By Tola
Let it never be said of our public servants that they are not working. Neither can you accuse them of lacking in long-term vision. I also dare anyone to say they lack that intrinsic intuition necessary for inspiring leadership.

Take Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of BayelsaState, for instance. His thoughts are so far advanced beyond the here and now he’s gone way past the mundane and pedestrian issues of light, water, good roads and other social amenities for the people and has moved on to more esoteric things like fighting the ‘menacing scourge’ of rumour mongering within the state. (Of course, it only became a scourge when he became the subject; whenNjideka and Shalewa get into that’s just two women fighting but that’s beside the point.)

To this end, he has set up a ‘high powered committee’ (to be inaugurated no less) to ‘address the ugly trend’. The committee is tasked with the responsibility of finding a permanent solution to rumour mongering (huh?) and would also be responsible for fishing out and prosecuting people responsible for ‘peddling wicked rumours round the state’. (Read GESTAPO!!!)It is reported that BayelsaState has lately experienced “some pangs of rumours” (sic) which were peddled to mislead members of the public, one of such rumours being that the High Court sitting in Port Harcourt had nullified the election of the State Governor. It was further reported that the Governor was away in Abuja on official assignment when the rumour of his removal hit town and he had to ‘rush back to dispel it….’

Now don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I am ignorant of how misinformation can lead to confusion and eventually chaos if not nipped in the bud. Isn’t that what information management and Public Relations is all about? Where is Mr Governor’s media machinery? Then I don’t know how things work down there in Bayelsa, but I’d like to believe that it doesn’t matter how thick the rumour of his removal are; it would take much more that the bad belle utterances of his ‘political detractors’ (those people ehn?!) to unseat him – then again, maybe not. I would have thought that a simple press release stating the contrary would be suffice or better still pictures and video footage of a ‘Governor at work’would go a long way in dispelling that kind of rumour.

Perhaps the problem is deeper than my simple mind kind grasp. When you set up and inaugurate a standing committee to look into rumour mongering and you give it the power to ‘fish out and prosecute’ alleged rumour mongers I foresee a huge problem looming ahead.Where does my freedom of speech and right to an opinion end and rumour mongering begin? And what if the so called rumour is based on truth? I mean if going by my personal parameters of social development I decide that the Governor is incompetent and make my views public,could that be considered rumour mongering? And what form and to what degree is the offender punished? Would they be asked to pay a fine? Or will they go as far as being incarcerated; and for how long? Will there be such a thing as rumour mongering in the first degree? Will they make allowance for ‘extenuating circumstances? Is this even legal? I know you can be persecuted for libel and slander but rumour mongering? (Or are they one and the same?) Professor ItseSagay over to you!

The Governor really didn’t have to go through the trouble and expense of setting up yet another standing committee that will only become redundant eventually, (I’m sure there are more creative ways to keep his cronies occupied) I could have told him for free that the true and lasting panacea for dispelling negative information is for him to be and do the direct opposite of what‘s being said. Nothing whitewashes a politician like delivering the dividends of democracy to the people. And because our expectations are so low, he wouldn’t even have to that much before his praises are sung to the high heavens!

False tale bearers beware! Rumour mongering will no longer be tolerated in the great BayelsaState; enhen!!