I deliberately had not commented on the situation revolving around the hijacking and subsequent surgical operation on 13 years old Mamie Sam, who was identified with an enlarged breast. I chose not to comment because I felt the entire situation surrounding the criminal abduction of the child is centered on a personality whom I consider to be functional but not well educated on legal issues. I speak here of Madam Asma Kamara James, Station Manager of Radio Democracy FM98.1.
I am still bemused how Madam Asma went on national radio openly acknowledging that she is the one who sent to collect another person’s child for surgery, in a case of which the two biological parents have on countless of instances stated that their consent was never sought for! In a case, where the grand uncle who handed over the child without consulting the parents, said he only did it because a lady spoke to him on the phone identifying herself to be the Minister of Social Welfare, Honourable Sylvia Blyden. The Minister has since loudly denied sending to collect anybody’s child.
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| Awareness Times Acting Editor Abdul Malik Bangura |
To my mind, desperation and shamelessness are just the attributes of functional illiterates. This is because, not a single man in his right senses would ever allow another man’s child undergoes such major surgery, without the consent of the parents, and still is boastful over it.
In addition, I feel that for Dr. Turay and his Makeni-based Holy Spirit Hospital to wickedly connive to deprive parents of Mamie Sam access to their child is completely bad. This does not conform to normal medical ethics. It cannot be done in any western society. Why allow it to happen here? It all pained me bitterly but for reasons best known to me, I chose not to comment on it but to rather leave both the evil and stupid woman and the Holy Spirit hospital authority to continue to delve in the path of wickedness. I had my reason for forcing my mouth shut and staying off my pen.
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| Dr. Julius Spencer |
However, I have decided to take the pen again just to make some clarifications on an article written by one Ph.D holder and former Minister of Information Dr. Julius Spencer, in which he is shamelessly turning a horrible crime of illegally taking a child, performing surgery on her that was NOT AN EMERGENCY and then denying the biological parents access to seeing their child; into a so-called ‘philanthropic’ event that is heroic.
Today I write because I feel our society has been deceived for too long by highly educated men like Spencer. This is the type of shameless personality who can see the most criminal act undertaken by any individual and then hailing perpetrators.
For someone who is a former government Minister of Information like Julius Spencer, now misinforming our gullible masses about activities regarding the nature of Sierra Leonean laws and International Treaties on Children’s welfare, shows how totally dishonest some of our educated elites are.
As a human rights activist myself, I see no sense for journalists and other officials in hailing a desperate woman and hospital authorities, thus denying the concerns of the legal parents and guardians who are also being prevented from seeing their 13 year old child. It is very obvious that Sierra Leone’s Child Rights Act of 2007, which seeks to protect the rights of children in the country, in Section 89 says: “No person shall unlawfully remove a child from another person who has the lawful custody of the child.” From all indications, as officially stated by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs (the only government ministry that is responsible for the welfare of children), the desperate woman and her clique, including the hospital authority have unlawfully removed the child from her parents, who have the lawful custody of the child.
Furthermore, the same Child Rights Act of 2007 in Section 102 clearly spells out the penalties of what the desperate women and the hospital authorities did to another person’s child, as stated: ‘Any person who unlawfully removes a child from another person who has lawful custody of the child contrary to section 89 commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both fine and imprisonment.’
The law is very clear!!!! The worst is the parents are now being prevented to see their child by someone who had forged that it was Hon. Minister Dr. Blyden that was demanding the child during a phone call conversation. This is total impersonation in order to commit a crime. What is heroic about such criminal behaviour? Can Dr. Julius Spencer please tell us?
Why can’t the poor Satta Ansu and Momoh Sam, mum and dad respectively of Mamie Sam enjoy free access to their child? Is this just?
For thirteen years now they have raised their daughter without the involvement of government or any other persons. So, is it now that they can be bad to her?? Is it because they are poor?? Could this be done to a rich man’s daughter???
Could this be done to Dr. Julius Spencer’s daughter and then deny him access to his own child?
For how long as a nation can we continue to triumph in mediocrity and sycophancy?? Those who we really rely on to inform the general masses are the ones neglecting the whole truth for mere convenience.
I know Dr. Spencer has some alleged criminal human rights abuses that he did in the late nineties when he worked at same 98.1 radio that he now wants to cover up crimes of the current manager of. His human rights abuses are all inside the Truth & Reconciliation Commission report.
Almost two decades later, Dr. Julius Spencer is today STILL trying to justify rights abuse; impressing others against the laws of the country, forgetting that someday posterity will have to judge us all equally. In this world, we would all be different by connections but the wailing tears of poor Satta Ansu and Momoh Sam will someday hunt all conspirators who seek to use the plight of a child for mere points scoring despite they know better than the ones whose ignorance make them to be nothing other than functional illiterates.
© Copyright by Awareness Times
Newspaper in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
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