Monrovia: The Leadership of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) today with immediate effect suspended the membership of Liberia’s Information Minister Len Eugene Nagbe with the organization for what the Union terms as ‘Unruly behavior’.
PUL’s decision comes after Minister Nagbe termed the PUL a ‘useless’ entity when he appeared on a Christmas Day talk show in Monrovia with FrontPage Africa Publisher Rodney Sieh and Veteran Liberia Journalist to discuss the manner in which the government is handling the media.
“The Press Union of Liberia is a Useless entity that does not knows and understands its functions when it comes to guiding and regulating media institutions in this country”, Min. Nagbe open statement that prompted his suspension.
Min. Nagbe had earlier worked as a journalist up to the former President Charles Taylor’s Era. Due to the roles and responsibilities in the Liberian media sector, Ministers of Information are often given honorary membership of the Union but Min. Nagbe case is closer due to his background in journalism.
According to the Press Union of Liberia Code of Ethics, professionals in journalism in Liberia or affiliating with the PUL are responsible for statements, publications and its intent.
A PUL release states that Min. Nagbe, the demeanor was unequivocally unruly and disturbing, even though he is regarded as one of the ambassadors of Liberian Journalism in government as per his position.
The Union statement indicates that Min. Nagbe unparalleled bang on the parent body for journalists, speaks to the length people of his category can sometimes go to defend their government salaries.
“No matter difficult the search for affluence, professionals must not allow their intelligence to be corroded but at all-time strive to uphold the sanctity of one of few institutions Liberia has to preserved not even when ideas are in short supply to express our situational disagreements, the Union stressed.
The Press Union of Liberia President Mr. Charles B. Coffey pointed that “Minister Nagbe’s frustration is reflective of the Weah Administration’s annoyance on the exactitude in the coverage of proceedings of the government in its first year.”
Mr. Coffey said the media in Liberia is not providing tough scrutiny but a catalog of government’s pronouncement couple with few sporadic investigations.
The Press Union of Liberia has mandated the revision of the Minister Nagbe’s membership with the Union by its committee on membership; the National Media Council has also been asked to investigative the poor deportment of the Information Minister and a member of the PUL. Outcomes of the review will inform an even more appropriate reprimand for Hon. Len Eugene Nagbe.
It can be recalled that during former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s last State of the Nation Address in 2017, Minister Nagbe was seen on camera insulting Liberian television news celebrity Estella Liberty Kermue now a Deputy Director General at the State Radio Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS-ELBC).
In the last five days, influencers within the power cycle of President George M. Weah have intensified attacks against the media in Liberia with some branding the media institutions as blackmailers and extortionists among others while the threat of lawsuits persists in an apparent manner to make the media unpopular for its strong stance on revealing hidden deeds to the public.
Meanwhile, the Press Union of Liberia is again calling on President Weah to advise his assistants to end their provocative comments and actions against the media because these negative energies undermine the democratic gains and value for press freedom.
