By Amin Kef Sesay
In a Press Release dated 24th July 2020 and signed by the National Secretary General of the Sierra Leone Association of journalists, Mohamed Asmieu Bah it was highlighted that the Association is rejoicing over the historic repeal by the Sierra Leone Parliament of the 55-year-old Part 5 of the infamous Public Order Act of 1965, which criminalises free speech and the work of the media, and the enactment of a New IMC Bill 2020 which seeks to regulate same.
It furthered that Thursday, 23rd July, 2020 will be remembered as Freedom Day not only for journalists but for all Sierra Leoneans maintaining that the biggest beneficiary of the repeal of that bad law is Sierra Leone. The Association stated that our beloved country has now joined the enviable community of progressive nations, where free (and responsible) speech is guaranteed and protected by law.
SLAJ commended His Excellency the President Julius Maada Bio for providing the political will, his Minister of Information and Communications Mohamed Rahman Swarray for driving the process, and the Sierra Leone Parliament for fulfilling their obligation and ensuring the achievement of the huge milestone in freedom of expression and democracy in Sierra Leone. According to SLAJ, “Freedom comes with great power and great power comes with great responsibility”.
According to the President of SLAJ Ahmed Sahid Nasralla by repealing Part 5 of the Public Order Act (POA) 1965 great freedom has been given to media practitioners to do our work without fear or favour. He said equally so, by enacting the new IMC Bill 2020 we have been reminded of the great responsibility that goes with that freedom and how we maintain that delicate balance is what all of us journalists should work towards as we go beyond the repeal.
SLAJ is assuring the public that with the support of the Government of Sierra Leone, the International Community, the Sierra Leone Parliament and media stakeholders such as the MRCG and IMC, we will embark on continuous capacity building trainings and enforcement of the ethical standards in the SLAJ Code of Ethics.
Our Association added that we must pay tribute to our founding members, our past Presidents, the Regional and National Executives, the general membership, Civil Society Groups, international press freedom organizations, the Entertainment industry, and all those who in diverse ways supported the process.
In the same spirit of elation, the Guild Of Editors of Sierra Leone(GoNE-SL) in its statement to the public, put out by its Secretary General, Elias Bangura, said it deeply appreciates and applauds the repeal of the criminal and seditious libel laws contained in Part 5 of the Public Order Act, 1965.
The Guild pointed out that the 55-year-old law was not only obnoxious and evil but it was cruel and deadly to the practice of journalism in Sierra Leone.
It continued that through it, successive Governments have suppressed and oppressed journalists, especially those in the print media highlighting how there is a long line of colleague editors who have suffered by it, some with their lives and properties.
The Editors furthered that since 1965 unto the present, thankfully, there has emerged men and women who have dared to stand up for press freedom, with the belief that the pen is mightier than the sword, and that free speech will and should triumph in Sierra Leone, as it does in other parts of the world.
“The repeal process of the criminal libel law includes many players over many years unto the present – all of them, known and unknown, deserve glorious applause. Every one of them also deserves to be named and a pedestal erected in their honour, but this release would not be sufficient to include all of them. We will rather thank them fully,” they continued.
The Guild said with deep courtesy, they salute His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio and his Government, the Parliament of Sierra Leone, national and international partners, and the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) and its constituent bodies, for making the repeal process a success story.
“Everyone deserves commendation; especially President Bio for standing by his manifesto promise to repeal our libel laws,” said Donald Theo-Harding, Chairman of GoNE-SL. “It’s a new era for the media in Sierra Leone. Going forward, we know better investment and growth will come for the benefit of everyone in the media industry.”
The Chairman implored colleague editors to wield their pens in a responsible manner and to duly note that we still have the 1961 civil libel law and the Bankruptcy Act 2009 in our books that are also very stringent.
