The National Campaign Management Team of Julius Kanubah and Beatrice Sieh for the Leadership of the Press Union of Liberia welcomes the latest scheduled activities leading to the rerun of the November 2022 PUL elections as ordered in the June 2024 ruling of the Nineth Judicial Circuit Court, sitting in Gbarnga, Bong County.
Team Kanubah-Sieh encourages the full participation of all PUL members in the Court-ordered rerun elections, describing them as a golden opportunity to restore and advance the integrity of the Union in the aftermath of the successfully prosecuted 2022 case of Membership Registration fraud.
Team Kanubah-Sieh urges the PUL membership to always be constructive, eschewing anyone or language that aims to sow the seeds of discord or undermine the person of a fellow journalist or media worker.
While recognizing that leadership elections are high-stakes events, Team Kanubah-Sieh notes that it is unprofessional for anyone bearing the professional identity of a journalist to use foul language or spread mis-or-dis-information.
Team Kanubah-Sieh reminds journalists and PUL members that they are bound to adhere to the highest ethical standards, professional competence, and good behavior as enshrined in the Union's Code of Ethics and Conduct for Journalists.
Particularly, Article 6 states, "Malicious information liable to discredit a person or expose him/her to scorn or hate should not be published/broadcast," while Article 14 stipulates that "The journalist should, while in the performance of his/her duty, conduct him/her [self] in an orderly manner, refrain from the use of profane language(s) and shall be properly attired."
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In this light, Team Kanubah-Sieh frowns and denounces any member of the PUL - whether undecided, for or against its leadership bid - who has or will attempt to disrespect the person of another journalist or PUL member, not least the Court-ordered Interim Committee of Media leaders and elders.
Team Kanubah-Sieh recognizes the participatory, transparent, and courageous steps taken so far by the Interim Committee, including taking over the PUL leadership, working to clean and produce the Membership Register, and conducting the rerun elections considering the PUL Constitution and Code of Ethics and Conduct.
"At the heart of the dispute and legal suit over the PUL 2022 controversial Congress and subsequent mid-night elections was not the re-registration of qualified pre-existing candidates or registration of new wannabes but acts of fraud and gross irregularities and failure of leadership regarding the production of the Membership Register. We are delighted that the Interim Committee has seen for itself and spoken of the titanic scale of the fraudulent acts and gross irregularities perpetrated by the PUL former leadership and its allied Committees on Membership, Congress, and Elections and Inauguration. Cleaning this massive mess remains paramount," emphasizes Team Kanubah-Sieh.
Team Kanubah-Sieh is ready and fired up to reach the finishing lines and steer the PUL on the agenda of Accountable Leadership, Impartial Advocacy, construction of PUL Headquarters, support for Women in Journalism, Media, and Communication, inclusive and Sustainable Media Development, and Formation of Media Hubs in the Counties.
