THE OSWALD HANCILES COLUMN Ebola Saboteurs and Diabolical Propagandists(Dr. Sylvia Blyden’s Big Lie Letter) The ‘simple matter’ of a citizen of Sierra Leone, Chernoh Bah, shipping from the United States to the port of Freetown $141,000 worth of anti-Ebola materials on August 12, 2014; and having earlier made a request to the government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) to pay the shipper $6,183 …. and the apparent slowness of GoSL….has crescendo-ed into the issue being published in one of the most influential newspapers in the world, the New York Times, and aired several times on world-famous BBC, and has gone on other global media like Reuters. It is instructive for us. With the Ebola War in West Africa, the floodlight of the international media is turned on us. The letter written by former Special Executive Assistant to the President (SEA), Dr. Sylvia Blyden, in response to New York Times’ Adam Nossiter’s article, titled, ‘ Ebola Help for Sierra Leone Is Nearby, but Delayed on the Dock’, published on the front page of the New York Times on 5th October, 2014, teaches us, and WARNS us, about the Dangerous Art of Propaganda. Propaganda can sometimes include the simple art of telling a Big Lie, then, having the diabolical intensity to engage in REPITION of your Big Lie. In the late 1930s, that was how Adolf Hitler got Germans to largely believe that Jews in Germany were responsible for all of Germany’s economic woes – 6 million Jews were killed. In Rwanda in 1994, extremist Hutus used broadcast radio and convinced people that “Tutsis” were “cockroaches” – and 900,000 Tutsis were butchered. Absolute Need for Anti-Ebola Materials in Chernoh Bah’s Container Excerpt from Nossiter’s artice: In Chernoh Bah’s abovementioned container, there are “…..There are 100 bags and boxes of hospital linens, 100 cases of protective suits, 80 cases of face masks and other items — in all, more than $140,000 worth of medical equipment locked inside a dented container at the port since Aug. 9….. A recent surge of cases …… quickly overwhelmed health workers, with protective gear so lacking that some nurses have worked around the deadly virus in their street clothes…..More than 80 health care workers in Sierra Leone have died in the outbreak, and even in the capital, Freetown, some burial crews wear protective gowns with gaping holes in them, a clear indication of the urgent need for more supplies….” Dr. Sylvia Blyden’s Big Lie Letter In a letter dated 6th October, 2014, to New York Times’ Adam Nossiter, “Former Special Executive Assistant to the President of Sierra Leone” wrote “….I think you have been misled about the Chernor Bah issue which you covered in your today (6th October 2014) edition…” For now, I touch on only one variable of Dr. Sylvia Blyden’s letter. I quote her: “… I delved deeper into the matter and I realised that Mr. Chernor Bah had infact never informed the Government that the container was to be shipped in and that it was only when the container was berthing into the ports that he contacted the government and requested for money he claimed was for shipment of the said container…..” The letter has been published in at least six local newspapers yesterday; and splattered on social media hundreds of times. (Go and check. And count!), so, I am going to excerpt the exact QUOTES of Dr. Sylvia Blyden’s Big Lie against Chernoh Bah: 1)”… demanding to be given 6,500 dollars cash for a container he said he had shipped in…”; 2.”… and demand $6,500 cash as a prerequisite for handing over the donation..”.; 3. “….To our utmost shock and amazement, Mr. Chernor Bah refused to hand over the BILL OF LADEN that would have commenced the process of clearing the container…”; 4. “…..Rather, Mr. Bah outrightly stated that if he does not see the 6,500 dollars cash in his possession, he will not allow the Health Ministry to commence the process to clear the container….” ; 5. “…If Mr. Chernor Bah refused to hand over the BILL OF LADEN to Mr. Yayah Alviv Conteh…” ; 6. “…..will not approve for the payment of the 6,500 dollars cash to Mr. Bah….”; 7. “…The KPMG auditors, after much persuasion by the government, eventually approved for payment of the 6,183.53 dollars even though they did not see an original BILL OF LADEN! ….”; 8. “…..The money was paid into the foreign bank account given to us by Chernor Bah…” ; 9. “…The instruction for Sierra Leone Commercial Bank to pay Chernor Bah the sum of $6,183.53 was signed by the WHO/UNICEF, State House and Health Ministry (Please see attached document) and was effected to the Bank since 21st September 2014…”; 10. “…..Mr. Bah said he will not discuss the airfreighting of the ambulances with anyone unless he first got the 6,500 dollars cash in his hands…..”; 11. “…..It was sad. Please note that even after the Government had paid him $6,183.53 cash…”; 12. “…. Mr. Conteh informed me that the WHO/UNICEF Partners and Government officials had ensured the money was paid to Mr. Bahs chosen Bank Account….” 