By Mark N. Mengonfia, mmenginfia@gmail.com
Since President George M. Weah appointed Mr. Jarlawah A. Tonpo to replace dismissed Deputy Information Minster of Press and Public Affairs, Eugene Fahngon, Tonpo’s suitability for the post has come under scrutiny in the Liberian media.
In some instances his selection has been welcomed, while on the other hand he has received lots of criticisms that he is ‘too diplomatic’ for such a post, given the posture of his immediate past predecessors—Eugene Fahngon and Isaac Jackson.
Many took to their official social media platforms with long posts justifying that the President made the wrong decision to have nominated Tonpo at a place they considered as major propaganda tool for the government of Liberia. Before his nomination recently, Tonpo served as Director of the Senate Press Bureau.
Others have said that he has the education, but lacks the ability to speak to critical national issues and that the benchmark set by Isaac Jackson and Eugene Fahngon to have the position vibrant will be diluted by the presence of the newly appointed Mr. Tonpo.
But responding to the many criticisms after his confirmation hearing at the Liberian Senate on Tuesday, Tonpo said those who said he lacks the ability to do the work for which he was appointed should watch out for him.
“I know what I am capable of doing,” the incoming Deputy Information Minister said.
Mr. Tonpo went on to say: “So those who are spreading the negative information let them watch out proper decimation of factual information from the Minister of Information.”
He has promised to not just take because he wants to, but will coordinate how he goes about his information sharing to the public.
Additionally, the former Director of Press at the Liberian Senate said he is not in competition with anyone when it comes to his job, stressing that his way of talking will not change nor will he want to spread false information.
Early Thursday, June 24, 2021, President George Manneh Weah nominated Jarlawah Tonpo as Deputy Minister for Press and Public Affairs at the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism (MICAT) to occupy the vacancy created by the dismissal of Eugene Fahngon hours earlierMr. on Wednesday night.
Tonpo holds Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication and a Masters candidate in International Relations (University of Liberia) and a Masters candidate in Public Administration at the University of Liberia.
Blending the positives and the negatives garner in the debate, including in the local media community, the incoming Minister may well be set to start the ball rolling once he gets behind his desk at the Information Ministry on Capitol Hill in Monrovia.