The Publishers Association of Liberia (PAL) is calling on the Managing Director of the National Port Authority (NPA), Bill Tweahway, to settle financial obligations to media institutions to avoid severe consequences.
According to a PAL release, the NPA boss has refused to settle his indebtedness to a number of media houses for over three years, after performing legitimate media-related services for the port, despite several promises made and discussions held with it.
“PAL sees the action of the NPA management as a deliberate attempt to strangulate and further increase hardship on the media. The NPA owes a minimum amount to the media,” the release stated.
PAL said it believes that the delay in settling media payments could lead to souring the already cordial relations between the government and the media.
“We think the attitude of Mr. Tweahway is deliberate and an affront to the already struggling media landscape. We cannot do legitimate work for your entity and time to pay you and your team start to play games with us. This is unacceptable,” Othello Garblah, President of PAL, said.
PAL is therefore demanding in the strongest term for the NPA boss to settle all media debts or risk legal and professional actions for the improvement of the media.
“Some of the payments have lasted over three years, and the NPA boss has admitted to owning a number of media houses.
“We do not want to have any indirect confrontation with the government due to the inability or refusal to pay media debts. We are calling on the President, George Weah, to prevail on his appointed official to settle these payments. You cannot tell me that NPA is broke and unable to pay its obligations,” Garblah observed.
