The president of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists Ahmed, Sahid Nasralla, on Thursday 18 August 2022 told President Julius Maada Bio that all should take collective responsibility for the unfortunate Wednesday 10 August 2022 violent protest that took place in the country.
Mr Nasralla was speaking at a dialogue forum hosted at State House by the president with civil society organizations and the Media, strongly represented by SLAJ, to reflect on the Wednesday August 10, 2022 violent protests in Sierra Leone.
The SLAJ president told president Bio: “We all should take responsibility for what has happened – the government, the opposition political parties, the security sector, the media, CSOs, our traditional and religious leaders, Sierra Leoneans in the Diaspora – all of us are responsible.”
He underscored that such engagements of mutual understanding and cooperation with key stakeholders is good for the country.
“We need to pipe down as a nation,” the SLAJ president said, adding: “We are playing too much politics. We need to pipe down as a nation. We are playing too much politics. The politics is dividing us across the middle.”
He told President Bio that politics is distracting and diverting Government’s attention from focusing on the NEW DIRECTION promises to Sierra Leoneans, adding that too much politics is promoting hate and hypocrisy, undermining patriotism, nationalism, peace and national cohesion. He observed that politics is eroding the country’s core values of labour and expect, dignity in labour, excellence, dedication to duty, integrity, and trust to de-escalate tension.
“As father of the nation you should be the last person to get angry, if you want to get angry at all. Your approach in response to this unfortunate incident in the country should be conciliatory in tone and in action. Tell your people that you understand the problems of this country and you are doing something about that. Tell them in the language they understand,” SLAJ president entreated.
He stressed that being conciliatory to the people doesn’t mean that people should take the law into their hands, saying: “Let us sit down and talk about these problems, and let all of us play a role in addressing them. As you are doing now with various stakeholders in the country; this is the way to go. And at the same time punish law breakers using due process.
He reiterated the need for further engagements with state and non-state actors. “It is not a sign of weakness. It is STRENGTH. You break down recalcitrant and ill-motivated people when you talk with them rather than talk to them or talk at them,” he said.
He said that he is a leader of a smaller but very troublesome community within the bigger Sierra Leone community hence his approach. “That is the approach I am using and it is yielding good results for the media in Sierra Leone,” the SLAJ president said. “Under your leadership, we have achieved great things for the media in Sierra Leone. I cannot solve the problems of the media because they are many. They are like onion shells, you peel one layer another layer appears. I can only do my best.”
He furthered that an independent and impartial inquiry into the incidents of August 10th protest should be to get to the bottom of the underlying issues, and let the law take its just course.
President Nasralla revealed that images of the August 10 violent protests were shown on international media screens across the world; and now they are also showing images and reporting news stories of extra judicial killings and unlawful arrests and detention of civilians. He said: “President can only do his best and prosperity will judge you.
