The Death of Reason

By Mathew K. Jallow, Associate Editor 

 

 

Last week, a Daily Observer Editorial entitled "The Cyber Terrorists" graced the pages of that Yahya Jammeh and APRC propaganda medium. For being an effective alternative to the lies and filthy propaganda that our people are fed each day by The Daily Observer and Gambia Radio and Television Services, Gambia's online papers are being characterized as terrorists by Jammeh's mouth-piece, The Daily Observer. The online papers are not surprised by Saja Taal's calculated myopia, and The Daily Observer's irreverent posturing; in fact this has been the typical Daily Observer response and reaction to view points that contradict and oppose the Jammeh dictatorship. By necessity rather than by choice, The Gambia today has inarguably the most developed utilization of the Internet as a primary source of news and political commentary in Africa. Gambia's online media can be proud of the good work they are doing, informing and educating our fellow Gambians from so far away. When the Jammeh dictatorship finally crushed the independent media several years ago, it became necessary to figure out how to reach our population with the objective of delivering to them alternative news and views. The cyber world, therefore, provided that opportunity, and this propelled the birth and proliferations of the online newspapers. Today, the only way the murderous Jammeh dictatorship can stop the online media is by completely banning and blocking Internet communication and returning the country to the stone ages. But, by calling us "cyber terrorists", Saja Taal and this regime's tool of terror, The Daily Observer, are doing what they do best; feed the people of our country lies, deception and unadulterated propaganda. Below is the editorial posted by The Daily Observer and our response to it. I have taken the liberty to respond to this obnoxious, defamatory and gibberish animal dunk the Observer posted and passed as information.

 

The ‘Cyber Terrorists’

The Daily Observer

Africa

Friday, October 05, 2007

Observer

With the dawn of the ICT Revolution, progressive-minded individuals seized the hitherto unavailable opportunities to make maximum use of the information super highway and its other technological innovations.

 

Mathew

No comment.

 

 Observer

 Internet has been used to bring people of different backgrounds together and helped to erase some of the barriers that held us apart.

 

Mathew

No comment.

 

Observer
As of The Gambia, this facility is being widely abused by some of our compatriots in the Diaspora, who have set up online newspapers, geared towards spreading hateful, malicious and negative propaganda against individuals and the state.

 

Mathew

While it is true that some online papers have crossed the line in terms of who they attack and what they cover as news, ninety-nine percent of the online papers have behaved extremely professionally, and focused on public officials and their shenanigans. But more than that, our war is being waged against a murderous dictatorship, and we will not rest until this regime falls either by popular revolt or by a civilian led military coup with the help of the Movement for Democratic Change. If The Daily Observer expects us to shut up, they and their demi-god Yahya Jammeh must be living in a parallel universe. It is more or less hypocritical for the Observer to characterize us as hateful and malicious. Was it not Saja Taal and The Daily Observer who published names of Gambians who were humiliated and paraded before television for just reading an online newspaper? The Daily Observer's own reporter Chief Ebrima Manneh was arrested and he has been in jail and some say he has been killed by Jammeh. And I believe it is The Daily Observer that spread lies for Jammeh with regard to the whereabouts of individuals that vanish from the face of the earth. For instance, last year, The Observer said that Daba Marenah and five other security men escaped. Now we know they were executed by Jammeh. Does Observer now want to change its story or are they sticking to the fact that the men escaped? Well?

 

Observer
ethically exercising their freedom to write, they decided to put aside principles of journalism, a fundamental pillar of freedom of expression.
Day in, day out, very unpleasant and unfounded reports about peaceful and prosperous Gambia are posted on their sites, all geared towards tarnishing the image of the country. The picture portrayed in cyberspace has nothing to do with the reality.

 

Mathew

Oh, Yea? In which Gambia is The Observer living? Pleasant and peaceful are not words that can remotely be used to describe a country where people lose their means of livelihood for no apparent reason. If the Observer is blind to the death and dying of our people, we are not. If the Observer turns its face when people are being arrested and detained incommunicado, against the stipulation of our laws, we are not. If the Observer can take the commercial activity in the Kombo St. Mary area and pretend that represents the whole country, we do not. When was the last time Saja Taal traveled between Serekunda and Brufut? When was the last time Saja Taal took a trip to Basse, if he ever did? A country without road infrastructure and Observer calls it developed and prosperous. Is it prosperous when young girls are turning to prostitution to help feed their families instead of going to school? Is it development when our roads are in total disrepair? Observer has a definition of development, pleasant and peaceful that turns the meanings of these words on their heads. In short, the writer of the editorial is hallucinating perhaps.

