Freetown | 18th Dec. 2020
Opening Courtesies...
Mr. President, it is the season of Christmas and that time of the year when we get to socially interact with you.
It is also that time of the year when as little boys we used to go around the community singing carols and playing funny games. But the world has changed, and that tradition is slowly fading.
Yet, even during this COVID pandemic which has prescribed a "new normal" in the way we live, dress, and work, we have seen how Mr. President has arranged his choir men and women to sing to us carols of their achievements, packaged in well-designed project albums under different record labels.
In this 2020, dubbed ‘the year of accelerated delivery’ by the Government’s Strategic Communications Unit, - the leading Choir group - our President has launched some 30 project albums ranging from Social Investment Fund and Insurance Scheme for Health Workers to Sexual Offences Model Court and Garbage Trucks.
In the last three months alone, he fast-tracked the acceleration by launching a record breaking 18 albums. If the AWOL National Achievement Awards program was held this year, our President would undisputedly have won *Artist of the Year 2020*, to the amazement of music godfather Jimmy B, and Steady Bongo.
Nevertheless, good prophets are usually not honoured in their own countries. Despite launching three hot-selling albums dedicated to the people of Constituency 110 at Goderich, the President’s party lost a key bye-election in that community this month. But our President made up for this loss internationally. The very poorly rated 'Makeni Generator’ and 'Prison Break' albums were not enough to deprive His Excellency of being shortlisted for the covetous international *MCC Compact Award* with a whopping prize money of *US$400 million*. Shortly after, he also won the prestigious *European Union Budgetary Support* award of *US$15 million*.
So despite the impact of COVID-19, the year 2020 is ending on a high and promising note for Sierra Leone. I was encouraged early this month by a photo taken in Abidjan of the former President (who is now the Emperor of Bombali) and our love-her-or-loathe-her First Lady. In journalism, we say a photo is worth more than a thousand words. The message of peace from that photo is clear; but so also is the message of tension coming from the way the former President gripped his wine glass.
Who knows, before the new year begins, we might just see another unique photo of the First Lady and the new shadow President who addressed the nation today via social media audio.
Mr. President, you must have noticed that in all of these laudable progress your government is making, the media is slow in telling the stories to the mountain tops. This is partly because the media is a very difficult institution to impress. No matter how hard you try, the media is usually interested in what you have not done and what you could have done better, and they will tell you to try harder and harder.
That is why you will see one section of the media hailing the efforts of the government, another section trivializing those efforts, a third section is absolutely interested in entirely something else.
Nonetheless, Mr. President, the media owes you a lot. Out of nine (9) manifesto commitments to the media, you have delivered on two key ones this year- the annual subvention to the umbrella body SLAJ and the landmark repeal of the Criminal and Seditious Libel law. We are in discussions with the Ministry of Information for the holding of an investment conference for the media as part of activities marking our 50th anniversary next year.
Mr. President we accept that to whom much is given, much is expected. So our pay back is to practice our profession responsibly at all times; to guard, protect and promote the peace, stability and unity of our country; hold government and public officials to account in a responsible manner and help in the fight against corruption; and above all provide timely and accurate information to the public as well as help in educating the masses on national issues.
Finally, Mr. President, December is also the season of giving and receiving; few people give and many people expect to receive. Sadly, because of COVID-19, Santa Claus will not be passing here this December. But we hope 2021 will be a year of delivery to the door steps of ordinary Sierra Leoneans.
Here are three (3) things we want you to deliver on in 2021:
1. We want to see an improved relationship with the Opposition parties in the interest of peace, cohesiveness, inclusiveness and stability.
2. You need to seriously address the ticking youth crisis in this country.
3. We want you to complete the Constitutional Review process to strengthen our governance practice of Separation of Powers.
Finally, on behalf of SLAJ and the entire media fraternity, I wish you Mr. President, the Chief Minister, our esteemed First Lady, and the People of Sierra Leone happy holidays and a Prosperous New Year 2021.
God bless us all.
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Ahmed Sahid Nasralla
PRESIDENT, SLAJ
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