What Affects The Nose Affect The Eyes
It is certain that what affects the nose affects the eyes. This is true because the proximity between the two is short. This is so true for the kind of relationship that exists between journalists and the mainstream society in which journalists are of no exception. Many a time, when intimidation and the undignified manner in which journalists are manhandled by members of the police, the fear always come in me that leads to the question that, who will be their next victim.
My take on this indiscriminate molestation and severe beating given to colleague journalists while performing their obliged duty calls for a reciprocal action from the public and relevant authorities. The inhuman treatment journalists are subjected to on a daily basis while doing their sacred responsibility by letting the public know the truth is unhealthy for the survivability of the democracy we are all yearning for. There are times when journalists are been embarrassed by the police, little did some people realized that journalists are part of governance and society and have to be treated with dignity and respect.
However, today in the state of Sierra Leone, journalists have become the warranted prey of members of the police force. If journalists are not there to inform the people of this country and reliably tell the world about how democracy is faring in Sierra Leone, who will? If journalists are not there to censor government and government officials what kind of democracy will Sierra Leone be nurturing?
In a civilized society, journalists have been regarded as not only as sages that inform people about the truth, but they have been regarded as custodians of the truth and catalyst of change. But on the contrary, in Sierra Leone today, journalists are like carpenters whose indispensability in every society they find themselves cannot be under estimated. The indispensability of carpenters in a society is conspicuous to everybody. However, their craftsmanship in fitting houses and intelligence in molding our household furniture cannot go unnoticed even in the most sophisticated societies like Great Britain and the United State of America. When thieves break into our house, for instance, we always employ the service of the carpenter to fix it, so as the significance of journalists in our society.
By insinuation, when those (journalists) who are responsible by profession to let the people know the truth are being molested by marauding police, who do you think will be free from the scourge of their brutality and unlawful detention?
The conspicuous signs of police brutality and unwarranted arrest are everywhere. Quite recently, the Sierra Leone Police under the distinguished leadership of police boss, Brima Acha Kamara have stopped at nothing but indiscriminately harassing journalists and subject them to disgusting inhuman treatment. But as it has been clearly painted as the title of this piece that what affects the nose is sure to affect the eyes as well, police brutality has also snaked it way into embarrassing potential investors that are yearning to invest their wealth in this country. The humiliation suffered by that Irish investor in the hands of the police few days back, does not only serve a recipe to scare away investors, but that very act of unprofessional performance by some unscrupulous members of the police will lead to the denigration of the hard won reputation this country has been enjoying in the eyes of the international community as a peaceful and democratic state in post conflict era. Â
In some democratic nations, journalists and the police have enjoyed a peaceful co-existence that has enhanced the success of both forces – I mean members of the police force and journalists. Unlike Sierra Leone, such vital feature of democratic principle and chain-work are missing completely. Rather than members of the police see members of the Fourth–Estate as partners in development, they are been misconceived as a threat to their dubious practice of corruption.
My fear and concern here is that, this unchecked intimidation of members of the press by the police is enough to eclipse Sierra Leone from the rest of the world. Ironically, in Sierra Leone today, members of the public whom the journalists die to protect from the gripes of hungry politicians have marched in solidarity on so many occasions in support of their innocence. But never a day in my life I have seen Sierra Leoneans converged in support of the observation of the rights of journalists in this country. Imagine the state of Sierra Leone, where politicians are bent on nothing except defrauding and milking the vulnerable masses. Had there not been the presence of courageous journalists, let’s imagine what would have come of this country.
Nevertheless, it is worth to draw the attention of the public that this relentless persecution of journalists by members of the police has served as a panacea and scope for police to embark on massive practices of corruption. If Sierra Leone is to develop, unhindered press freedom and support from the general public must be observed, thus, I end up this piece by concluding that what affects the nose, will sure to affects the eyes too.
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