By Alex Yomah
Liberian journalists under the supervision of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) are expected to hold a mass meeting today against the issuance of the new passes by the Ministry of Information Cultural Affairs Tourism (MICAT).
The PUL president, Charles Coffey, has at the same time, urged all independent media institutions with reporters providing media Covid-19 coverage at the National Public Health Institution and the Ministry of Health to revert to base stating that government stance has the tendency to imperil their lives.
Making the disclosure yesterday Coffey, said journalists will today assemble in Monrovia carrying placards with different inscriptions against what is called draconian forms of government.
Coffey said the government has embarked on what he called media censorship intended to silence critical media institutions which it perceives are anti to the Weah-Taylor’s administration.
The Union called on all media institutions in Liberia not to adhere to the government’s new measures intended to regulate the media-adding that government has sinister motive-evidence by Deputy Minister Eugene Fahngon’s attempts to delete names of those his government considered critical voices during the preparation of the first passes, which the PUL proxy claimed was aborted by the Union.
Mr. Coffey said the media sees the ongoing sporadic attacks against the media that is being sanctioned by government as a confirmation of the media accusation and called on the international community to intervene now.
He said since the government came up with its new measures, Liberian media practitioners have been harassed, intimidated, and sometimes denied access to perform on the order of government.
The PUL president said the President’s Chief of Office Staff, Nathaniel McGill, confirmed Fahngon’s action on a local radio station.
Coffey quoting McGill said, the minister noted that the government sanctioned every assertion uttered by the Deputy Information Minister and that, that is the voice of the government.
“This means, if journalists don’t take government’s passes during this SoE period, he/she will be arrested and subdued under the full weight of the law as indicated by the Minister of Information,”
Meanwhile, a United Kingdom Liberian based journalist currently lockdown in Liberia is calling on President George Weah to dismiss Deputy MICAT Boss Faghgon.
Speaking when he delivered scores of assorted items to the PUL, Mr. Maxson Pkakio said Liberia a pregnant with resentments noting that it is incumbent upon this government to avert plans for subversion and if government has the plans to revert such plans, Deputy Fahngon’s messages should be condemned.
He said MICAT’s Deputy Minister’s assertions recently against the media are counterproductive and added that, the Minister’s role should be to propagate information, make peace amongst journalists and also to promulgate government’s messages but repulsively, the Deputy Minister’s role especially in this pandemic is worsening than solving issue.
According to him, Mr. Fahngon’s action and inaction demonstrates that he is not qualified for the position for which he was appointed and as such, admonished President Weah to have him replaced.