By Aminata Phidelia Allie
Following the abrupt cancellation of its flagship “Good Morning Salone” programme, the Society for Radio Democracy 98.1FM has slammed an indefinite suspension on the opposition Sierra Leone People's Party, SLPP denying them coverage and preventing them from accessing their station until remorse is shown.
The suspension follows the “misconduct” on the part of a party member, Kalilu Totangi, who allegedly “stormed the station’s premises uninvited and behaved in a disorderly manner.”
Station Manager, Asmaa James, told journalists at a press conference in their Small Waterloo Street office in Freetown that the morning programme was supposed to host the SLPP vice presidential candidate, Dr Kadi Sesay, and Minister of Information and Communication, Ibrahim Ben Kargbo of teh governing APC party.
She explained that listeners had to be deprived of important information for that day, adding that “we stand for democracy and nothing can change that. That is why we are going to set an example by indefinitely suspending the SLPP until we receive a formal apology from them.”
Totangi for his part told Politico in an interview that it was a “big lie”.
“I have never insulted the minister in the past and have never thought of doing that,” he said.
“I was in fact the victim,” he said, claiming that he had only asked the minister whether it was true the APC had named their running-mate.
“At this,” he went on, “the minister became very angry, telling me that I had no right to ask him that.”
Totangi further clarified that he had accompanied their vice presidential candidate because it was ill-advised for her to roam the town alone as “she is not an ordinary member of the party.”
(c) Politico 02/10/12
