By Mathew K. Jallow
Senegambia News.
The weekend news about the sighting of journalist Chief Ebrima Manneh took many Gambians by surprise. Mr. Manneh who has not been seen in public in more than a year, is said to be ill and in very poor condition. Journalist Manneh was arrested nearly two years ago in a sweep that netted many other innocent Gambians following the publication of the list of Freedom Newspaper subscribers after that paper was hacked by what the publisher believes to be Jammeh operatives. Mr. Manneh’s arrest and detention for the past two years, just for being a Freedom Newspaper reader, speaks volumes about this very repressive Jammeh regime. Without any really independent newspaper in the country, the Gambian public for the past many years had to rely on Gambian papers published overseas for their daily dose of news.
The case of Mr. Manneh’s detention without charge for this long, is clearly an infringement of his civil rights, and ignores the laws governing arrest and detention of citizens. No Gambian can understand who and what gave their government the right to censure what they read or don’t read; yet today, they all hide behind closed doors to read some newspaper articles published on web that are critical of this government. But in addition, the Jammeh government is also ignoring the demand to appear before the Abuja Court to answer charges about the continued and unlawful detention of journalist Chief Manneh.
The Senegambia story about the detention of a group of Gambians deported from North Africa was particularly disheartening. As if the horrible ordeal of the deportees was not enough already, the last thing the government should have done was to detain these Gambians in jail. What crimes have they committed? With the suffering they already went through, the group ought to have been housed in a hotel or simple let go free in their own damn country. Jail is for criminals, not for Gambians who have suffered the hardship and humiliation of being deportees from another country.
The disparaging note received by Senegambia News early last week was clearly uncalled for and was discriminatory and divisive. While there is a need to discuss the issues of tribalism that have dogged our country in the past, and more so now, the tribal name-calling is clearly over the top of what is acceptable to us all.
Like everyone else out there, I was baffled by Youssou Ndure’s comments regarding his readiness to assume the African presidency. My advice to Mr. Ndure is to stick to music, because that is what he knows so well. But to be an African President? I don’t think so, Youssou. We love you so much, but not that much, big guy.
Finally, the arrest of yet another Ghanaian who is in the country just doing his job as he damn well has the right to do is another testament to Jammeh’s paranoia. He may well be pushing the Ghanaian government to the wall this time. With the cowardly massacre of forty-four Ghanaians still fresh in our minds, Jammeh is tarnishing the image of our country, and in the process creating for us enemies that we don’t deserve.
Gainako News
The ongoing debate between Modou Baldeh and Cherno Baba Jallow about the founding of Basse is illuminating, yet only one of them can be right in their understanding of how Basse got started. Mo Baldeh convincingly pointed out the inconsistencies in Cherno’s arguments and logic, but Cherno rebounded and presented some believable points of view of his own. The main difference between the two sides of the argument is that where Mo Baldeh relied heavily on the written record, Cherno’s arguments are primarily anchored on the strength of verbal history. The problem with that is that history passed down the generations, changes character and context over time making it less reliable the longer time passes. Mr. Baldeh appears to have taken an interest in the origins of Basse and his research is both authoritative and convincing, and his arguments passionate and more credible.
Dr. Ba Banutu Gomez’s plan to start a college of higher education is welcome news. We are at a point where more of us need and want to go home and get involved in changing the direction of our country. We can only encourage Dr. Gomez in this effort.
The efforts of the organizers of The United Gambian Association, and Dr. Abdoulaye Saine’s comments and suggestions are well taken. I think we have over the years articulated well the problems facing our country, but the eloquence with which we took the information dissemination part of our obligation, has up until now never been followed up with concrete action. Now we are presented with a unique opportunity to do so beginning with the coming Chicago Conference in September.
Freedom Newspaper.
The interview with Waa Juwara was both revealing about the character of the man, and telling about his personality or better still, his lack of it. It is incredible that Juwara had nothing to say about Jammeh and his government, except attempt to cunningly dodge the pointed question posed to him. The paper unsuccessfully made several efforts to make him say one negative thing about Jammeh’s government, but he each time refused to bite the bait. This about face turn indicates Juwara’s lack of character, but more importantly that he was clearly bought by Jammeh’s government just before the last parliamentary elections. Now, he must be waiting for an appointment from Jammeh for being just another slave.
The Freedom Newspaper has lately been dogged by resignations, but the management there should not take this personally. After all, every one of us who ever wrote or did any editorial work at the Freedom saw something we liked in the paper. However, many of us were not entirely comfortable with some stories that fell short of the standards we expected. The Freedom Newspaper should see these disagreements as opportunities to moderate the way and manner some innocent and non-political figures are caught in the paper’s crossfire. We are all one family, and that is how it should stay.
The Foroyaa Newspaper.
The transfer of Fatou Jaw-Manneh’s case to yet another magistrate, after the first one Buba Jawo decided he did not have the authority to continue the case is rather baffling. Does this have to do with the fact that Magistrate Buba Jawo as a Gambian would have a hard time finding Jaw-Manneh guilty, but a foreigner would not have the same inhibitions? Whatever the reason, it makes no sense particularly after Magistrate Jawo first insisted at the beginning of the trial that his court had jurisdictional authority. The public has a right to know the real reason the case was transferred, and the court has an obligation to inform the public.
The Gambia Journal.
Jammeh is dreaming again, and he is doing so to put blinders over his listener’s eyes. Gambia, the Silicon Valley of West Africa sound great, but putting it in practice is the question. To begin with, for a Silicon Valley to exist, we must have the cadre of well-educated crop of young men, but I am not seeing them. Education, from primary to high school is going down the drain, as there are now no examinations to measure student competency. It is now the policy of the Education Department to promote student without regard to whether they are learning or not. This is a tragic situation that is going to give us large numbers of semi-literate young men and women whose future prospects in life are as grim as their education is poor. But, Jammeh can continue dreaming on.