By: Samuel G. Dweh—Freelance Development Journalist on Arts & Entertainment |
+23188661896/776583266; samuelosophy1@gmail.com, hafizm,sonnie57@gmail.com
The title of the event was “Turning Over Ceremony of the Outgoing Minister of Information, Cultural Affairs & Tourism” The date was March 5 (Tuesday), 2024; the venue of the program was the open space in front of the Ministry.
THE MICAT’S TURNING-OVER PROGRAM
The High Table consisted of the former Minister, Mr. Ledgerhood Rennie; the new Minister; former Minister Cletus Sieh; MICAT’s former Director of Press & Public Affairs, Mr. Eugene Fahngon; Montserrado’s District #17 Representative, Bernard Benson, Chairperson of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Culture, Tourism & Entertainment; Madam Lien Bach, Chief of Party of American Government’s Liberian Media Development (named Internews); National Culture Ambassador Madam Juli Endee. Other persons on the High Table were Mr. Cyrus Badio, popular pre-civil war time broadcaster; and Madam Lisa Diasay, president of the Female Journalists Association of Liberia (FeJAL)
The program commenced with cultural performances (songs and dances) by the National Culture Troupe, led by Director Maima Kiazolu. The lead singer was Madam Suah Togba.
SPEECHES
The first speaker was the out-going Minister.
“Those responsible to tell the Liberian story do not get the support they deserve,” former Minister Ledgerhood Rennie said speaking about the “Information” component of the Ministry.
He also said everybody with a cell phone is a “Journalist and communicator”.
He expressed his disgust against the kind of politics being practiced in Liberia, and said it keeps real professional Liberians on the fence, instead of attracting them to participate in national development.
“People don’t get what they deserve due to acrimonious politics,” he said, and appealed to MICAT employees to work with his successor, Jerolinmek J. Piah, to leave out destructive politics during their interactions with the Minister, the Minister’s Deputies, and heads of the various Departments.
During the conclusion of his turn-over speech, he said the Broadcast Studio in MICAT was constructed with his personal money.
For his part, the new Minister—Hon. Jerolinmek Matthew Piah—began with congratulating his predecessor, Mr. Ledgerhood Julius Rennie, all other former Ministers, and Heads of various Departments of the Ministry.
He spoke briefly about his being a batch of University of Liberia students who ran from President Charles Taylor’s ‘witch-hunt’, but were stranded in a cargo Swede-owned Ship named MV/ANAR, but were stranded on the Atlantic Ocean for 26 days (1-26 of June, 2001) on rejection by the Governments of Ghana, Benin Republic and Togo. The Federal Government of Nigeria—led by Olusegun Obansajo—came to their rescue on the 26th of June. I was in the Ship.
Later, he lamented on the salary of some employees in the Ministry.
“Some employees were given US$40 as salary, and they were expected to come to work everyday,” he reacted to information he had received from the Ministry’s employees during the leadership of Mr. Ledgerhood J. Rennie during the Presidency of George Manneh Weah.
The new Minister’s assertion had a link with an employment-related corruption story I heard some MICAT employees discussing when I was in their midst, at the back of the Ministry, and waiting for the commencement of the program. “Some male Assistant Ministers and Heads of Department have put their wives or girlfriends on payroll and getting between US$400 and US$500 as salary, but these women don’t come to work everyday. Some of us who come to work everyday are given between US$40 and US$50 as salary,” a male employee complained to his colleagues in a group discussion. “We will press the new Minister, Mr. Jeremiah Piah, to do payroll audit, so that those corrupt top officials of the Ministry will be exposed and punished,” a female employee responded to the male complainant.
On promotion of Liberia’s tourism sector to attract foreign tourists, the new MICAT boss declared, “Tourists will not come to Liberia if we continue protesting, keeping the Country’s environment filthy, or killing people on political differences.” This was his caution to his compatriots involved in any of these acts.
“My leadership will prioritize the reactivation of the National Culture Center, Kendeja,” he stressed.
Hon. Bernard B. Benson, Montserrado County, District #17 Representative
The HOR’s Committee Chairperson on Tourism, Hon. Bernard Benson, an entertainer and owner of Hott FM and Hott TV, said he will rally with his colleagues at the Lower House and Senate to support the leadership of the new Minister at MICAT.
“We will also work with the Collective Society, a body of tourists, artists, movie producers, musicians, and writers that promotes Liberia’s Arts and Tourism,” he assured.
