Of Idi Amin’s son, Journalism and ‘Journalists’...

If Milton Obote was known as the ‘ Blood Sucker’ of Uganda, Idi Amin was the ‘Biggest Clown’. Idi Amin also earned other names,-’Big Dada’ and ‘Butcher’, the former for the huge physique he possessed as an African, and the other for slaughtering human beings. But, it was no secret that his brain was too small for his body. Amin was a self proclaimed ‘Master of all Arts and Economies’, who would even disturb Presidents’ of the West, over the telephone to teach them how to run those countries.

Among those who were inconvenienced by Idi Amin’s knowledge at midnight, when Amin was in fine ‘spirits’, were the President of the United States, the Prime Minister of Britain and, those who were in power at that time in Germany and France. Idi Amin was a telephone maniac, who always carried a few portable phones with him, whereever he went. Idi Amin once claimed he was a well read man, with a huge collection of books in his library, a comment he made at Universities as the self proclaimed Chancellor of all Universities in Uganda.

The introduction of the Uganda’s ‘Biggest Clown’ was done at the start of this column, to pen an interesting story about Idi Amin’s son, Taban, also known as the ‘Junior Clown’, who forced himself to become the ‘Editor’ of the popular, ‘The Nation’, an English weekly in Kampala, the Capital of Uganda. Like father, like son, Taban had nothing ‘upstairs’. The ‘Big Clown’ decorated himself with many top positions.

The rib tickling story of Taban becoming the Editor of, ‘The Nation’ in Kampala, was narrated to me by a senior Ugandan journalist, Maurice Lance Mbangwa of ‘The Nation’, when both of us studied together at the Sri Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi (1987/88). Idi Amin has had many dreams for Taban, and among them was to see his son in the Chair of an Editor of a popular and prestigious newspaper, though Amin knew Taban was only a sportsman like him. Maurice in a mood of sarcasm hinted that even in sports, Taban couldn’t read the game properly.

Story

The story in brief is this-” One morning young Taban had stormed the editorial office of ‘The Nation’ with his bodyguards, placed several portable telephones on a table and, ordered the Editor of the newspaper, a man of Indian origin, out of the editor’s room. Taban had occupied the editor’s chair, called the staff and announced, “From today, Taban Amin is your editor, do what I say”. There had been pin drop silence. Taban, then had commanded, ‘ I will only spend an hour or two here, but remember I am the editor’. Thereafter, he had instructed the editor’s secretary (a woman) to take down the editorial for the next publication. The language of the Queen had not only been brutally murdered many a time, and the ‘intellect’ Taban, with a small brain that undermined large physique like his father, had also introduced new words into the English Dictionary. And, Maurice has had to work late hours to correct the English Language of the new editor, Taban Amin. He had given orders that only young women journalists, who had grievances could enter the editor’s office. And that the fair sex should be given priority with regard to coverage of assignments. His father, Idi Amin, officially married six women but, produced dozens of children, both legitimate and otherwise.

Maurice said the dream of Idi Amin, to make Taban the editor of ‘The Nation’, affected the prestige of his newspaper at that time and, he (Maurice) saw how the readership declined overnight, as people did not wish to purchase a newspaper that murdered the Language of the Queen on a weekly basis. And, there was no quality or reader content in those publications. The Ugandan public was aware that Taban donned the military uniform in childhood, as Idi Amin wanted Taban to follow in his footsteps. Senior Amin always accompanied Taban, dressed in military fatigues, whenever he inspected a Guard of Honour.

According to Maurice, Taban too had been a ‘big made’ man at his young age carrying books, diaries and telephones to the newspaper office, to impress others that he was a qualified editor. ‘He looked an robot on display to the professional journalists in the editorial’, Maurice quipped in a lighter vein, while I was attentively listening to the tale of Taban’s comedy. Maurice finally asked, ‘Do you really think my newspaper was so unfortunate? ‘Well, it should be so’, I replied. ‘No.... No...No... I was only narrating an anecdotal of Big Dada Idi Amin’s dream’, Maurice burst into laughter. Africans are popular for their wit and the excellent sense of humour.

Journalism is a noble profession and, the office of an editor is sacred. An Editor is a person with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the profession. There are no boundaries to his intelligence and knowledge, like the lines we witness in a playground. Boundaries in a playground specify the playing area, and those who know the game should confine themselves to that area. Journalism is a vast field, categorised into areas like News, Features, Sports, News Features, Commentaries, Lobby Columns and so on.

Journalism

No newspaper would like to have a Taban Amin as an editor or even wish to see such an awful and frightening dream in sleep. The dream on Taban, is perilous to the interests of journalism and the future of quality newspapers. If a person of the caliber of Taban, assumed the office of an editor, he would, like Taban claim,’ I am the Editor’, because of his ignorance that such a belief would never make him a professional editor to gain recognition.

An editor is a person with collective responsibility in an editorial, who operate with team spirit.

Qualified editors believe in the concept that newspapers are for the Readers and, the Readers are not for the newspaper.

