By Aisha Tamba
Information Minister, Ebrima Sillah has urged community radios to stop siding with political parties in their media platforms.
Speaking recently at a one-day national stakeholder forum on community media organised by the GPU, Hon Ebrima Sillah said community radios should totally divorce themselves from all practices that may divide their own community members.
“Because at some point, some people in your community will not go to the community radio because they think that you are touring a political line. Just as you are not expected to follow the line of a ruling political party, you are not also supposed to follow the line of an opposition party. You are supposed to be there looking in the best interests of your communities,” he told the gathering.
He said the Ministry has seen complaints written to PURA several times about the issue.
“We also have similar messages about a particular radio in CRR and another community radio again in CRR. We made a complaint to PURA,” he said.
He said community radios are extremely important. “We recognise that and as a government, we want to work with you to see that the aims and objectives set for community broadcasting to sensitise, engage and to enlighten the community members and to help them take part in communal development initiatives,” he said.
However the president of community radio broadcasters Yusupha Bonjang, stressed that community radios are disregarded. “Since community radios focus on local issues, desires and interaction, it has a more capacity than other radios to enhance developmental activities at grass-roots level. Yet community radios are disregarded,” he said.
