I B Kargbo and his great schemers

Elections have come and gone. They have helped entrench democracy in Sierra Leone. Thanks to active civil society groups in issues ranging from voter education to the promotion of election dialogue and initiatives to defuse conflict, a vibrant and free press, independent electoral body, a competitive political landscape and a widely shared respect for the rule of law. (Photo: Minister of Information and Communications, Ibrahim Ben Kargbo,)

They were our first national competitive elections that were organized by the government after the decade-long civil conflict which officially ended in January 2002. The incumbent president, His Excellency Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, won a second term in office with 58.7% and his party-the governing All People’s Congress (APC) maintained its dominance in parliament.

The newly elected representatives have been sworn in, while the president has performed the ceremony of the state opening of parliament, where he unveiled the blueprint of the “Agenda for Prosperity” and pledged to implement the development plans before he leaves office by 2017.

Be that as it may, the history of President Koroma and the APC’s electoral victory in the November elections will be disturbed if the role played by the Office of Government’s Spokesman and its indefatigable officials to the countdown of the elections goes unnoticed.

Given the niche he has carved for himself in the temple of fame, the Minister of Information and Communications, Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, who also doubles as Government’s Spokesman, and team deserve encomium from the public for their role in gaining support from both within and without for the momentous achievement the President Koroma-led administration has made in its five years, as well as his pledge to lead Sierra Leone to prosperity through the implementation of the “Agenda for Prosperity” plans.

Two of the great schemers in the Office of the Government’s Spokesman worth commending for their classical display of communication skills and liaising with the media well are the Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, Hon. Sheka Tarawallie aka Shekito, and Mr. Abdulai Bayraytay – two house hold names across the country by virtue of their constant engagement with both the electronic and print media before, during and after the November elections.

These two quintessential gentlemen have things in common. Both are graduates from the oldest university south of the Sahara, Fourah Bay College. Prior to their engagement in politics, both Messrs. Tarawallie and Bayraytay had been media practitioners and were highly respected amongst colleague journalists because of their penchant for writing thought-provoking articles on the former SLPP regime that often landed them in trouble.

THE POWER OF PROPAGANDA

Whereas the ancient Greeks used propaganda-the means of gaining support for an opinion, belief, etc.-to announce the state’s political policies, whereas the Roosevelt’s radio talks in the late 1930s that won him popular support for his New Deal and the American Public enjoyed a psychological uplift even if the New Deal actually failed to produce the economic recovery promised, Shekito and Bayraytay capitalized on their media background to spread the good message that would psychologically uplift Sierra Leoneans who have confidence in the leadership of President Koroma.

Not only did they concentrate on the heart and mind through emotional and intellectual engagement with the public to gain support for the President Koroma-led APC government for its unprecedented achievements through the successful implementation of the “Agenda for Change”, they also educated media support for the government and its effort to bring about national economic development.

Shekito and Bayraytay being au-fait with the media landscape of this country, have very good relationships with media practitioners. They used that to their advantage by making the bulk of the media organisations in the country to believe in the media principle that ‘until a nation is well-established and its economic development well underway, the media must be supportive rather than critical of government.’

Indeed, President Koroma and the APC government have enjoyed the support of the Sierra Leonean media despite few dissenting voices from the opposition. Thanks to a very vibrant media team perfectly put in place by Alhaji Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, who thought it expedient that both Shekito and Bayraytay being good team players, must be included in that winning team.

Stay with Sierra Express Media, for your trusted place in news!