not only demonstrating but promoting religious tolerance which he said must be consolidated as an important hallmark of the Sierra Leonean State.
But the family background of Gento even speaks loudly to religious tolerance as opposed to the contrary as he is a Muslim who is married to a Christian lady having a mother who is an ordained Pastor. The interaction among them has always been based on mutual respect and not their religious orientations or leanings.
According to Gento such acts of sabotage and vitriolic attacks are inevitable in any political race as they are concocted and unleashed just to score cheap political goals but merely considers them as mere distractions which will not take him off his course to deliver the city of Freetown from the clutches of greedy personalities who, as a result of their self aggrandizement instincts, failed woefully to provide basic social amenities for residents and make Freetown more habitable when they were given the opportunity to do so.
He made it categorically clear that he is not in the political race to display wealth or just for the sake of getting power but rather to better the livelihoods of Freetonians leaving behind enduring infrastructure and legacies that are deeply rooted in the genuine implementation of sound developmental oriented policies.
He has underscored, on various occasions, that when cognizance is taken of the fact that the vast majority of residents of Freetown are finding it difficult to access pipe borne water supply , sanitary conditions are nothing good to write home about, suitable market spaces are not available leading to street trading, the growing number of destitute and beggars becoming eyesores, putting up buildings in prohibited areas that causes floods and other disasters then there is a need to provide sound leadership in the Freetown City Council to overcome those challenges.
Gento has, on countless occasions, made it abundantly clear that for development to transpire there should be no room for nurturing tribalism or promoting religious tolerance. He still continues to call on all to be united at all times also constantly reminding that we must be each other’s keeper.
He said if residents of Freetown realize that Council is really working in their interest they will be willing to pay taxes including the local tax.
“It is simply because there is nothing to show as being done out of tax payers’ money that is the main reason why most Freetonians are unwilling to pay local taxes,” he convincingly intimated adding that when he becomes the FCC Mayor he will work assiduously to change that narrative and make people know that the payment of taxes is necessary if development is to transpire.
From investigations mounted by this medium it has become crystal clear that residents of Freetown are fed up with the infighting rocking the Council based on tribal bigotry and lack of cohesiveness brought about by the erstwhile Mayor.
Most individuals that this medium contacted said they have rejected outright the notion that it is only someone with a Krio pedigree that is only eligible to be elected as Mayor maintaining that such is erroneous as there is no existing legislation that sanctifies or speaks to that.
Some have expressed the conviction that democracy can only be seen at play when everyone is given the franchise; the right to vote and to be voted for.
The vast majority that this medium engaged said they have seen the light and come to the rude awakening that the only way out for Freetown is Chief Mohamed Gento Kamara adding that those sitting on the fence must make no mistake but to join the race ahead of casting their votes for the man of the moment.
Assurances have been given that indeed Gento will serve as a good Mayor whose name may have been destined to go down the annals of the country’s history as the Freetown Mayor who never let his residents down but rather worked assiduously to fulfil and translate their aspirations into reality as well as responding adequately by providing basic amenities in addition to the radical transformation of one of the oldest cities by making it a befitting metropolis and an envy in the West African sub region.
