If I was man enough (acknowledgement to Sam Tumor)!
The late newspaper editor Sam Tumor used to run a column with the above heading, “If I was man enough I would ask…” He then proceeded with a series of satirical questions on some current events. Today with acknowledgement to the late young man who sadly had his own indulgence, I am using the title. (Photo: Dr. Sama Banya)
Referring to the recent IMC/PPRC press release on the IMC’s interview with the editors of the Torchlight and Unity newspaper as well as the threats to Sylvia Blyden and unnamed others in the release from the ministry of information and communications (whose minister also doubles as Government spokesman) because of Sylvia Blyden’s letter to the Director-General of the SLBC, I would like clarification on one or two points.
It is a fact that the composition of the current APC cabinet, together with the regional distribution or imbalance in the appointment of chairmen of boards of parastatalls and the composition of those boards about which we have written in the past, would writing about them in future constitute incitement have the tendency to create public disquiet etc. etc?
What I mean is this; the regional distribution of cabinet ministers and ambassadors is disproportionately tilted in favour of the northern region and in the case of the cabinet, especially of Bombali district. The same is true of the ethnic distribution. We have pointed out in the past and we are likely to keep repeating it till 2012 that this is DIVISIVE and tantamount to marginalization.
Now, if I was man enough I would ask whether in the circumstances I and any of my editors who would care to publish my opinion be guilty of incitement? If I was man enough to continue to call “a spade a spade” or as they say “calling things by their proper names” would I fall victim to the kind of hell’s damnation that is contained in the not-so-veiled threat of the ministry’s statement?
In 2009 the publisher of the Standard Times newspaper published a story with faked letters that purported to have come into his possession from a so-called task force asking the leadership of the opposition SLPP, some by name, to provide them with drinks, machetes and other offensive weapons along with medicines and money to enable them to carry out their mandate of attacking the capital city Freetown. The SLPP lodged a formal complaint with the IMC which found that the publisher’s story was unfounded and imposed a fine of five hundred thousand Leones. It also ordered him to formally apologise to the SLPP. The man was defiant and literarily told the commission to buzz off; and up to this moment has neither paid the fine nor apologized to the SLPP. In spite of that the IMC went ahead and gave him approval to open a radio station. It is this same IMC that is now issuing open threats to newspapers because that is likely to please the ruling APC government. What a strange country ours has become since 2007!
I do not tolerate gossip especially where it is spread by spineless cowards who hide under the cloak of anonymity. If the so-called SLPP party supporter is who he claims to be why the blazes does he not come forth and declare to Sylvia Blyden that “yes, you have belonged to our SLPP since such and such a time.”
It is my feeling that the story carried by the Torchlight newspaper in its Wednesday August 18 edition is as is usual with them a made-up one. And then a Mustapha Abu Kpaka writing from Washington in the same edition alleges that “The SLPP is not regionally balanced.” He cites the appointment of Victor Foh as Secretary-General of the APC to buttress his allegation. Here too it is obvious that the Mustapha Kpaka’s knowledge of the composition of the SLPP leadership and general membership is very limited if it does exist at all. But his type has to be heard too especially if he has spent some time in the United States. Terrible jokers they all are.
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