MONROVIA – A journalist at state radio, Patrick Okai, has alarmed over what he terms a threat from his boss, Deputy Director General, Tetee Gebro, for his support to former VP Joseph Boakai for the presidency over incumbent President George Weah in the country’s impending presidential election.
Patrick, a longtime broadcast journalist wrote on his verified Facebook handle that Madam Gebro, the wife of President Weah’s friend and former playmate on Liberia’s national male soccer team, the Lone Star, Mr. George Gebro, had threatened him by also taking to Facebook to infer that by he not supporting Weah’s re-election bid, he (Patrick) was biting the hand that feeds him.
In a social media altercation between Patrick and his boss, who at the weekend posted on her official Facebook page suggesting that there was an unimpressive turnout at the main opposition Unity Party campaign rally in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County, the journalist like many other Liberians, in the thread under such post wrote indicating that Madam Gebro’s claim was false.
In response to the broadcast journalist with more than 32 years of experience in the practice of journalism, Madam Gebro wrote: “Patrick Okai your ownpa keep bitting the hand that feeds you! GOD deh papa,” a statement Patrick deems a dangerous threat to his profession and to his life.
He stated that with such a coment coming from his boss, who is the Deputy Director General for Administration at the Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS), especially, with Madam Gebro being a presidential appointee, he is not taking such a threatening comment lightly.
He also accused Madam Gebro of telling a lie when according to him the LBS Deputy Director General stated that they both discussed and he told her former VP Boakai told him that when he wins next month’s presidential election and takes over as Liberia’s next president, Patrick would be appointed Director General for LBS, a discussion the journalist denies ever holding with his boss.
“Even if this were true, why are you so jittery and apprehensive?” Patrick quipped, clarifying that the last time he ever met and spoke with the Unity Party standard bearer Boakai, was more than 10 years ago – “and I am certain he won’t recognize [me] again, if he saw me right now.”
“Why are you such a bold faced liar?” Patrick asked his boss, wondering whether she was resorting to lying to gain public sentiments after publicly threatening him.
He told his boss that his position on whether or not to support President Weah has always been unwavering.
“I don’t support him and will never do so, politically,” Patrick said of the Liberian president, indicating that he (Patrick) is an unrepentant, unapologetic, unashamed, and unremorseful Joseph Boakai supporter, who is campaigning, praying, and fasting for the Unity Party standard bearer to replace Weah as Liberia’s next head of state.
Patrick, who stated that he has served the state broadcaster for a little over four years, as a contractor discharging several duties including presenting a specific radio program three times weekly; training interns as well as scripting and producing stingers, informed Madam Gebro that at LBS, she has every right to give him instructions, “but off the air, please DON’T ATTEMPT CONTROLLING MY PRIVATE LIFE.”
“Let me remain in my “STRUGGLING STATE”, but with a peace of mind; you can continue in your privileged position,” added Patrick, who reiterated that warning him not to bite the hands that feed him is a dangerous threat to his profession and to his life respectively, and that he intends taking Madam Gebro’s threat at a higher level.
Patrick, who did not elaborate as to what he meant by taking his boss’ threat at a higher level, further told her: “LIVE AND LET ME LIVE. TETEE GEEBRO.”
Meanwhile, Smart News Liberia has verified that Madam Gebro is of the opinion that her comment in response to Patrick that she was not stating the truth when she wrote that the turnout at the Unity Party’s campaign rally in Buchanan at the weekend was unimpressive is not in any way a threat, as the journalist claims.
Badly written story. Needed quite some editing to make points being made by the two media personnel much clearer than how they come across in the story. For example, if Patrick Okai has clearly and unambiguously declared himself as a staunch supporter of J.N. Boakai, how come there is a rather muddled sentence in which he’s being quoted in the sentence as having “unflinching support” for Weah? Clarity must remain a key ingredient in any good news story–to avoid confusing the reader.