BREAKING NEWS:Chaos at the Observer Office.
         Chaos at the Observer Office.
         BY AN INSIDER
  News has reached the Freedom newspaper that one of the senior reporters at the Observer newspaper in Banjul, Ebrima Jaw Manneh, has been fired and then hired back, due to what Sarja Taal has called a mistaken identity. Ebrima Jaw Manneh was fired because all this time Sarja and the Jammeh camp think he is Fatou Jaw Manneh's younger brother.
  Apparently Fatou Jaw and Ebrima don't even know each other, they just share last names and they come from different parts of the Gambia. Ebrima is from Bakau even though his parents are from Nuimi originally whilst Fatou Jaw Manneh is from Sukuta/Foni Bulock. 
  Ebrima is said to have lost both his parents and lives with his grandmother and sisters whom he support. Those who know him said he is a very serious young reporter and very very hardworking. He is about 25 years old.
  Ebrima has been under surveillance from the Jammeh camp for a long time because of suspicion that he is related to Fatou. Fatou Jaw Manneh is a passionate Jammeh critic whose commentaries and interviews are carried at the Independent, Freedom newspaper and Allgambian.net. The unapologetic ex observer bombshell now resides in Washington DC but is still active in exposing the Jammeh government.
  Two years ago after she published an interview at the Independent, Fatoumatta Jahumpa rushed to the Independent offices to enquire about Fatou. (Below is the interview from the archives, courtesy of the Independent). Sarja cannot sleep either since Fatou's interview with the Allgambian.net where she refers to Sajaa Taal as a hustler. Fatou Jaw is a nightmare for Jammeh and his cohorts our sources reveal.
  Two years ago Ebrima Jaw Manneh went through the same scrutiny from a wife of a Business tycoon who also thinks her husband has an eye on Fatou and maybe Fatou Jaw brought Ebrima to the Observer.
  Jammeh and his accomplices are sniffing allover the young boy who has never set eyes on Fatou. Fatou left for the US by the time Ebrima starts writing for the paper we learn. More news coming on the Observer case. Stay tuned.
  This paper could not reach Dr.Taal for comments during the weekend, but local sources at the Observer, confirmed the sacking and subsequent reinstatement of reporter Ebrima Jaw Manneh. Dr.Taal is free to give his side of the story or risked being accused of persecuting and muzzling poor reporter Ebrima Jaw Manneh.
  It would be recalled that Ebrima Jaw Manneh authored a piece in which business leaders met President Jammeh some months ago and  lamented about the closure of  The Gambia/Senegalese border. 
  The chameber of Commerce and local business leaders urged the government in that meeting to handle the border crisis with care, as it was causing untold suffering to the people of the two countries. 
  Angered by Jaw's story, the government, which is believed to have total control over the Observer, ordered for the immediate sacking of the paper's Editor-in-Chief Lamin Cham and MD Momodou Sanyang. The paper's management were accused of publishing a "close door meeting"which state house sources say was not meant to be reported. Reporter Jaw Manneh nearly lost his job in that observer shake up. He was hoewever, warned to avoid reporting such stories without having clearance from the state house. 
  Flash back to this  interview the Banjul based Independent Newspaper had with Fatou Jaw Manneh in the past. Please read on.....
  Fatou Jaw-Manneh Dame of the "Flaming Pen"
          
    
  
  
   
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  The Independent (Banjul)
  INTERVIEW
June 25, 2004 
Posted to the web June 25, 2004 
  Banjul 
  If the pen were a flaming sword, she would have been its sheath. Fatou Jaw-Manneh is one of the few Gambian women who has made her mark in journalism as a career. As a reporter for the Daily Observer, when that paper was on top of its world in the 90s, Fatou had distinguished herself as being of a class of her own, at a time when a generality of her peers were struggling to find their feet in a stereotypical Gambian environment, riddled with the vagaries of gender discrimination. She had cult a level of her own where many had failed.
  Now living in the United States, Fatou's fiery zeal with the pen could still be gleaned from her despatches to The Independent.
          
  Who really is Fatou Jaw-Manneh?
