*The SLPP Government has this nasty reputation for maltreating its own Journalists*

*By Abdul Karim Koroma in New Jersey*

Saa Tumoe was a respected lecturer at FBC and the editor/proprietor of the Globe newspaper. In 1997 the Johnny Paul Koroma AFRC/RUF rebels administration offered him the position of Information Minister; he turned it down and joined Kabbah in Guinea. After he rejected the appointment, all his property were looted and his house vandalized. When Kabbah was restored in 1998 he was promised an ambassadorial position. Saa Tumoe had started having orientation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was never given the position and he was abandoned by the SLPP and he died of shame and disgrace. Even when Tumoe fell ill in Freetown, the Kabbah administration could not fly him out of the country for proper medical attention.

Shaka Massaquoi was the editor of Vision newspaper. After the SLPP won the 1996, he approached the SLPP and Kabbah to be appointed as Minister of Information. He was ignored by Kabbah saying that he was over ambitious. He was made General Manager of Daily Mail newspaper, a tabloid that was dying by the time. Shaka Massaquoi fell ill and died of embarrassment and neglect.

Bunting Davies of the Shaft newspaper. He used his newspaper to ensure that the SLPP came to power with his popular column “Mother and Child”. When the SLPP was elected in 1996 nobody talked to him and he died in pain and shame. SLPP members did not even attend his funeral.

Vandi Kallon of the Echo newspaper. He used his paper to write all sorts of terrible things about the APC and the NPRC. After the SLPP came to power, he was not given any attention by the SLPP. His house was burnt down during the invasion of Freetown. Few months before his death, we met at Rawdon Street in Freetown and he was putting on bathroom sleepers in the city. With running tears he told me: “Ajami, these my people (meaning the SLPP) have disappointed me”. He said his house was burnt down and that he was sleeping in a makeshift room at Calaba Town. Three months ago, I heard about his death.

Max Konneh of the Vision newspaper. After his wife gave birth, he had no money. He needed assistance for the naming ceremony of his child. He struggled and met Kabbah. After he had explained his ordeal to Kabbah, the latter refused to give a dine and he left State House as a wailer.

Kawigoko Roy Stevens was a household name in the media. He was appointed General Manager of Daily Mail newspaper. He was hoping to be appointed as a Minister but the SLPP played him down. He reluctantly accepted the offer at Daily Mail. After his exit from Daily Mail, the SLPP did not want to be associated with him again any more. He left Freetown and settled in Lungi where he died in a “panbody”. When the family approached the SLPP for financial assistance for the funeral, the family was dismissed by the SLPP saying that after searching their membership records; Kawigoko Roy Stevens was not one of them. Kawigoko Roy Stevens was almost buried like a pauper.

Tayyib Bah, erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the SLPP and formerly of the Eastern Post newspaper was one journalist the SLPP treated super-nasty. As an elected executive member of the party, the SLPP surreptitious replaced him with a Director of Communications whilst he was still the National Publicity Secretary. That created a frosty relationship between Tayib Bah and the SLPP National Executive. He resigned and later got ill. He died out of frustration.

The Forays: Poius and Jon. I don’t want to mention their stories of neglect by the SLPP.

The Democrat newspaper fought unprecedentedly for the restoration of the SLPP Government. After all what they did for the SLPP, their efforts were not even recognized. Instead after Kabbah was restored he and his vindictive Vice President, Solomon Berewa, compensated the paper by launching a plethora of court cases against the paper in a bid to close it.

In my next issue, I will come with another list of journalists who have made tremendous sacrifices for the SLPP who were left to rot by the party. All the journalists that were killed and maimed for the restoration of the democracy and the SLPP, were not recognized by the SLPP.