What a Tolerant President

Let us say the truth and shame the devil, the truth is that His Excellency, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma is comparatively tolerant to the press, as our prisons have not been receiving journalists who write critical stories. When he took up his first term of office, the president attached several journalists to various embassies, so the devil deserves his due.

The only stain on Ernest Bai Koroma’s press freedom record is the failure yet of his parliament to approve and enact the press freedom bill, otherwise, his record is clean. Whether the president has short comings in other areas but the fact remains he has done fairly well in upholding press freedom which is one of the fundamental principles of democracy. This is just the plain truth whether you like President Koroma’s face or not.

Siaka Stevens was not that tolerant to the critical press, obviously, because he was not practicing democracy. He terrorized many critical journalists, Frank Kposowa and the Tablet Newspaper can testify. During the erstwhile government of Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, a whole editor, Harry Yansaneh, was brutally murdered and an award winning journalist, Paul Kamara was incarcerated. The NPRC military junta, unsurprisingly, closed the New Breed Newspaper for publishing a true corruption story.

But since President Koroma took office, we are yet to hear of an arbitrary imprisonment or terrorization of journalists, this is a good precedent subsequent leaders must follow. Mr. President, your only assignment now is to use your good office to ensure the enactment of the Freedom of Information Bill then your press freedom record will become immaculate.

Press freedom is one of the pillars of democracy, without press freedom, democracy becomes a lip service.

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