SLAJ Receives Reformation Committee Report on Parliamentary Press Gallery

The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) on Wednesday 18th August 2021 received the Report from the Reformation Committee (RC) on the issues relating to the Parliamentary Press Gallery (PPG).

The RC was set up by the PPG membership based on the advice of SLAJ to look into the challenges affecting the smooth operations of the PPG over the years and to come up with its findings and recommendations that will serve as road map towards addressing the issue.

Presenting the Report on behalf of the five man Committee, the Chairman of the RC, Melvin Tejan Mansaray accepted delay in submitting the report due to unforeseen challenges, but however called on SLAJ to look at the recommendations and work accordingly with open hands in addressing the issue of the PPG.

He however, assured that the Committee is willing and ready to accept any further responsibility given in addressing and resolving the situation in the PPG, urging the SLAJ leadership to work fast as they are tired of being in such situation.

Receiving the Report on behalf of SLAJ, President Ahmed Sahid Nasralla, assured the Committee and the PPG membership that what SLAJ is doing is in the interest of the PPG membership for them to be independent and free from any political interference.

“Allowing Parliament to interfere in your internal arrangements or even working with an interim executive appointed by the Clerk of Parliament will be counter productive,” he said, adding that it will be a bad precedent set by his administration if he allows such to happen.

He assured that SLAJ will look at the report and the recommendations therein at the Executive level and will definitely inform the Committee within the shortest possible time on the next steps as the issue is long overdue.

“Thank you for this report, and I want to commend all of you in the RC for your efforts. We will look at the report, consult with other media stakeholders, and together we will decide the next steps,” he added.

Meanwhile, Nasralla called on all to continue exercising patience as he hates confrontational approach which was why he refused to issue out a press release, despite pressure from his Executive, to counter the approach of Parliament.