– Irate SLPP supporters, others
In what has come up as a shock to the people of Sierra Leone, the young man the president confidently appointed as his minister of information and civic education, Chernor Bah, allegedly shut down 98.1 FM radio station when a pre-recorded programme with the outgoing US Ambassador Reimer was to be aired.
Irate SLPP supporters and other citizens are calling on president Bio to recall Rado Swarray to head the Ministry of Information, saying ‘Chernor Bah is not mature for that post’. The party’s grassroots supporters say leaving him as minister of info will cause us further embarrassment as a state.
It was alleged that the new minister gave the instruction, which was reversed after the programme was to have been aired.
Supporters of the SLPP have said Minister Bah has not only embarrassed the people of Sierra Leone, he has also embarrassed the president.
‘Sad to say but with this shocking behaviour, Chernor Bah has made us consider whether the president was wrong replacing Rado Swarray. Although people complained that Swarray didn’t perform, at least he did not do anything this scandalous. And to do so to the US Ambassador was not only arrogant but also dangerous. The US government spends hundreds of millions of dollars propping our government up. So for their substantive person in the Ambassador, who is called His Excellency like the president, to be so embarrassed by Chernor Bah is uncalled for. The young man should know that he is no longer an activist but a government minister. The rules for activism and being a politician are different. Really, Rado Swarray wouldn’t have made such an immature move,’ some very upset SLPP partisans told Daybreak.
They described Minister Bah as a firebrand that shouldn’t have been given such a critical ministry that has to do with the image and reputation of the president and our education sector.
‘What if Chernor does this to a visiting professor that does not agree with our government as the US are openly not with how this 24 June election has turned out? We expect for the president to keep this youngster on a short leash. But in the interim we expect him to be sanctioned. It would have been better for us if Rado was still minister of info,’ they concluded.
To be continued…
