Letters to the Editor (unedited)

I was Never Exiled by the Jammeh Regime

Dear Editor,
I write to express my disappointment at your story captioned “Mathew K. Jallow Sends Open Protest Letter to ECOWAS Chief” authored by Mathew K. Jallow on June 25, 2009. My name “Cherno Kebbeh” is listed as one the Gambian journalists exiled by the Jammeh government between 1994 and 2009. This is absolutely wrong. I was a reporter for The Point Newspaper between 1993 and 1996 while at the same time attending Nusrat High School. I resigned from the Point to come to the US at my own will. I was neither exiled nor did I have any trouble with the Jammeh regime. I am a citizen of both The Gambia and the US and have visited The Gambia on numerous occasions – as recently as 2008.

Please publish this e-mail ASAP so as to clarify this issue.

Best Regards
C. Omar Kebbeh
Senior Research Analyst
Office of Research, Evaluation & Planning
North Carolina Central University
712 Cecil St, Durham, NC 27707
Office: 919 530 7269
Fax: 919 530 7973
ckebbeh@nccu.edu

To all listed.

Dear Editor,

I respectfully ask you to delist my name from a list of exiled Journalists posted in Mathew's letter addressed to Ecowas. I considered it very unfair to name my name without my consent. I have been a responsible Journalist in the Gambia without a doubt and I had worked for both the private media and also for the state owned newspaper, The Gambia Daily without abondoning that principle. I am disassociating myself from any group either politically or not with the intension of opposing the Jammeh regime. This is ascribed principally to personal reasons.  I came from a political family and since the denmise of PPP of which my uncle served as Vice president, I have quit active politics and concentrating on developing myself academically. I am a journalist that writes objectively and operate within the fullest tenets of the ethics of the profession. I shun iresponsible journalism and remains a partriotic citizen unflinchingly. It is why my writings are usually on social  and human interests issues and not politically induced and Ialwys indicate my full legal name without fear. I don't insult, don't character assasinate but objectively dwell on matters of ocial intersts. Egamble of such pieces I have authored included: Are Gambian in the Dispora abondoning their local languages for English? Joking relationship in the Gambia. Obama' s election and what it means for racism in the US etc. I will never use the power of my pen to write baout any body negetively without backing my piece with concrete facts beacuse I am a true muslim who is more concerned about the day of Judgement, the day of reckoning. A day on which every soul will be accountable for their deeds before Allah, the almighty in whom I seek refuge to protect me from Satan. Surely, that day is coming and we as muslims must always refect upon that as the Quran states in many Ayat of the noble book. "Ifalata Kulun" meaning will you not reflect as a reminder to all believers about this day.
Thanks,
Lamin Sabally,

Minnesota.