The new executive of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) today paid its first courtesy call on President Ernest Bai Koroma at State House. Led by out-gone SLAJ President and current Minister of Information and Communication, Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, the executive congratulated the President on his election victory that catapulted him from opposition leader to the presidency.

While introducing the executive, Secretary General Ibrahim Karim-Sei said the visit was long overdue but “God’s time is the best”. He said SLAJ was formed some 37 years ago to protect the interests of journalists and had gone through some reforms and restructuring through the years. He said SLAJ is a non-profitable, non-partisan and independent organization which remains committed to the ideals of democracy. He said many governments have come and gone and did not interfere with the affairs of the organization, and therefore hoped that the APC government will do the same. He said SLAJ has 400 members, male and female, and that it exists to defend press freedom and freedom of expression generally. He said no one can talk about democracy without talking about freedom of expression, and that the organization also exists to protect the rights of its members.

On his part, new SLAJ President Philip Neville said his organization is not a fly-by-night one as can be seen through its achievements. He said he was grateful that the Head of State could grant them audience. Neville said his organization has so many problems, among which is the lack of a secretariat which in a way diminishes the profile of the association in the eyes of the public. He requested that the Daily Mail building be given to the association. Neville commended the previous government for squeezing the association into their budget by allocating Le 40 million, but complained that they had only received Le 20 million. He pleaded with the new government to not only pay the balance of Le 20 million but to increase the budget allocation.

Philip Neville also said SLA J has been fighting to remove the Public Order Act, which he described as a “bad law”, from the statute books. Neville paid tribute to the new government for being media friendly, and therefore appealed to the President to assist in pursuing the killers of journalist Harry Yansanneh, whose case is still in the courts.
The SLAJ President also said it is his duty to highlight matters of national concern, and therefore used the occasion to tell the President about the high cost of living, especially the price of the staple rice. He said the government has already demonstrated good leadership through the provision of electricity, but that Sierra Leoneans will only hold their heads high when the problem of the high cost of living is solved.

Responding, President Ernest Koroma thanked the president and members of SLAJ for coming and for the sentiments of congratulating him. He said it was an important first meeting and would hope the rapport between him and the press will continue through similar meetings. The President congratulated SLAJ for the achievements thus far in 37 years by building its membership, increasing the number of papers, and standing up for democracy in ensuring that freedom of the press is maintained. President Koroma said improvement can be seen in the overall performance in journalism in terms of professionalism. He however said there’s still room for improvement in the manner journalists conduct their affairs. He suggested that journalists need to consolidate their efforts by working for a given number of papers. He said he considers members of the fourth estate as partners in development. He maintained that journalists mould the opinion of society as they are expected to inform and educate the public. The President said all over the world journalists are centres of influence. President Koroma said his government is committed to moving the country forward and expects the press to come along with him. He reminded them of his recent presidential retreat in Bumbuna where a clear vision of a performance-oriented government was made clear. He called on the press to pass on the message of attitudinal change to all Sierra Leoneans.

President Koroma said in all this SLAJ needs to be strengthened, and that he was surprised to learn that the organization does not have a secretariat. He promised to work with the executive in trying to regularize the situation. He said he’ll have to consult the relevant ministers for advise regarding the Daily Mail building and the budget allocation to SLAJ. On the case of Harry Yansaneh, the President said he also needed some briefing on the causes of the delay in dispensing justice.

President Koroma said SLAJ President Philip Neville raised a very important issue on the high cost of living. He said any responsible government will be alive to that. He said the government came in under difficult circumstances, but that they are trying to resolve this. He said the government is currently addressing the issue and he has had to call the Minister of Trade from a conference at Bintumani Hotel when he heard about a limited supply of bread. The President said the government is giving high priority to alleviating the food problem, but emphasized that as a nation we must have the capacity to feed ourselves. He said the country has the land and the right weather, so we must therefore go out into the fields to feed ourselves. The President said journalists should be at the forefront in seeking solutions to the problem, while government will be ready to provide the facilities in terms of machinery and other equipment.

President Koroma said issues that have to deal with the law will be looked into, while asserting that certain aspects of the Public Order Act must be reviewed. He said this will be looked into quickly, with the Minister of Information coming up with proposals to the effect. The President stated that the APC campaigned on the issue of freedom of information, and therefore assured that an Access to Information Act will be enacted as a way of underlining transparency and accountability and to avoid misinformation by journalists. President Koroma said that when government would have promulgated this act, then a greater amount of responsibility will be required of journalists, stating that “to whom much is given, much is expected”. The President said there is the need for continuous engagement, and for SLAJ to count on him in providing leadership and partnership. The President ended by reiterating his commitment to change Sierra Leone and take her to the next level.

The Vice President of SLAJ, Abdul Rahman Swarray, gave the vote of thanks. Executive members present included Unisa Bangura, Edward Marrah, Mariama Coker, and Mustapha Sesay, accompanied by veteran journalist Rod Mac-Johnson and SLENA head Mohamed Samura. Also present were the Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Mohamed D. Koroma and Editor-in-Chief of The Pool newspaper Chernor Ojuku Sesay who has been appointed as Information Attache at Sierra Leone’s High Commission in the United Kingdom.

Submitted by
Sheka Tarawalie
(State House Press Secretary)
22 January 2008