By Olando Testimony Zeongar
LIBERIA – The Standard Bearer of Unity Party (UP), ex-Vice President Ambassador Joseph Nyuma Boakai (JNB), on Christmas Eve this year, held a major end-of-year media engagement with a cross-section of Liberian journalists drawn from almost a dozen of local newspapers.
The newspapers, which are among the best the country can boast of included Front Page Africa, Daily Observer, Heritage, The News, The Inquirer, Hot Pepper, New Dawn, New Republic, and The Independent, which had in attendance, members of their senior staff including Chief Editors and Managing Editors.
During the tete-a-tete with the former Vice President, which lasted for over two hours at his private office located at his Rehab Community residence, the UP Standard Bearer chatted about issues ranging from his personal life to social matters, and of course, politics, especially his presidential bid and how he envisages rescuing Liberia from the hands of those currently at the helm of the country’s political leadership led by retired footballer George Weah.
He expressed gratitude that the journalists, mostly media executives, would answer the call of engagement with him, indicating that the media is a very important part of nation-building.
“We want to thank you for what you do,” the Unity Party Standard Bearer hailed the journalists, indicating that the media is an eye to the world and to the community.
“People don’t understand; of course, when the media doesn’t say nice things about you, then you feel bad. But the media is there not just to say nice things. It is to be critical about the society, to see what happens,” said JNB, who intoned that he’s aware of what it costs to be with the media Liberia.
“I’m happy that you people can survive because I know what it takes. But that’s the job that you do, to inform the society,” said the Unity Party Political Leader Boakai, adding, “We want to thank you.”
Ambassador Boakai, who has a reputation for being positively engaged with the media in the country, divulged that in time past, he had been engaged with journalists in Liberia not just for promotional reasons, but as a way of interchanging and trying to hear the truth, and whatever is heard from different angles, noting that there are “Too much lies in our society, but that’s part of it. So, we want to thank you.”
He also thanked Chairperson Ms. Telia Urey of the JNB Tact-Team 2023, a group comprising patriotic Liberians, working tirelessly to give Liberia the rightful political leadership the country deserves, for organizing in concert with his office, his end-of-year engagement with the media.
The JNB Tact-Team 2023, with a membership of Liberians from all walks of life, and drawn from various professional backgrounds, has a singular goal; to politically ensure Ambassador Joseph Nyuma Boakai becomes Liberia’s next President in 2023 – a goal which is a rescue mission firmly anchored on the foundation to Think Liberia, Love Liberia, and Build Liberia.
“As you know, we are always told what to do. The people say we’re the one [that] got the power but we are the one who takes the orders. Just a few days ago, they told me this is what you have to do, so I’m here – thank you for coming,” Ambassador Boakai said humorously, attracting giggles from the journalists and others present at the gathering including Amos Tweh, the youthful Secretary General of Unity Party.
Following JNB’s introductory remarks, the journalists represented by a member of the media present at the occasion, the Editor-In-Chief of Heritage newspaper, Augustus D.R. Bortue, thanked the UP Standard Bearer for inviting the media, noting that such a move was in the right direction.
Bortue pointed out that it was imperative for the United Party Political leader to penetrate the media through continued engagement, recommending therefore that Ambassador Boakai’s end-of-year engagement not be the last of such events, but be undertaken frequently.
“So you have to penetrate your way in the media. The media starts with the reporters. The reporters are on the field; then from there it goes to the Sub-Editor, the News Editor, then the Editor-In-Chief, and then the Publisher,” added Bortue, who strongly kicked against politicians being only engaged with publishers, leaving out reporters and editors, who he said are the ones who actually execute the job of reporting the news.
He lavished praises on the former Vice President, for being a man of the media, recalling a trip he made along with the ex-VP to China, as well as the opportunities the UP Standard Bearer afforded many other journalists to accompany him for independent coverage and reportage, whenever he flew outside Liberia on official functions while he served in government as the second in command.
Responding to the opening remarks from the journalists, who spoke through their representative Bortue, JNB recalled the extent to which he has been engaged with the media in Liberia, retrospecting that in 2017, he regularly had a weekly meeting with Liberian media workers.
He had a recollection about the laundry list of journalists that traveled with him out of the country those days whenever he traveled on official government business, stating that he always assured these journalists were well taken care of.
He said his good treatment accorded media people over the years, stems from his belief that the media always formed a part of his official delegation, for themselves to have observed happenings without having to be coached by nobody on what to do.
To Bortue’s recommendation that media practitioners in the country be periodically invited to give coverage to JNB’s activities, the UP Standard Bearer stressed proper coordination between his media team and journalists, informing the former not to harbor any fear of resource constraints.
He indicated that resources constraint should not be the basis for which what he called good reporting to be buried, because according to him, the media is the one that relates to the public and the people who are newsmakers.
While urging his media team to include in his plan of activities, representatives of the Liberian media, the UP Standard Bearer expressed the hope that the media in the country would one day reach the period where it will be empowered to independently carry out its work.
“Probably not everybody, but a representation of the media. We hope there will come a time when the media will be strong enough to do independent representation. But we know the constraints here,” Ambassador Boakai asserted.