13. “….Please find attached a copy of the evidence that indeed Mr. Bah has been paid $6,183.53 through the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank….”; 14. “….This is in addition to the $6,183.53 dollars they have already paid to Mr. Bah….” 15. “……The delay laid in an inability of Mr. Chernor Bah to provide BILL OF LADEN documents to back up his demand for 6,500 dollars cash…” The Big Lie of Dr. Blyden that Chernoh Bah “demanded cash”…and “cash” “paid” …”cash in his possession”….”cash in hand….” are directed against Chernoh Bah in her single letter FIFTEEN TIMES. Now, The Truth against the Big Lie In April, 2014, Chernoh Bah called me from the US and told me he would want to raise materials for the Ebola War here – but had qualms about it. I assured him that President Koroma has always embraced others, and his initiative would be welcomed by the President, even if in 2012 he was an opposition politician. On August 12, 2014, Chernoh Bah sent me an e-letter reading: “…..I write to inform you that myself and my brother Mohamed L. Bah ….have been able to mobilize, as part of our effort to help the government of Sierra Leone in the ongoing campaign against the deadly Ebola virus, a total of four 40 feet containers). However, we will want the government of Sierra Leone to assist with the costs associated with shipping and clearing of these containers. …..” Even as I replied Chernoh Bah’s mail, I copied Prof. Monty Jones, Special Adviser to the President, and four of the topmost Senior Adviser (s) in State House. In an e-mail to me, Dr. Blyden raised a question about the content of Chernoh Bah’s container; and on August 30, 2014, I responded thus: “ You may have missed it, but, the CONTENTS of the container had been posted as an attachment to several senior State House advisers, and, the health ministry…” After about a month of twisting and turning that included the Permanent Secretary, the Procurement Officer in the health ministry, and over THIRTY e-mails, the man in charge of ‘foreign donations’ in the health ministry, Yayah Conteh, wrote me on September 3, thus: “….Dear Mr Hanciles….The Ministry will facilitate clearance and transportation of the container from the quay. Please send us the bill of lading which is required to prepare the custom and excise documents….. The Bill of Laden Can by Health Ministry, Not Chernoh Bah I responded to Mr. Yayah Conteh on September 5, 2014 thus: ”….I am delighted to get confirmation from you that the Government of Sierra Leone will now pay for the $141,000-worth container of Ebola materials shipped to Freetown from the United States on the 9th August, 2014 by Chernoh Bah. As regards relevant documents on the container: they have all been posted via e-….mail a dozen times to all relevant authorities in the health ministry and State House; in fact, to my knowledge, the Bill of Lading was shown to my humble self, and Mr. Chernoh Bah (who set his eyes on it for the very first time), by the procurement officer and Permanent Secretary of the health ministry when we were following up the clearing issue at the Ebola Operational Command at the WHO headquarters at Kingharman Road. …..For the records, have in mind that the container in question is the possession of the health ministry of the Republic of Sierra Leone, and has nothing to do with my humble self and Chernoh Bah - so, there is really no need to get permission from me or Chernoh Bah on what is already your (Government of Sierra Leone) own possession the moment it landed on the shores of Sierra Leone…..” The bottom line here is that Chernoh Bah did not “demand cash” for the container – rather REQUESTED that the shipper be paid for the anti-Ebola material he brought to Freetown. Chernoh Bah was not the shipper of the container – he was the facilitator. Chernoh Bah was not even in the United States when the container was packed. Chernoh Bah never entered into direct communication with the health ministry or State House as regards payment to be made to the shipper; all his correspondence on the matter had me, Oswald Hanciles, as his conduit – and all the health ministry’s correspondence on the matter to Chernoh Bah was directed to me, Oswald Hanciles. Don’t forget the kernel of this ‘container saga’. One Million Dollars Plus Anti-Ebola Materials Risked being Lost Chernoh Bah’s container has anti-Ebola materials – I.V. poles, hospital mattresses, face masks, etc. – worth $141,000. In over ten e-mails, I stressed that the slowness of clearing the container risk Sierra Leone not getting three other containers which Chernor Bah has in the US destined for Sierra Leone; they include I.V. poles, patient’s lifts, lines, computers, televisions, x-ray view boxes, etc…..WORTH ABOUT ONE MILLION DOLLARS. Plus EIGHT AMBULANCES secured by Chernoh Bah already. It is clear to me that some people in government, and even civil society, are sabotaging government-led Ebola War. Why? I pause here.
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 19:08:37 +0000
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