Sri Lanka is proud to have a few of them heading newspapers today. Producing a quality broadsheet with good reader content and timely material, is the sole responsibility of an editor. News rooms should be full of professional journalists who could train and guide the young reporters.

Editorial offices in the past, glittered with such stars during the time of the legends like D.B. Dhanapala, Mervyn De Silva, Meemana Prematilleke, Denzil Peiris, Chandraratne Manawasinghe, Tarzie Vittachchi, Edmond Ranasinghe, Dayasena Gunasinghe, David Karunaratne, Reggie Micheal, Fred Silva, Tori de Souza, followed by the last of such few in the caliber of Nihal Ratnaike, Clarence Fernando, Harold Peiris, H.L.D. Mahindapala, Gamini Weerakoon, Manik De Silva, Neville de Silva and Rex De Silva. The majority of them were products of Lake House.

We, journalists who worked under some of those distinguished editors, were never allowed to idle or chat inside news rooms. We were ordered to collect and read a book from the library, on the subject given by them, to enhance knowledge.

The on-the-job training and hard work with commitment, dedication and devotion, resulted in the creation of products like late Ajith Samaranayake, Sinha Ratnatunga, Rajpal Abeynayake, Prabath Sahabandu, Amal Jayasinghe, Lalith Alahakoon, Malinda Seneviratne, Pramod De Silva and Rodney Martines to name a few in the English print media today.

The majority of them edit national newspapers of the day. I think all my colleagues mentioned here, would agree with me that there is a dearth for quality journalists, both in the State and Private print media, to be partners in the production of quality publications with good reader content. The cause is that, the criteria of commitment and dedication lacks in many of today’s journalists.

They also seem to lack creativity and motivation, the most essential elements in the profession. Another factor is they do not read, but tend to carry books beyond the capacity of their ability in hand, only for display. The other curse is the addiction to ‘telephone journalism’ with no person to person contact.

In the by gone days, editorial designations were sacred. We had the Editor, Deputy Editor, News Editor, Features Editor, Sports Editor, Sub Editor and, at times a Consultant Editor. They were all professionals. In the past, journalists were promoted on experience and merit to those sacred positions. Today, we have Senior Associate Editors, Associate Editors and these senior and associate positions are rampant in editorials. In some editorials, we could find more editor grades than the number of journalists. Professional journalists must evaluate the competency level of some of those senior and associate editors.

There could be some, who do not know why the pot called the kettle black! That is cited as an example, having monitored such characters, as a man in profession for over three decades.

In a proper evaluation, there would be no difference between such characters and that of Taban Amin, according to the anecdote of my Ugandan friend Maurice. Surely, doesn’t it lead us to believe that there are journalists and ‘journalists’, with the latter, abusing the profession for personal glory and benefits? The majority of them are members of certain journalists organisations that scream for the rights and privileges of journalists. These men and women who cannot resolve a micro level issue, go on protests for macro level issues.

Some of today’s young ‘journalists’ are not only ignorant, but also blind to history. They have even never read the six decades after Independence. One such ‘journalist’, some time ago, described J.R. Jayewardene as the Prime Minister of Ceylon in 1951 in an English weekly. There are two factors to that error. First, the ‘journalist’ had not been given proper guidance and training. Next, the editor or the second in command responsible for passing such copy for publication, seems have adopted the ‘editing style’ of Taban Amin. Or, they too were ignorant of the political history of this country after Independence.

Should we allow ‘Comedians’ into the noble profession of journalism? Professional journalists are a segment which criticise politicians who act like comedians. Let not politicians laugh at us to say, ‘ there is also a brand of ‘journalists’ who are comedians’. Because, that remark would even hurt the professionals in this noble profession.

Editorials

The demotivated who steer editorials need not fear to face criticism. If they continue blindly, their news rooms would be a place full of frustrated journalists. In a situation of that nature, the professionals will idle, and the ‘journalists’ will play at random, causing heavy damage to the publication. The need in such editorials is to redefine news, to produce a better reader content. The mistrust, suspicion and fear, which are products of ignorance that grip such editorials, need to be eliminated. Playing the character of Taban Amin at the helm, will only worsen the situation. Qualified editors believe that newspapers are for the readership, and not otherwise. Editorial offices become a frustrated place when incompetence is allowed to reign on the flawed theory of negative thought, and the belief that vilification is an easy tool to work out plans for personal glory.

Demotivated stewards who steer editorials cannot be effective critics on society’s ills and wrongs, nor they could emerge as cheerleaders to effectively sing ‘hosannas’ for their ‘clients’. They would never be able to serve the readership and practice balanced journalism. A newspaper is meant to serve as a tool of inspiration to do better and set new standards. That is how we could confront the challenge of defining the role of the press in these changing times.

Demotivation is a phobia that cannot be hidden, and it stands exposed all the time in the appearance of that individual. That’s why the former Editor of the Daily News, late Clarence Fernando said, ‘The demotivated should not walk in big shoes nor sit in chairs which do not fit them’.

Those words of wisdom fit our times as, demotivated stewards, in the proper sense of the vocabulary, are contortionists and not professionals in the noble field of journalism. The Greek Theatre is the most suitable place for them.