‘Let us be selfish for once’
Dear Colleagues,
Happy New Year 2021 to all of you.
The year 2020 has been a difficult one for our country, as with the rest of the world. Every sector was affected, including the media. We struggled, but in the thick of this COVID-19 crisis we demonstrated our usual resilience and we were able to record some remarkable achievements.
Thanks to Mercury International, Africell and Orange who still continue to support majority of the media through regular advertising.
COVID-19 RESPONSE
Like with the Ebola outbreak in 2014, we were proactive in supporting the Government of Sierra Leone in the fight against the virus. Even before we recorded the index COVID-19 case we swiftly formed the SLAJ Corona Virus Response Committee to coordinate our response and to interface with both the ministries of Information and Communications, and Health and Sanitation.
During the three days lockdown in April 2020 (and in May) we coordinated a national radio simulcast program to bring to the public updates on the lockdown and the correct information on the pandemic. The simulcast program, which ran for about 8 hours daily, served as a clearing house for misinformation and fake news on the fight against the virus.
Eventually, NaCOVERC supported the Dreb Corona simulcast program which ran for three months; and the European Union also supported the TrueTok bot Corona, a similar program (twice weekly) to debunk fake news and misinformation around the fight against COVID-19.
To a large extent, these programs helped to educate the public on the preventive measures, fake news around COVID-19 and limiting the spread of the virus.
As we enter the New Year the number of COVID-19 cases has started going up, and so NaCOVERC has approved another round of national simulcast program (this time weekly, and separately on radio and tv) to sustain the public education on the virus and to encourage people to continue to observe the preventive measures. There will also be a bi-weekly simulcast at District level to address specific issues relating to each district. The national radio simulcast is expected to start on Sunday 3rd January, 2021 at 6pm.
So far we commend all radio and TV stations, newspapers, and colleagues who have been supporting these programs.
On 11th December, 2020, at their awards ceremony the Women’s Forum awarded SLAJ for the Association’s distinguished contribution to the fight against COVID-19.
THE REPEAL OF PART 5
For the first time in our Association’s 50 years of existence we are going to observe World Press Freedom Day without having to call on the Government to expunge Criminal and Seditious Libel law from the law books, as the bad law has been repealed.
This is a huge victory that calls for celebration on the one hand, and consolidation of this new found freedom through capacity building for all journalists to ensure professional and ethical practice on the other.
For this landmark achievement, we want to thank His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio and his Government, the Parliament of Sierra Leone, the International Community, CSOs, media stakeholders and international press freedom bodies.
This is not only a victory for the media, but also for the citizens, and Sierra Leone as a country.
THE IMC ACT 2020
The repeal of the Criminal and Seditious Libel law came with the Independent Media Commission (IMC) Act 2020. Among other things, the IMC Act 2020- which will take full effect this year 2021- requires media houses to operate more responsibly as businesses with full compliance with statutory obligations such as the payment of taxes to the National Revenue Authority (NRA), payment of salaries to journalists in accordance with the Labour laws and payment of NASSIT contributions for reporters and other media workers.
SLAJ, through the Media Reform Coordinating Group (MRCG) and the IMC, have conducted several workshops across the country to help Editors and Station Managers to understand the provisions of the IMC Act 2020 and to put their media houses in order.
Meanwhile, the IMC Code of Practice- which contains the rules and regulations governing the operations of media houses in the country- is still under review, following which it will be taken to Parliament for ratification.
SLAJ will have its chance to look at the draft document thoroughly to ensure that it is in line with the aspirations of the freedom we have fought for.
ANNUAL SUBVENTION
Towards the end of the year 2020 SLAJ received its annual subvention for the period of Le250 million from the Government of Sierra Leone. This subvention is tied to a budget submitted, which included allocations to the Regional Executives and all affiliate bodies.
These allocations will be accounted for with proper documentation of expenditures before we can request for the 2021 subvention.
Therefore, we urge the Regional Executives and affiliate bodies to implement their activities as soon as possible and submit their reports to the Secretariat.
LAND FOR SLAJ HEADQUARTERS
We are still working with the Ministry of Lands for the allocation of a suitable plot of land in the capital city for the construction of the National SLAJ Headquarters, as promised by His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio.
We have been taken around the Western Area Urban by officials of the Ministry of Lands but we are yet to find a suitable piece of land.
LAND FOR SLAJ REGIONAL SECRETARIATS
Meanwhile, the Minister of Lands, Dr. Dennis Sandy, has instructed his ministry’s regional offices to allocate suitable pieces of State land to our regional executives for the construction of our regional secretariats.
The regional executives in the South and the North are following up on this and we hope by mid this year the allocations would have been made.
For the Eastern Region, I had the honour of turning the sod in November 2020 for the construction of the SLAJ Regional Secretariat East in Kenema town. This is a first in the history of SLAJ, and we want to commend the leadership of SLAJ East and all those well-meaning individuals (especially Ibrahim Brima Swarray) in the district who are supporting the building project.
