For the past few days i was not feeling ok,but i have
no choice but to show my support to those ten gallant
journalists who refused to be used by Yahya Jammeh and
Baba Jobe.

I am deeply troubled by reports that the daily
Observer management was trying to use the staff to
suppress the voice of the UDP and for that matter the
voice of the people.Lamin waa Juwara is the organizing
secretary of the party by that virtue he is the spoke
person of the party.

It is sad that the management of the paper would allow
Baba Jobe who is a UN declared criminal to restrict
the paper from disseminating useful,impartial and
objective information to gambians.

 These resignations are victory for the journalism
profession in the country and it further shows that no
honest person would allow a gang of selfish
individuals to buy his/her integrity.It further
reveals why Demba Jawo who was one time the
editor-in-chief of the paper was sacked by the same
agents of the ruling APRC Government in other to
restrict free information.

The management must remember that free and independent
functioning press is essential to any society that
need to be accountable.

Finally,i hope the management would stop it cheap
propaganda and engage the ex-editor-in-chief Paschal
Eze and his team in dialogue to return back to their
work and assure them that no body would interfere in
their editorial work.

 If this is not done,we will call on Gambians to
boycott buying the paper in an other word to impose an
economic sanction on the paper then Jammeh and his
ruling party will buy their false propaganda.
Saihou



--- Beran jeng <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> APRC Has Lost War of Words - Waa Juwara
>
>
>
>
> The Independent (Banjul)
>
> June 22, 2001
> Posted to the web June 22, 2001
>
> Sheikh Al-Kinky Sanyang & Lamin Dibba
> Banjul, the Gambia
>
> Lamin Waa Juwara the organising secretary of the
> opposition UDP has said
> moves by the "APRC-controlled" management of the
> Daily Observer showed that
> the ruling party has lost the war of words between
> it and the UDP.
>
> Mr. Waa Juwara who was reacting for the first time
> after news of the
> so-called edict against his statements in the Daily
> Observer told The
> Independent that the "decree" against him suggests
> the desperate nature of
> the APRC in its attempt to stifle the truth.
>
> Mr. Waa Juwara described Observer journalists as a
> group of young people who
> in principle are prepared to sacrifice their jobs
> instead of being used as
> political tools. He said the situation represents a
> signal to President
> Jammeh that Gambians are no longer in a position to
> "stomach" everything
> that come their way.
>
> "The APRC is so weak that they challenge everything
> and can resort to such a
> high-handed way of handling an independent media and
> its crew of magnificent
> journalists who have seen great hope for The
> Gambia's future" he said.
>
> "It is a big surprise to me that I carry much weight
> to warrant APRC bigwigs
> to make an unnecessary and unwarranted clampdown on
> the Daily Observer" he
> added.
>
> He said he heard the story about the alleged decree
> banning anything from
> him in the Daily Observer on BBC's Focus on Africa
> and had to cut short his
> trip to return home after he registered in his
> village of Niamina Dankunku.
> He noted that it's very amusing to accept that this
> is not a democratic
> government, which he said is in disarray an unable
> to justify the
> "dictatorship".
>
> Mr. Juwara said he is duty bound to stand by the
> truth and remain prepared
> to take on anybody. He said he felt quite honoured
> when his party selected
> him as the organising and propaganda secretary at a
> time when he was in
> detention at the Mile Two Central Prisons. "My task
> is to propagate and sell
> the agenda of the party in order to make sure that
> democracy is restored in
> The Gambia", he said. He opined that the APRC is
> fighting a lost battle
> against the majority of Gambians who have lost faith
> in the government.
> "Their renegades, sycophants and politically naïve
> supporters are foolish to
> an extent that they can be used by the regime that
> has lost political
> initiatives and directions. They are no match for
> people who are principled
> and know what they are doing" he charged.
>
> Waa further noted that censuring stories related to
> him in the Daily
> Observer was not his challenge but that of the UDP
> and the Gambian people.
> He said it suggests the biggest signal to the entire
> world that the APRC has
> lost the war or words. He said the APRC despite all
> the facilities including
> the state-owned radio and television at their
> disposal could not stand and
> defend their ideas. The organising secretary said he
> could not turn around
> and lie against the entire establishment of the
> governing party with all the
> laws. He said the "hidden controllers" of the
> Observer have developed cold
> feet in the war of words between the two parties. He
> said the decree against
> his statements showed the desperate actions of a
> desperate political
> organisation.
>
> "I am overwhelmed to hear that people like Pascal
> Eze, who is not a Gambian
> but professionally honest enough to keep the ethics
> of the profession has
> resigned" he said. He also commended Pa Kalifa
> Sanyang whom he said was very
> close to the regime but behaved professionally. Mr.
> Juwara said this is a
> pointer to those working for the GRTS to emulate
> "these great young people
> who did not accept to be enslaved but stood by their
> principles." He urged
> Tombong Saidy and his team to call it a day and tell
> President Jammeh that
> they are not going to be his propaganda mouthpiece,
> dishing out lies to the
> Gambian people.
>
>
>
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