Whatever fight the embattled mobile phone company, Celtel (SL) Limited may put up, it must be made to comply with the government regulation to stop using frequency bands not allocated to it, especially the now contested frequencies of 899.2 MHz-949.2 MHz (uplink) and 944.2 MHz-949.2 MHz (downlink).

This is necessary in order that sanity may prevail in the telecommunications industry, for if Celtel is allowed to get away with exploiting the people with impunity, then the government would lose its authoritative power to maintain control and sanity in the affairs of the state.

It is true that the government wants to liberalize the market like in the developed countries of the Western world, but here in this part of the world, we are still developing, infact creeping, and we need all the controls available to insulate our people against the onslaught of the market economy.

In other words, it is better to be on good terms with the people who are the eventual determinants of who becomes their ruler, than with business people whose only interest, as Dr. Spencer says, is the making of massive profits.

Whatever amount of money or influence that may have facilitated Celtel's presence in this country, it is about time we arrived at the conclusion that that money or influence has long run out, and that even its stay in the country is no longer needed, as long as it continues to defy the orders of government.

Everything that is done in this country must be done in the interest of the people, for without them there would be no Sierra Leone to exploit, so even if Celtel is bent on exploiting the people it must be made to realize that it should be in the interest of the people of Sierra Leone, not South Africa or Holland, as we are made to understand.

Our government too must remember that for a long time we have been fleeced by various kinds of investors who come with promises of promoting the people's welfare, but end up becoming vampires, living on the blood of the innocent.

Celtel is not the first, and will not be the last, but the people would always be here to vote for whoever they believe seeks their own interest, not those who sell their country to foreigner for a couple of dollars.

Standard Times believes that if the government is to assert its authority on the telecommunications sector, it must begin by standing firm against defaulters and detractors like Celtel, who want to prove that because it has a couple of dollars at their disposal to bribe a few government officials they can carry on exploiting the people with impunity and defy our government.

It must be made to understand that here is a free country with no history of Apartheid, only of freemen who are prepared to fight for their rights, even if they have to do it by going up a hill.

Standard Times stands by the government all the way in its determination to bring order into the mobile phone business in this country.