The SLAJ East leadership and members have challenged themselves to complete the building this year and officially open it as part of activities marking our 50th anniversary.
WEBSITE AND MEMBERSHIP
You must have noticed that the SLAJ website www.slaj.sl has been down for a while now as we are working on a more professional, interactive and reliable one.
This has caused the delay in opening of the process for admission of new members into the Association, and we apologise for this. When the website is completed hopefully by the end of this month of January, journalists wishing to become members of SLAJ will have the opportunity to apply online and their applications will be processed swiftly.
MEMBERS’ WELFARE
This is one area we have not been paying attention to as an Association over the years.
However, one key aspect of our welfare will be addressed with compliance of the IMC Act 2020 i.e. payment of salaries in line with Labour laws and payment of NASSIT contributions for journalists by their employers.
Moreover, there’s the need to establish a SLAJ Membership Welfare Fund to address other welfare issues from time to time. Details of this will have to be carefully thought out so that such a scheme is not abused in the future.
Currently, we are confronted with a situation involving the son of one of our members who urgently needs a liver transplantation which cannot be done here in Sierra Leone. The son is a final Year Mass Communications student and a potential journalist for that matter.
The Executive have met and decided that SLAJ should lead the campaign to raise the money needed for the surgery abroad. We are in touch with our colleague to get all the information we need to start the campaign.
Meanwhile, welfare also means ensuring our colleagues stay employed. As you are aware, several of our colleagues resigned their jobs at the SLBC, claiming intimidation and unfair treatment. Before they resigned, some of them met with me to register their concerns. After listening to their narratives, I advised them to go back and do a letter with a list of all the staff affected and stating the instances of harassment, intimidation and unfair treatment so we will take it up with the SLBC leadership through our representative in the SLBC Board, as we did with the issue of Claudius Beckley. However, a day or two after our meeting, we learnt that our colleagues have tendered in their resignations.
Our representative in the Board will give a full report on all of this in our coming Annual General Meeting.
WIMSAL MEDIATION COMMITTEE
The Mediation Committee set up to look into the WIMSAL impasse is at an advance stage in completing their assignment. It has been challenging to meet with the various persons and groups of interest, especially with the COVID-19 restrictions, but the Committee has managed under the circumstances to make progress.
We are expecting the final report as soon as possible.
EU BEACH CLEAN-UP EVENT
For the first time, SLAJ volunteered and supported the EU annual beach cleanup event at the Lumley beach, Aberdeen, Freetown.
About 40 of our members, including members from the regions, turned up at the beach and we cleaned up debris coming from the sea. We found this as a worthy cause to help keep the beach clean and protect life at sea.
During his last lunch with journalists at Country Lodge, the EU Ambassador Tom Vens commended SLAJ for the support and described the event as the most successful cleanup they have had because of our involvement.
We have made a commitment to fully involve in future cleanup events and to strengthen our relationship with the EU.
At that lunch, the EU Ambassador announced that they were putting together a training scheme for journalists who will be interested in reporting on the environment.
PLANS FOR 2021
The year 2021 marks our 50th Anniversary as an Association. To this end we have established the SLAJ 50th Anniversary National Planning Committee comprising the National Executive, the Regional Executives and the heads of our affiliate bodies. This is to ensure that we take ownership of the celebrations and oversee the implementation of every activity.
The Committee has met once and has appointed sub-committees to deal with specific issues such as Fund raising and Golden Jubilee Souvenirs.
The Committee also put out a call for ideas to encourage the general membership to contribute ideas on how they want SLAJ to celebrate this once-in-a-life-time anniversary. Sadly, no contribution was received.
So we are starting the Golden Jubilee year with a National Retreat of the National and Regional Executives to finalise plans for the 50th Anniversary and develop a strategic document that will guide us to the next Tri-Annual Conference in 2022.
The Retreat will also look at the governance structure of SLAJ and certain aspects of our constitution, recommendations of which will be taken to the next AGM for the consideration of the general membership.
After the retreat we will officially launch the official logo of the 50th Anniversary and the events calendar for the year 2021.
It is the hope of the Committee to implement at least one activity every month throughout 2021.
APPEAL
Finally, I wish to take this opportunity to implore all journalists to be selfish for once and put all our energies, time and resources toward a successful celebration of our Golden Jubilee.
And the good thing is we are celebrating this historic anniversary on a platform of FREEDOM.
I want to see a replication of the passion we put into defending and promoting the interests of our political parties in this anniversary.
If we don’t celebrate, nobody will celebrate for us.
TRIBUTE
Meanwhile, let us remember our fallen colleagues in 2020 and wish them a peaceful rest and may God provide for the families they left behind.
To those who are sick, we pray that God/Allah stretches His Hand of healing upon you.
May the year 2021 bring us no harm or sorrow, but joy and celebration after celebration. Amen/Ameena.
Happy New Year once again.
Long live SLAJ.
Long live Sierra Leone.
I thank you.
Sincerely,
Your humble servant:
Ahmed Sahid Nasralla
NATIONAL PRESIDENT
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