GANTA – Ahead of a crucial August 24 election, candidate Mae Azango has promised to unite members of the Press Union of Liberia, who have been divided for nearly two years following an election that ended in a deadlock.
By S. Kannay Ziamo, Contributing Writer
Speaking in Ganta, Nimba County, where her team [TEAM UNITY] was endorsed by a group of Nimba journalists, Azango said that if given the opportunity to serve the union, she and her team will endeavor to ensure genuine unity among members of the union through initiatives that will bring everyone together under one PUL, not differentiating members based on whom they supported, their locations, places of work, and status.
“We will unite our members and ensure that no one is made to feel less important because of their location and status. We will not see our members as people who supported us or did not support us,” Mae assured her colleagues.
Outlining her vision for the union, Mae revealed that apart from reuniting the union, her team will work to ensure the construction of a headquarters for the PUL, provide training and learning opportunities equally for members, and further decentralize the activities of the union to give journalists in rural communities the opportunity to network and forge partnerships with national and international organizations supporting media activities.
Commenting on the longstanding disagreement that has stalled the activities of the union, Mae expressed regret over the situation and pointed out that it can only be remedied by a team of neutral people who were in no way part of the situation that led to the prevailing disagreement.
Reading their statement of petition on behalf of the group tagged “Free-thinking Journalists of Nimba,” Sei Koyea assured TEAM UNITY of his group’s unwavering support.
Koyea noted that their decision to support the Unity Team stems from proven track records of exemplified leadership, commitment, and a clear vision for the future of their noble fraternity and members, especially those in rural Liberia considered by candidate Julius K. Kanubah and his team as “palm wine tappers” and “bush journalists.”
“As rural journalists, our decision to support this team is based on the fact that unlike the other team, TEAM UNITY shares the same vision, aspiration, commitment, and dedication of the previous TEAM DANIEL, which we took pride in standing with. Like TEAM DANIEL, this team is committed to standing by and for all journalists and media workers, irrespective of their location, institutions they work for, and status.”
Koyea stated that the Free-thinking journalists believe Mae and her lieutenants embody the qualities needed to drive meaningful progress and unity in the PUL at a time when the union stands at a crossroads.
“If we want to see a reconciled Press Union of Liberia that will not characterize journalists based on their locations, then we encourage all journalists to trust Team Unity, which is headed by internationally decorated female journalist Mae Azango,” Koyea called on Liberian journalists.
The Free-thinking journalists of Nimba argued that the conflict that has affected the Press Union of Liberia for nearly two years is not about policy reform, as claimed by Team Kanubah, but about greed and hatred, and any attempt to deny those whom they claimed to be “bush journalists” and “palm wine tappers” the opportunity to participate in the activities of the union.
The Free-thinking Journalists of Nimba County is a group comprising more than twenty journalists and media workers based in and out of Nimba. The group was instrumental in rallying the support of media colleagues in and out of Liberia for the election of former President Charles Coffey and Daniel Nyakonah. Members of the group have been together since 2017, according to its Chairman, Jerry T. Myers.
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