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     EDITORIAL
   
  Our readers, will today  read journalist Deyda Hydara's famous "Good Morning, Mr.President", master piece, which he authored few months prior to his killing by Jammeh's thugs. Reading this piece, one will begin to ask if Deyda, knew about his killing, which never came as a surprise to him. He sent an early warning message to Jammeh and his allies reminding them about their evil intentions against the media, which includes a  terror campaign and also a plot to  kill Gambian journalists. But Deyda, one of the country's leading and bravest journalist, maintains that he put his life on the line to defend and uphold press freedom in The Gambia. The killers of Hydara, will today be reminded about their actions and premeditated move to take the life of Gambia's most patriotic son, Deyda Hydara. 
   
  Hear Mr.Hydara, in this statement to Jammeh and his killers"Government and supporters must also know that it is the Almighty that give and take life. Government and supporters must also know that some of us have published in this paper in 1992 and 1994 offered our life in the pursuance of social responsibility role. May be we are crazy but some us would be proud to be gunned down or simply be killed for doing just that.
   
  As our colleague Lamin Jatta, today published Deyda's famous column "GOOD MORNING, MR. PRESIDENT, on the  ALLGAMBIAN, we thought it imperative to reflect on  Hydara's past  work, as a veteran and leading Gambian journalist. The revelations and predictions made by Deyda, in this write up, clearly testified that Jammeh and his cronies have hands in the death of Hydara. The evidence contained in this master piece speaks for itself. 
   
  Fellow Gambians and friends of The Gambia, please bear with us and read my former mentor and boss's August 17TH, 2005, Good Morning, Mr.President, statement to Jammeh. We want to tell Jammeh, that we mean business here at  The ALLGAMBIAN.  Deyda's column is here to stay and Jammeh will be shocked in days and weeks to come. We had a  lot of stuff to expose about Jammeh's dirty politics and corrupt pratices.   Below, we reproduce  Mr.Deyda Hydra's  Good morning President column verbatim.   Please read on.......
   
  Mr President,
   
  The situation befalling the press in this country is to say the least alarming. The unprecedented situation has been creeping in slowly but surely into the fabric of Gambian society to the dismay of many observers who blame the regime for this trend of things hitherto unknown during the first Republic.
   
  Citizen FM was the first causality of this policy of physically disabling media houses. Then came the turn of Radio One which was almost totally gutted by fire wounding its owner George Christensen. Alieu Bah of the same station was also subjected to a deadly arson attack. Then the Independent offices were touched before their printing press was totally destroyed by the arsonists.
   
  In the meantime, draconian laws to cripple the media have been devised; they are decree 70/71 and the Media Commission. There were also the verbal (anonymous phone calls) and written threats many us as published in our papers just like the written ones that reached the Independent, BBC  and some few days ago Demba Jawo for expressing opinions in his column with the Independent. He did not even write news per se but expressed his opinions on matters of national importance. Just as you Mr President did when crticizing the UK and the US under the cloat of your right to freedom of expression. If you, a President, can use such a right we wonder what journalists would be waiting for as it is their trade.
   
  The danger is some people somewhere cannot respect opinions published in Newspapers including the column conspicuously titled Independent Critique when you did ask journalists to "please criticize your government when you go wrong.
   
  From the word go, your regime wrongly identified the independent media as its opponent which led you as early as 1994 to describe media people and human rights activists as illegal sons of Africa. The discourse was clearly saying that press freedom and human rights were alien to Africa, thus throwing our rights to the Greek Calendars. From then on government's supporters began antagonizing the media in all spheres of life as we predicted in this Newspaper when you made that dangerous statement.
   
  The problem is that Mr President you and your supporters antagonizing the press failed to understand one thing; that journalists do not invent news they forward it as they gather it. We are the messengers of both government and other actors of national life. The government and its supporters must also know that we take very seriously our role as translators of the people's aspirations. We said when one wants acara one must be prepared to bear the pepper. Put simply that means if someone takes public office he or she must be ready to be scrutinized. People who do not want to be in the news must not take up public offices;for all in the public domain must be exposed for the people to pass judgement. 
   
  Government and supporters must also know that it is the Almighty that give and take life. Government and supporters must also know that some of us have published in this paper in 1992 and 1994 offered our life in the pursuance of social responsibility role. May be we are crazy but some us would be proud to be gunned down or simply be killed for doing just that.
   
  Government and supporters must understand that the regime's stewardship must be checked by media people in normal circumstances more so when section 207 of the Constitution asks us specifically to make government accountable to the people. Government's stewardship must be closely examined and reported on for the benefit of the governed and no amount of threat or danger would deter us from carrying out such a responsibility. Mr President these attacks are unacceptable.
   
  The late Deyda Hydara, has said it all.  He had  confirmed in his write up that Jammeh and his supporters were engaged in domestic terrorism against the media fraternity, in the tiny West African country. Deyda, knew that Jammeh and his government were after his blood, but for the sake of posterity, he  decided to issue a warning statement to those concerned that it was"the Almighty that give and take life",and that he Hydara was not scared to be killed on the line of his duty as a journalist. Despite his predictions and warnings, his killers went ahead to take his life. 
   
  We at The ALLGAMBIAN,  had been investigating on Deyda's murder and  God willing, we will come out with a report soon. Jammeh, will be shocked about our findings. We are on the final touches of our investigations and will publish information given to us by our sources. We owe it to The Gambian hero, Deyda Hydara, who ccontributed significantly on the life of this editor and the Gambian media in general.  Gambian journalists should remain steadfast and be vigilant. We are dealing with a regime, which prides itself with killing, maiming, torturing, abducting and imprisoning Gambians. Despite these atrocities meted out to us, we shall emerge victorious one day, as Jammeh and his government will soon be history. Going to Mecca to seek repentance for the atrocities you caused against our people, will not save you from paying for the ultimate price of justice. Going to Mecca, will also not save you from leaving the Presidency, this year. Jammeh, there is too much blood on your hands.
 Deyda's column is here to stay. We rest our case.
   
  The author is the former Secretary General of The Gambia press Union and also a former Voice of America radio Banjul Correspondent. Mr. M'Bai who now resides in the US State of North Carolina Raleigh was a leading political and crime reporter with the Point and Daily Observer newspapers respectively. He can be reached by email at the following addresses: [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask]   


   
   
   






		
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