Friends And Foes of the Press

The Independent (Banjul)
EDITORIAL
January 3, 2003
Posted to the web January 3, 2003
Banjul

The world has gone round in full and a new year has begun. As part of
reflecting over the expired year, The Independent is releasing a list of

local public figures who have rightly or wrongly affected the working of
the local press, adding to its fortunes or tribulations. We have
categorized them into two groups, reflecting those who are press-friendly
and those who are decidedly cold and hostile towards local journalists.
Army Chief of Staff Colonel Baboucarr Jatta and Yankuba Touray, Secretary
of State for Tourism and Culture lead the friendly pack while President
Jammeh, Ousman Badjie, Marcel Thomasi and David Colley lead those on the
opposite side.

Press-friendly

Approachable at all times, Army Chief of Staff Colonel Baboucarr Jatta has
never hesitated to grant interviews to local journalists. Despite having to
live through the busy schedule of a crowded diary, Colonel Jatta, always
makes himself available to reporters. Colonel Jatta has cleared the air on
many other issues, most recently the sending of Gambian soldiers to join
the peacekeeping in Ivory Coast. His mobile phone number is an open secret
unlike those of other public figures, serving the government. His
rapprochement has culminated in the army describing the press as partners
in development.

Famara Jatta, Secretary of State for Finance and Economic Affairs has also
been open to journalists. He was always at hand to verify stories relating
to his area. The serious economic downturn has left him as the most
embattled minister of late. But in front of reporters he is calm and
composed.

Third on the list is politician Omar Jallow. As interim chairman of the
People's Progressive Party (PPP) OJ is molded himself into a career critic
of the Jammeh regime. To him this approachability with the press is
necessary to sell his political messages and make them crystal clear to the
people he needed most, the populace. One blot to this is his refusal to
grant interviews to the Daily Observer.

Another politician friendly towards the press is Hamat Bah. As leader of
the National Reconciliation Party and National Assembly Member for Upper
Saloum he has openly sympathized with the press. His warm regards for the
press was demonstrated in the manner he lobbied (although without success)
his colleagues in the Assembly to refrain from enacting the National Media
Commission Bill, which he sees as a fetter to press freedom in the country.

Halifa Sallah, minority leader and member for Serrekunda Central is also a
staunch defender of the press. As part of the Foroyaa editorial team,
Honourable Sallah has been understandably concerned with the trials and
tribulation of local journalists. He was also resoundingly critical of the
Media Commission Bill, which he described as entertaining provisions
unconstitutional and inimical to the local press.

Yankuba Touray is a rare exception of government officials enjoying a warm
relation with journalists. Although he had an encounter with The
Independent in 2000, the Secretary of State for Tourism and Culture who is
also APRC national mobiliser has mellowed in his perception of the press.
He now sees journalists as integral partners in development and in the past
year had had interviews and friendly chats with reporters working for the
private media. Generally government functionaries are suspicious and cold
towards journalists, most fearing for their jobs.

The list takes a bend to the legal profession. Up steps Magistrate Moses
Richards of the Kanifing Magistrates Court. Another press-friendly figure,
The Independent publications for last year are rife with interviews
featuring him.

Abubacarr King of the Brikama Magistrates Court has, since his appointment,
demonstrated profound liking for the Gambian press. It is usual for media
houses to receive faxed ruling from his court.

Magistrate King recently bundled four persons to Mile Two for haranguing a
journalist.

Another press-warm personality is Shyngle Nyassi Youth Wing President of
the United Democratic Party.

Ebou Njie, Inspector General of Police has also opened his doors for local
reporters, although his Public Relations Officer has not been as
approachable as he is.

Samba Faal SOS for Youth and Sports is also not hostile to the press.

Lamin Waa Juwara formerly of the UDP and now of NDAM is ever ready to give
journalists from all media houses interviews. He is the most interviewed
politician in The Gambia.

Honourable Fatoumatta Jahumpa Ceesay could fall within both category.

Just over eight months ago, she was not on talking terms with the press as
Director of Press and Public Relations. All that changed after her
nomination into the National Assembly. Now she is quite approachable and
friendly.

Baba Saho, NIA Director of Internal Security is concerned about the image
of the institution. His stint has witnessed a remarkable change of tactic
of the NIA towards journalists. In October, he summoned editors of media
houses to share with them information on a scandal involving an opposition
politician. Such unprovoked cooperation was unheard of in the past and
editors were quick to point out that, such rapprochement must be applied
where ruling party politicians are found to have committed similar act and
needed to be exposed.

Non-press friendly

Since he took the reins of power over eight years ago, President Yahya
Jammeh convened a press conference with local journalists only once.

That was when he was explaining the reasons for ousting the PPP regime.

