Please follow up with the victim of racism in Freetown

 

By Desmond Lewis

(Tuesday November 24, 2009) The Bintumani Hotel on the sunny beaches of Aberdeen was a scene of wild drama on Sunday afternoon involving the manager of the hotel.

The manager, Morris Kuang, demonstrated his martial arts skills to the highest level by mercilessly beating a Sierra Leonean staff, Abubakarr Dumbuya, until he was rescued by colleagues, bleeding profusely from his mouth and other parts of his body.

Meanwhile, his wife, Madam Nico, took on the former Minister of Trade and Industry and Vice Chairman of the Sierra Leone Peoples’ Party (SLPP), Dr. Kadi Sesay, for taking the side of the abused staff.

According to Premier News reports, the whole incident was sparked off, when a Chinese staff of the hotel, commonly known as Mr. Din, informed the manager that Abubakarr was dragging a table in the restaurant, instead of lifting it up.

Speaking to our reporter, a senior staff, name withheld, stated that on arrival at the scene, the manager ask no further questions  and violently pushed Abubakarr’s head and asked him out of the hotel, telling him he had been sacked.

Abubakarr, however returned not long after, to collect his belonging in the hotel, but received a heavy slap on his left jaw from the manager and kicks in the stomach and body until he was rescued by colleagues.

 The staff further revealed that while they where struggling, five other Chinese staff joined the fray, also beating and kicking the unfortunate staff and his colleagues who went to his aid.

It was at this time that Dr. Kadi Sesay, who was at the hotel with a friend, got involved and tried to find out what was wrong and what could be done, the staff disclosed.

She was however rudely challenged by the manager’s wife, who said among other unprintable things, that she does not care whether the lady infront of her was the President or not, while nudging her on the forehead with her fingers.

 

“If it was not for the timely intervention of AIG Chris Charlie, LUC Job and a team of Police officers from the Congo Cross Police Station, it would have been a different story”, the staff narrated.

The two errant Chinese categorically refused to respond to the Police invitation when they were invited to the Congo Cross Police.

According to further reports from the hotel, five people have already been sacked at the hotel in the last couple of weeks for no tangible reason.

“Its unbelievable that a Chinese national should beat a Sierra Leonean like that and go scot free. It will never happen in Nigeria or China, where people are killed for lesser offences.

“I am ready to testify against my boss. It’s too much and I hope this will teach him a lesson. He is a racist and has always said that he hates blacks,” the senior staff stated.

As a result of her refusal to go to the station unaided, the stubborn Madam Nico was eventually bundled into a waiting police vehicle and later detained at CID headquarters, while her husband was detained at the Congo Cross Police.

When released from the cell to make a statement, Morris Kuang, refused to speak to our reporter or the Police, stating that he will only make a statement when his lawyer is present.

From his hospital bed, Abubakarr told our reporter that this is not the first time Morris has abused him or the other Sierra Leonean staff of the hotel.

He stated that they are suffering at the hotel because of the lack of job opportunities in the country, adding that the Chinese management is taking advantage of the situation to treat them like slaves.

He said that he is still feeling pains all over his body, especially his ear, where he was slapped by the manager.

Meanwhile, he disclosed that he has received a Police Medical form for a thorough medical check-up at the Connaught hospital.

A senior police officer at the Congo Cross Police Station, name withheld, also confirmed to our reporter that Morris Kuang had stated openly on many occasions that he hates black people and even repeated it in the police vehicle which conveyed him to the station.

“It’s difficult to comprehend how a Chinese can tell Policemen that he hates black people in Africa. This will never happen in China, where it is very clear that if any Sierra Leonean tried it, he will face a long jail term,” the officer observed.

A Chinese official from the Chinese embassy, who refused to identify himself, said the Police had no right to put the manager in a cell because it is a minor case.

Meanwhile, most staff of the hotel were on a protest strike yesterday morning with demands for Morris Kuang and his team to leave immediately or work at the hotel will remain grounded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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