During his remarks, former Minister Cletus Sieh said the Joseph Nyumah Boakai-led Government’s “rescue” plan will be incomplete if the welfare of MICAT’s employees is downplayed by the new Minister Jerolinmek M. Piah.
Mrs. Mai Urey, Director of the Liberia National Tourism Association, expressed her gratitude to the new Minister for inviting private tourism-promotion institutions to the turn-over program.
“Mr. Minister, let’s help you speak for Liberia through tourism,” she said.
National Culture Ambassador and Director of the Crusaders for Peace, Madam Julie Endee, presented one quilt to the new Minister to be placed in his office, and another quilt to be placed in the lobby of the Ministry. The one for the lobby had photos of former President George Manneh Weah and Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor and photos of current President Joseph Nyumah Boakai and Vice President Jeremiah K. Koung. She also provide two Coat of Arms of Liberia’s Bicentennial (200th year) celebration (in 2022) for the out-going Minister and the in-coming Minister. Finally, she gowned the out-going Minister and the in-coming Minister with gowns made with traditional Liberian fabrics.
& Director for Crusaders for Peace
The National Culture Troupe culturally translated parts of her remarks through drumming and traditional dances. Mr. Emmanuel B. Lavela, Director of School of Liberian Arts and Dance (SLAD), and official in the office of the Assistant for Culture, exhibited his “cultural choreography” (dancing skill) after Madam Endee’s remarks.
The representative of Internews, the American Government’s media development arm for Liberia, reiterated America’s commitment of continuous support to the Liberian Media.
“We work with the Press Union of Liberia and Community Radio Stations across Liberia during our capacity-building projects for the Liberian Media,” Internews’ representative, Madam Lien Bach, Chief of Party, said.
“In Liberia, building a professional leadership structure is challenging. Engineers at the Ministry of Land, Mines & Energy earn US$75 as salary. We should respect the works of technocrats,” said Mr. Wilmot Paye, Minister of Land, Mines & Energy, whose turn-over program had ended almost two hours before the start of his colleague in the “struggle for good governance”—Jerolinmek Matthew Piah—and was invited to MICAT’s to make remarks.
The National Photographers Union of Liberia (NAPUL), through its President, Mr. Lawrence Foko, presented a photographic portraits of President Boakai and Vice President Jeremiah Koung to Minister Jeremiah Piah.
The Press Union of Liberia (PUL), represented by Mr. Akoi Baysah, Assistant Secretary General.
“The Press Union of Liberia hopes the new leadership of the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs & Tourism will prioritize capacity-building and travel opportunities for PUL’s members employed at the Ministry,” Mr. Baysah said.
Mr. Alphonso Toweh, Publisher of the New Republic Newspaper, spoke for the Publishers Association of Liberia and the body of Liberian Journalists corresponding for foreign media institutions in Liberia.
He said, all is not financially rosy in either of these two institutions, but body’s members are stuck performing assigned tasks based on passion.
“We should build a pluralistic society where every dissenting view will be respected,” said pre-civil war time veteran Broadcaster, Mr. Aaron Kollie.
The event climaxed with ribs-cracking joke (comedy) and two Gospel songs. Liberia’s most popular comedian, Mr. Bahn B. Greehky, popularly called “Wedigar” relieved boredom (from long period of sitting at one spot) with his joke. “In America, the name “Gate” is rich, and the name “Stone” is rich. But, in Liberia, the name “Blessing” is begging for food and phone’s recharge card,” he announced. The audience burst into laughter.
The Gospel songs came from Gospel Minister Trokon L. Cephas and Izetta Saydyu Tay.
During his Votes of Thanks, Mr. Daniel O. Sando, talked about anger and frustration by many of MICAT’s employees on what was given them—during the former leadership—as “salary”.
He described the entire Ministry as “dilapidated” on sanitary condition due to salary-related unhappy janitors’ constant failure to perform their tasks.
“The office given me is leaking and there are no enough seats,” he complained.
The Master of Ceremony was Mr. Lawrence Fahnbulleh, Director of Press & Public Affairs.
Samuel G. Dweh (a member of the Wedabo ethnic group of Grand Kru County) is professional writer (fiction and non-fiction) He is a member of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), and member and former president (2017-2022) of the Liberia Association of Writers (LAW) He had worked as Proofreader, News Editor, Editor-in-Chief, and Senior Editor-Reporter with seven different Liberian Print Media Institutions (beginning as Proofreader at Daily Observer in 2011) and Reporter-Assistant Editor with one Magazine (IMAGES Magazine owned by veteran Liberian Photo Journalist Mr. Sando Moore) in 2013.
