By Daniel Garteh
After his long silence from public space and political activities in Liberia, businessman turned politician Simeon Freeman bounces back with strong statement to government and Media.
Serving as guest speaker at the Award night of the Press Union of Liberia, Freeman called on the Liberian media to take a stand that will save the country.
Mr Freeman said the media has a great influence in the society, that’s why they are called the 4th estate.
Freeman, who has been silent on many political issues in the country, used the occasion to also criticized the government for the poor state of affairs the citizens find themselves in these days.
He explained that the complete government control of the media in 19th century Liberia ended in the 21st century when private media ownership was encouraged and promoted, but has been changed to the opposite.
The once though talking Freeman lamented that It was hoped that the multiplicity of media institutions would enable good governance and better fiscal policy outcomes; sadly the reverse is true today in the country, he adds.
He claimed that “In some countries, how the media – said what it said – exposed nations to prolonged crisis; massive loss of human lives and untold suffering.
Mr. Freeman explained that prosperous democracies with better performing economies around the world result from a media that is truly the 4th branch of government but a branch that is very sensitive to the plight of the people; lifting issues of Relevance to the social economic well-being of the people enabling alternative voices with clear governance alternatives.
The businessman turned politician expressed frustration in the past regime of Africa’s first female president Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s administration that her government massive misrule of left 40% of logging forests depleted, most mineral wealth committed, an estimated $1 billion indebtedness.
The Liberian businessman narrated:”huge unemployment, an expanded public service with an estimated 15 new public institutions and enlarged public workforce; rising inflation, a devalued Liberian Dollars and a country reliant on imported basic commodities; poor educational institutions, a dying health system and high infant mortality rate”.
” One would have thought such conditional prevalence would greatly mobilized the media during the 2017 elections to elevate voices with clear approaches to better governance; rather, Political parties were deemed relevant, not by the capacity of their standard bearers or the governing vision espoused; but by the size of their national offices, the quantity of vehicles and the amount of cash available to be spent or monies spent.”
Freeman disclosed that media practitioners swayed public perception with their own misunderstanding of an electioneering period, not as a period of sober examination of candidates and their visions but the focus on intangibles and aspects totally irrelevant to an election.
“So bad was the situation that an unknown and probably unregistered group – deepening democracy – outrageously selected 7 out of 20 candidates, as the preferred and most significant candidates, an unheard of practice in any democracy. Eventually, some of those left out obtained more votes to those preferred by the group.
After these very critical elections, the methodologies used enabled the outcomes currently enjoyed.”
He maintained that Liberia has become a vicious circle where the misgoverning of the wrong state actors makes talkers relevant as such popularity leads to the election of another cabal of poorly equip state actors that drive us deeper into poverty and hopelessness.
Dead Media
The consolidated group boss revealed that media institutions are walking dead. According him Newspapers that once sold 800 to 2500 copies are selling 250 to 1200 copies and Radio and television stations are barely surviving.
“So it is apparent that a bad economy hits journalists and their families too; journalists whose voices and pens are used to set poor election criteria that enable poor leadership”. This realization must awaken a new dynamism in the Liberian media landscape.
Simeon Freeman vs government
In response to Mr. Freeman, information Minister Lenn Eugene Nagbe described statement by Mr. Freeman as unfortunate saying that the Movement for Progressive Change (MPC) boss does not know how the government works.
Mr. Freeman at the PUL program also suggested that the Ministry of information be merged with the president office because the ministry speaks only for the presidency.
But in reaction to this statement Minister Nagbe said Simeon Freeman has little knowledge about government functionaries clarifying all agencies of the current regime are equally performing their duties.
Mr. Freeman has on numerous occasions suggested the size of the Liberian government be reduced for proper functioning of the system.
