By Mike Puia
FORMER councillor of the Honiara City Council (HCC), Jimmy Sevesi, has condemned Solomon Airlines’ attack on media freedom.
Sevesi, who once worked as a media personnel at the SIBC, said chief executive officers (CEOs) of our State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) are expected to handle media issues professionally.
He said CEOs should respond to the media over any issue about the organisation they look after by explaining their side of story “plainly” without having to hassle with the media.
Sevesi was making reference to an issue where the Solomon Airlines threatened two Island Sun Reporters with legal action if the Paper continued to report the Airline’s woes.
Sevesi said the Solomon Airlines CEO is an expert in the aviation industry therefore he is in a good position to explain in clear terms any issue regarding the local Airline.
For the issue about the Airline’s Ground Power Unit (GPU), he said the CEO should tell the Reporters clearly why the Unit was left in Tarawa, Kiribati, ‘be it a mistake or was it intentional’.
Sevesi said the media is a sharp edged object that can hurt once mishandled.
