By Kabs Kanu
Nobody will limit or abridge my freedom of expression. As a journalist, I will talk about matters of national and international concerns when and as I deem fit.
The country and the world are what they are today because of the stoic , fence-sitting, “mumu” and opportunistic silence of people to whom much has been given by society and from whom much more is expected.
The SLPP Government has been praised and given credit by me for the good things they have done–Cleaning the city, Hajj probe plan, Women’s empowerment in the appointment of first female Attorney General / Justice Minister , restoration of light in the city, free education plans, etc. etc. I have repeatedly said that if this government does anything commendable , I will not deny them any praise at Facebook or in my newspaper.
However, the treatment of our diplomats , the violence against APC supporters and officials, the wretched and ungrateful treatment of President Ernest Koroma, the perpetration of tribal hegemony and conduction of government business on social media by the government need equal attention . We have to condemn them because they are wrong . If we do not do it, nobody will .
We have to keep the feet of our officials under the fire so that they will realize that they are accountable to the people who voted for them.
Our message is striking home and creating much impact .That is why we keep hammering and hammering our message home –So that we will keep the government on its feet and make it transparent and accountable to the people.
When a praise-worthy act is performed by the government, we will give them credit.
Under APC rule, we were part of governance and others had the opportunity to criticize us and they did it with glee. I was largely criticized on Facebook ,Whatsapp and newspapers. I was maligned but I did not hang myself or fight anyone. It was democracy at work and the critics were entitled to their opinions. We accepted their attacks and criticisms.
Now, we are in the opposition. Obviously, we too have the opportunity now to hold the government to account for their actions as they did to us. That is how democracy works.
We will continue to speak out day and night , responsibly, objectively, decently and productively in the supreme interest of our nation.
We cannot afford to become “Bobos” and “Mumus ” when our nation is skirting the edges of anarchy, breakdown in the Rule of Law and order and when fundamental human rights , good governance and the principles of national unity, national cohesion and national reintegration are under threats from President Bio and his government.
We owe our nation a duty to speak out and we will fulfill it with eclat and relish.