  I am a 36-year-old Gambian born and raised in Sukuta/Foni Bullock.
  Can you briefly explain your educational career?
  In my formative years I had schooled in The Gambia. Just started a Masters degree program at the John Hopkins University Washington DC Campus.
  We were informed that you were among the few female journalists who served at the Daily Observer, how did that come about at a time when that area has been largely uncharted by women and girls?
  It was through the Daily Observer mail, precisely letters to the editor that I was able to arouse the attention of the editors. It was a very exciting period for me. At the end, Kenneth Best requested that "anytime she comes around with her mails, send her to me, I want to meet her".
  When we met he convinced me to join the paper.
  What motivated or inspired you to write?
  Political stagnation at that time, corruption and nepotism mainly motivated me. I also believe that no human being should sit on their ideas, especially when they could respond to the problems of the time. I like to make comments on what I see around me, political, social or anything it might be.
  Are you related to the late Ansumana Manneh?
  Yes we are first cousins. His father is the older brother of my father.
  I wonder how you knew that. Not many people know that about me.
  You are branded one of President Jammeh's bitterest critics. Why such gripes about the regime?
  Betrayal. Jammeh is tearing our beloved country in shreds. He debunked our hopes and became a thorn in every issue that relates to progress in the Gambia be it social, political or economical. Worst of all, he is a bundle of terror. There is the need therefore to speak out against his tendencies, which re inimical to progress. If you look around the Gambia, particularly at the conditions people live in, you will see what I mean.
  We were told that you participated in a demonstration at the Freedom Forum, Virginia in which you directly provoked Jammeh. Is this true?
  True. That was a while ago though. The drama started when his Gambian security details thought I should not enter the building because I was a security threat, you know, the usual bull-crap. Then at the meeting, he got irritated over the questions concerning Koro's death and some journalists who were arrested at the time.
  How would you evaluate the Jammeh regime since 1994?
  It is a total failure. The APRC leadership is a complete sham. It has become a business entity. They all became treasure hunters, free for everyone that has access and a total set up of megalomaniacs -cum-paramilitary democrats period.
  If appointed or offered any position by the Jammeh regime would you accept it?
  God forbid it. What is amazing is how Gambians are still lined up for these jobs. The more they are fired and humiliated the more they are hoping to be recruited. I think every citizen should be proud to work for his or her government, not in the case of the Gambia where the president thinks that he is the be-all of government. This paranoid president hires and fires depending on his mood.
  How can you even know the progress of a minister in six months or eight months? I believe people should be given room and some independence to be able to accomplish certain tasks.
  But some once bitter critics of Jammeh are now serving him. Do you think one should trust you?
  Like who?
  Dr. Amadou Janneh?
  Good luck to him but he should get his Timberland boots ready because all his predecessors are all on the run. It is no crime for anyone to work for your government but if you consider the magnitude of humiliation that civil servants succumb to, you wonder why they are dying to get jobs by Jammeh if not for greed.
  What are you doing in the US?
  For now, studying.
  Some quarters pointed out that you had some political ambition and wanted to form your own party Is that a statement or a question?
  It is both Oh Lord, I wish. What shall we call it?
  Free the Gambia People's Party. Not for now, but we are discussing the possibility. Let us see what happens. For now we are all going to throw our support behind the Coalition to salvage the Gambia from this present day Pontius Pilate of a Gambian we are blessed with as a president.
  What is your take on Gambia's political future and the Coalition (Alliance)?
  I think it is going to be interesting. We do not know what this Coalition is going to be like or what can be expected of them. We have been hoping for some bridge to the ideological gaps between the different parties. We are still very sceptical about its effect and unless they are strongly united, the prospect of removing Jammeh will just remain a fantasy. The Jammeh government has failed in every aspect of good governance. So any topic of discourse is going to be at the Coalition's advantage at this moment. The Coalition if there is going to be one, should realise that independently as a political party they have neither the clout nor the resources to give the APRC a run for their money. Remember, the APRC civil servants or is it Jammeh's servants will go with all their vehicles to join the campaign trail.