 

Observer

 This Phenomenon has brought a lot of confusion among the general public to the extent that marriages are shaken, families disintegrated and friendships broken.

 

Mathew

The online papers have brought a lot of confusion. Oh Really? That is great. Then we should be proud of what we are doing because we want to create even more confusion. Who has shaken more marriages than members of this regime? They are known to throw people in jail and go after their wives. But more than that, how many wives are without husbands because they are either murdered by the Jammeh regime, still missing or languishing in jail? How many children have lost their parents to murder? How many people are in jail and never brought before our courts? Who has caused real damage to families? Is it this regime or the online newspapers? We have arrested no one. We have beaten or tortured no one. We have killed no one. But the regime you are defending and protecting has done all of these and then some.

 

These  little girls are both victims of Yahya Jammeh's genocidal government. The smiling girl to the left is Fatou Barrow. She was barely three months old when her 24-year old father, Omar Barrow was murdered by Jammeh's government. By some tragic irony the awesome little girl to the right, is Linguerre Senghore whose mother Nian Jobe was shot in the leg; in the fatal shooting of journalist Deyda Hydara.Nian and Ida Jagne were transfered to Dakar for medical treatment but Deyada died on the spot.

Observer

The Gambia is well-known for its rich cultural values, and as a place where respect is given to those in authority and positions of trust. So any act contrary to this is ‘unGambian’.

 

Mathew

Respect for authority my foot. To hell with respect for authority. Respect should be mutual, but who in their right mind would respect an idiot like Jammeh, and a regime that kills, jails and tortures its own citizens? Does this regime deserve respect-Really? Someone at the Observer must be high on drugs.

 

Observer

What we should bear in mind is that The Gambia belongs to us all and we must strive hard to contribute our quota to the development of the country in a positive manner.
If they feel that the current government is not living up to their expectations, then they should join the existing registered political parties or form their own political organizations to sell their progarmmes and policies to the electorate for them to decide instead of engaging in malicious propaganda and slander.

 

Mathew

Are you kidding me? Observer has sacrificed some people to Jammeh, who are now dead. Is the Observer trying to get us home so we will be killed by Jammeh too? The paper has helped Jammeh kill and destroy the lives of scores of Gambians, but we do not intend to be in those statistics. We will come at our pace and at our good time. That will happen when Jammeh is gone, and The Gambia can truly reclaim the name it lost for the past thirteen years; The Smiling Coast.

 

Observer
position of the government is in conformity with the principles of democracy and the rule of law to be entrenched. So what need is there for these people to engage in such heinous acts?

 

Mathew

Oh yea?! The principles of democracy and the rule of law are entrenched? I do not know what Gambia The Daily Observer is writing about. There is no independent newspaper in The Gambia today. One where one can criticize Jammeh without going to jail or being murdered by Jammeh's brutes at the NIA. Expressing ourselves can hardly be called heinous. On the other hand, what The Observer and this regime have done and are doing can be described as heinous. They kill, torture, arrest and detain for no reason, humiliate Gambians on a daily basis. That is heinous, really heinous.

 

 

Observer

… peace and stability. The Gambia and her peace-loving citizens would never forgive them, if they fail to stop their ugly acts.

 

Mathew

We do not need forgiveness. The Observer does. The peace loving Gambian people though will never forgive you. You have blood in your hands, and you must pay for your crimes against The Gambian people some day.

 

Observer

The Gambia is a peaceful and fast developing nation and no amount of negative propaganda will distract our focus on nation-building.

 

Mathew

There is no nation building in The Gambia when the people are fleeing their country. A nation is not composed of the land mass, but the totality of its people. You can dream of nation building, but you have no idea what that entails.

 

Observer

May those who wish this country good prosper and may those who wish evil for us, suffer the consequences. Amen.

 

Mathew

Amen to that. I guess there is no more evil than the execution, torture, incarceration of innocent Gambians. The evil you pray will befall the very regime you support. The Daily Observer can go look for the terrorists at The State House and The NIA. That is exactly what this regime is, a terrorist regime posing as a legitimate government. But there will be an end to your terror. End of Commentary!

 

 

This man is called Musa Jammeh but due to his callous disposition President Jammeh re-named him for Idi Amin Dada's Chief killer Maliya Mungu. He is the most feared man in Jammeh's regime; even the President is scared of Musa. When he tortures journalists, he usually asks them if they know Ebrima G. Sankareh, Dr. Abdoulaye Saine and Mathew K. Jallow.