Since then he has kept tightly to himself and away from the press,
particularly journalists working for the private press. Over the past year
he had not budged from this position. His interviews were only with the
state-run media and foreign media houses. He was quoted as saying that 'you
need not visit the toilet to know that it stinks', a clear indication of
his impressions of the 'rubbish' press as a bunch of no-gooders. The
Independent had made repeated attempts to seek audience with him to no
avail. His stint has witnessed the arrest and detention of journalists for
as flimsy a reason as reporting on a foiled coup.

Because of the Media Bill The Gambia was internationally seen as the most
hostile environment for journalists in Africa after Zimbabwe. He approved
the Bill and paved the way for the National Assembly to enact it despite
local and international outcry over some of its unconstitutional
provisions.

David Colley the Commissioner of Prisons is utterly press-cold. Since his
appointment as the Prisons boss, Dave has never uttered a single word to
journalists over happenings in Mile Two Prisons. Even if he ever spoke to
them, his words were gruff and uncomplimentary, his actions elusive and
dismissive. He has been keeping a tight lid on information concerning the
prisons, apparently suspicious over a supposed tendency of journalists to
sensationalise news. Giving the press a wide berth runs contrary to an
earlier assurance from him to see journalists as friends.

SOS for Interior, Ousman Badjie also finds the press a nauseating feature
of democracy. In the wake of an article on an incident involving his wife
and Honourable Ramzia Diab at the airport last year, Badjie feels he has an
axe to grind with the press, particularly The Independent, which he accuses
of interfering in people's private lives.

He simply hangs up the telephone when journalists call to inquiry with him.
He also had an unfriendly encounter with the paper's Managing Editor at the
office of the Inspector General of Police.

Vice President, Isatou Njie-Saidy, though not openly hostile to the press,
she is not friendly either. Journalists in the private press have found her
impenetrable. She is always shielded by protocol officers, who would fob
journalists off with excuses.

Judicial Secretary Reuben Phillot also shuns the press. A glaring example
was when Justice Hassan Jallow was sacked in August and Phillot
deliberately refused to comment on the matter and instead urged our
reporter to contact the source of the story to confirm the facts.

On previous occasions, Phillot had never been found approachable by
journalists.

Gambian politicians are generally press-friendly but not Honourable Sheriff
Dibba, Speaker of the National Assembly. Since coalescing with the APRC,
Honourable Dibba has been keeping the press at arm's length.

It was a different story in the run-up to the last presidential polls when
he readily granted interviews to the local press corp. Ironically now, he
is even proposing sanctions on media houses and journalists, who pen
sensational stories about the National Assembly.

Marcel Thomasi has not lived up to the task of bringing the press closer to
the Office of the President. As State House Director of Press and Public
Relations, Thomasi has been unmistakably unfriendly and sometimes overtly
hostile to reporters of private media houses. He has been particularly
harsh on reporters from The Independent during coverages.

He spearheads bad-tempered rejoinders to stories carried by the private
media. He also provoked the deportation of Guy-Patrick Massoloka, a
Congolese journalist, working innocently in The Gambia at the time. He also
sanctioned The Independent from attending the mourning in Dakar of the Le
Joola victims in September to which Gambian media houses were invited. He
scratched The Independent from the original list of press invitees,
received from President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal by the Vice President.

Honourable Abdoulie Kanagie Jawla, NAM for Sandu has sent the private media
to the pillory many times. His arguments during the Media Bill debate
generally condemned the press in ways, which suggest he has a small heart
for press freedom. He openly supported the injurious Media Commission.

Although UDP leader Ousainou Darboe could not be described as press-cold,
he is not press-warm either. He takes weeks to confirm or react to stories
relating to his party and has erected a wall between him and the Daily
Observer, which he accuses of biased reporting. This causes the paper
difficulties in verifying stories relating to the UDP.

Other non press-friendly figures are Ebrima Kemeseng Sarr, APRC
Administrative Secretary, Momodou Bojang, Commissioner Lower River
Division, Eric Tundeh Janneh, Chief Kombo North.

Bora Mboge, Director General Gambia Radio and Television Services is far
from friendly with the press to which he applies a snob. He has not been
helpful on the simplest of inquiries for the simplest of details relating
to the GRTS. His last telephone chat with this paper's Editor-In-Chief
ended with an unfriendly note.

Juka Jabang Director Management Development Institute, Honourable Baba Jobe
Majority leader National Assembly, Joseph Joof, Secretary of State for
Justice, Bakary Njie SOS for Information and Bola Carrol former President
of The Gambia Bar Association are also not the least friendly with private
journalists or their work.

The Independent would hope against hope that the New Year would usher in a
change of heart and attitude towards the press.

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