If the ‘Economist Magazine’, why not Wanza?

Sorie Fofana is ex-press attaché to UK and currently Publisher of Global Times, a newspaper that is making a name in the Sierra Leone media landscape. I definitely like the writing skills and style of Fofana. He is a brilliant fellow, no need denying this fact. As a result of my admiration for him, I would, just like I would do to my former boss, now Press Attaché to UK Sorie Sudan Sesay, give a call, or an email to Sorie Fofana to enquire or make certain clarifications whenever I am in doubt, when writing on an issue.

Last week, Sorie Fofana’s paper, the Global Times wrote a piece on plans by a foreign based magazine, the ‘Economist Magazine’ to sue the Sierra Leone government over the alleged failure by the latter to honor payment regarding the placement of supplementary articles in the Magazine. I also followed up a further short comment written also by the paper on the issue. The paper went further to give us an adverse implication which Sierra Leone once had when the Phillip Brothers took us to court and Global Times revealed that all of our ‘overseas accounts in the UK were frozen by the court’. We may not want a repeat of that situation. This is a serious issue Global Times has raised and the government must act. However, there is need for further debate on this issue especially relating it to the Wanza issue, and this debate, I am going to start as a journalist.

Firstly, I appreciate that this issue has been brought out by the paper in question for the attention of not only the government but also for the people of this country as a whole. I definitely agree with Fofana and team that it would be embarrassing for our government to be sued for failing to honor payment to the magazine in question. From the Public Relations perspective, it would be disastrous for our country to be engulfed in a situation wherein, it is taken to court for this reason when as a matter of fact we are trying to rebrand the image of this country. Even in our effort to rebrand the country, there are still those who think, portraying our country as being hell in heaven is of essence to them.

This brings to mind a recent documentary by the BBC on Sierra Leone. (I didn’t watch the documentary as a matter of fact but those who did appear to not appreciate it) The documentary painted the image of this country in a bad shape, despite the efforts we are making to reach the apex of development. I now see why ex-president Kabbah was having problem with some of our donor partners. Ex-Minister of Information Professor Septimus Kai Kai of ‘my president, your president and our president’ fame, and a regular columnist in the Global Times, has stated categorically that we are not a failed state, and indeed we are not. We can’t just afford to always accept all what the international media would say of us. I am not and should not be happy with some sections of the international media whose raw material for their reportage is the bad aspect forgetting to look at other developments that are newsworthy.

This is unfair on us as a country that has been moving along the trend of development. Ex-President Kabbah, from an honest perspective laid the foundations by the creation of institutional reforms like the ACC, NRA, Nassit, IMC,NaCSA, the decentralization process and others all aimed at improving the country’s democratic credentials. And the current political regime of President Koroma is making good strides in ensuring that we don’t get back to where we came from; look at how the ACC is currently working especially when it is now free to perform it function; look at what is happening with the Bumbuna electricity, and these are all newsworthy items that should also capture the attention of the international media.

Or are they telling us that we are not moving at all? Mindful of the fact that we still have areas to look at as a nation that is still trying to overcome the trauma of a decade long civil conflict, it should be noted that we are progressing, yes we are!! But I am not oblivious of the fact that whenever a foreign media enters a country, especially a third world country, it has a set agenda in mind and this is what I see happening now.

But back to the issue I am looking at which is the alleged plans by the Economist Magazine to take legal action against the government for failing to meet its financial burden .What is wrong in our government paying, you may be tempted to ask; but let us having a reflection on recent happenings in the country, with particular reference to the much talked about Wanza issue.

Let me give a prelude to this issue; Wanza took the Sierra Leone government to the ECOWAS court of law for the government’s failure then to pay him back for the supply of a military gunboat. Ex-president Kabbah logically refused to pay due to a number of reasons, especially questioning the availability of the gunboat. But the then Justice Minister, Fred Carew, I learnt, gave his legal advice on the issue but was not adhered to.

The Wanza issue became topical when the media raised issue to the extent of questioning the grounds upon which the government was going to pay Wanza, following a court action that was instituted against the government for also failing to pay Wanza. Mark you, the Wanza issue was inherited from Ex-President Kabbah by Ernest Koroma. But the current government looked at the implications if the matter had continued in court and as a result opted for an out of court settlement with Wanza.

So, if we are almost in a similar situation now with the ‘Economist Magazine’, are we are going to look at the issue objectively and then advice the government according? And in that attempt should we also look at what we had written on the Wanza issue and see the precedent we have set initially on the Wanza issue? I have no problem with our government paying the ‘Economist Magazine’ if at all it has to .However, let us don’t forget what was the position of the media to the Wanza issue and this is almost the same as the current one!!!

The Global Time definitely would not want this country to be in a mess by been always taken to court but our initial stance on a similar matter should be taken into cognizance when debating this matter. I look forward to us continuing this debate which I have started genuinely!! I hope, my senior colleague, Mr. Fofana will look at my points and get me more explanation. M y most humble question therefore is that, if the government should pay the magazine in question for fear of us being embarrassed in an overseas court of law, which I totally support, why should the government not pay Wanza, a matter that also has the same potential of embarrassing us at the ECOWAS court of law. I thank you most kindly.

 By Pa John Baimba Sesay +23277838457