By Amadou Alpha Lowe, Atlanta GA, USA

Reactions to Vice President B. B. Dabo’s recent interview with The Gambia Echo have been mixed, understandably so too. I wish to comment on some of the reactions thus far received, with particular emphasis on that of the so-called LAMARANA invented by The Freedom Newspaper’s Pa Nderry. Lamarana started his crusade immediately after the well-informed write-ups on Sana Sabally’s nonsense by Binneh, Chongan, Samsudeen Sarr and others. It was at this point that the so called Lamarana, hiding under this fictitious name for reasons not explained, started making wild, irrational and unfounded allegations against every one who disagreed with Sabally. I discussed this matter with Pa Nderry in a sincerely brotherly manner, and advised against his Freedom Newspaper to degenerate into a childish forum for gossip, slander and misinformation. I advised Pa Nderry to make every possible effort to ensure that the paper’s original aim of galvanizing efforts/opinions to restore normalcy into our beloved Gambia is maintained. Pa N’derry’s initial reaction indicated appreciation of and agreement with the advice given. A couple of days later, to my utter surprise, and as we all looked forward to reading B.B. Dabo’s interview with The Gambia Echo’s Ebrima G. Sankareh, the so-called Lamarana was at it all over again- this time with another fallacious and disrespectful article on B. B. Dabo. Again, I called Pa Nderry and pleaded with him to stop and or discourage this obvious distraction. I also made of known to him that if the so-called Lamarana was confident that his allegations were accurate, that in the best interest of the suffering Gambian people he would not conceal his true identity. In fact, I concluded that looking at the language, format and style there was every reason to believe that Lamarana was indeed Pa Nderry Mbye. Two days following the publication of the B. B. Dabo interview, Lamarana again came up with a slanderous article, describing B. B. Dabo as a “vicious” and “fake person”. This article in question is highly malicious, utterly disrespectful and totally misleading and I keep wondering what the objective here is. Is it part of a misguided and counter-productive “anti-Manding crusade” or is it a deliberate effort to silence all descent voices with a view to maintaining the status quo. Either way, it is grossly irresponsible and in fact a great disservice to the Gambian people. Some readers believe that this is an immature attempt by Pa Nderry to provoke reactions from B.B. Dabo so that he and his paper’s popularity will be enhanced- what a cheap shot at self-promotion? Well Pa Nderry is at liberty to take his paper down this reckless path by continuing to publish all these types of baseless allegations, but the general readership of the paper is also at liberty to channel their views and opinions through other mature and professional papers that continue to strive to maintain journalistic ethics.

Back to B. B. Dabo: The B. B. Dabo I know is certainly not a vicious person. On the contrary the B. B. Dabo is an accomplished intellectual with a track record of outstanding Public Service. The gentleman from Dumbutto was an outstanding student at The Gambia High School Sixth Form, and obtained an Honours Degree in Linguistics from one of the most prestigious universities in Africa. On his return to The Gambia from studies abroad, B. B. Dabo selflessly served with distinction in various public service capacities, ranging from Divisional Commissioner, Bank Executive, Ambassador to Cabinet Minister and Vice President. In all these positions B. B’s performance was honest, focused and result oriented, and in almost three decades of public service, not a single act of graft, and or mal-administration could be blamed on him. Demba is indeed a great patriot whose wisdom and experience could become handy in these troubling times for us Gambians. His assessment of the events leading to the unfortunate coup of July 22, 1994, the P.P.P administration’s record in office and more importantly, his critical decision to briefly work for the junta as an informed strategy to respond to a “distress call” from the Gambian public, speaks volumes on this man’s selfless character. Having failed to talk the junta out of their mad adventure, it was a brave step, in my view, for B. B. Dabo to experiment working through them to minimize the damage to the country’s hard won achievements in the socio-political and economic domains. That he chose to quit upon realizing that the junta was insincere to the national interest, barely two months into his service with them, was an act of patriotism. Therefore, while I cannot but express my appreciation of and respect for Karamba’s views, I must beg to disagree. B. B. Dabo himself did say that some others might have reacted to the invitation to serve the junta differently, but given the reasons he explained so eloquently, one cannot but admit that his motive was nothing but sincere and patriotic. I cannot therefore agree with the call for an apology. A few years back, in the run up to the 2001 Presidential Elections; Mr. Ousainu Darboe of the opposition United Democratic Party publicly stated that he had initially supported the coup. At a mass political rally at Tallinding Kunjang Mr. Ousainu Darboe informed his audience (including myself) that he had gone to State House to congratulate the junta, and further joined them in a group photo. This revelation from Ousainu gave a lot of credence to earlier rumours that he was one of the junta’s original principal advisers. In any case, here was a legal luminary (supposedly), making known his support for the illegal act of overthrowing a constitutionally elected Government, only to come back later as a candidate to replace them. I cannot recall Karamba Touray calling on Lawyer Ousainu Darboe to apologize to the Gambian people for this obvious error of judgment.

            In conclusion, I strongly suggest that we move ahead positively, and avoid making unfair demands and or passing malicious judgments on descent, experienced and formidable statesmen who are now coming forward to help us out of our troubles back home. To Pa Nderry, I will simply rest my case by confirming to him once again, that if his efforts are intended to attract reactions from B. B. Dabo, these will woefully fail although that should not be misconstrued as license to continue publishing fabricated, malicious and slanderous articles. This approach to journalism cannot be excused in the name of press freedom, and at some point, legal remedies mighty have to be sought.