  You think it will be hard for the coalition to beat Jammeh?
  That will depend on their strategies and time definitely is not on their side.
  As a group they will make an exceptional mobilising force. Ousainu Darboe is very well respected with the elites and the locals alike but he portrays himself as very slow, naive if not lazy alternative. If you want to be Mansa, you have to have a mansa attitude. This guy by now could have written a book on the pro and cons of Gambian politics from his experience from the last elections. Come on the guy is a lawyer.
  Gambians are not going to collect votes and bring them to either of these parties. In this case Muhammad should go to the mountain. You hardly hear from him from any corner. The Independent Newspaper is not a political organ. We will all get our share of publishing our voices and make our points across but the bulk of the work and the most complicated is how these independent political parties stabilise their political ideas in the mainstream Gambia or at the grassroots level.
  These parties should utilise their comparative advantage in their leadership abilities to convince the average Gambian that the APRC does not cause rain to fall, actually for ten years they still cannot provide food security for its population. They should have the courage and faith to throw this government out of power. Let Halifa and Ousainu tackle the cities and Omar Jallow , Waa Juwara and Hamat with their broader appeal deal with vast outside constituencies. Then sunshine will visit the coast again.
  Who will you give your vote to if you are to vote?
  The coalition.
  You think the Gambian people missed the Jawara government?
  Hell no. Not me. I support OJ not in the PPP context, but because he is real, practical and accommodating. We need leaders like him. In Gambian politics, we are at a crossroads. We are all gauging the situation but please let the PPP era be consigned to the past. Actually the APRC is a by-product of the PPP. Like father like son minus the brutality of the APRC.
  What is your prediction for the coming election? You think Jammeh will win?
  It depends on the energy that will be coming from the opposing side.
  Gambians are desperately in need of an alternative to this egoistic frosty imam of the APRC, Jammeh. But there has to be a group that understands that it has a common task at hand, as difficult as compromising might be. Jammeh has great chances to win too. I think there is quite a percentage of Gambians that think he is the right guy for us, scary as that might sound. He is full of energy but very negative energy and he totally lacks direction. All he needs to do is come clear to the Gambian people that he has failed us all miserably, that he will be doing everything to revitalise his promise to the Gambian people, excuse his 10 years in office, rather than forcing us to like him or forcing us to recognise developments that do not exist. We should all understand the Gambian psyche by now. Seventy percent of voters equally support both Jammeh and the opposition alike. Twenty percent are going to be sitting on the fence and creating hell for everybody, and only ten percent
 know exactly where they want to put their vote and will have the courage to do so. What the Jammeh era has surprisingly shown about most Gambians is our unreliability, indecisiveness, timidity, hypocrisy and our possibility of acquiring multiple personalities on issues at the same time. This will be a challenge to all the parties involved.
  As a Mandinka, what do you think of the tribal remarks from Jammeh?
  Embarrassing and bewildering. You will wonder if the guy got extra chromosome. I am half Mandinka. My mum is Fula. The reality of tribalism is always embedded in people consciously or unconsciously. You do not just exploit it for political gains or as a power-accumulating tool. I hope Gambians do not buy into it. When push comes to shove he will be helicoptered for refuge to Morocco, we the average Gambians are going to be the losers trekking to neighbouring villages for shelter. Practicing tribal malice is always a lose-lose for all. He cannot take all the Mandinkas to Baba Jobe's hotel as he claims, because not all the Mandinkas are going to offer themselves for humiliation. Unfortunately he cannot do anything about the Mandinka population. Sorry. I think his remarks will be a terrible shock to all the Mandinkas that voted for him, lost their families and friends in the process. Now this is what you call perfect betrayal. The remarks were not too surprising after all;
 whatever he says or acts is always a blunder
  If leadership is going to be evaluated in the Gambia by tribe, I think Jawara and Jammeh so far are the worst for the Gambia. Jawara was bonkers when it came to development. Jammeh says he is pro-development but unfortunately he lacks the vision, the crew and the patience to deliver. They are very empty on ideas. That is why tribalism became his last resort. And the weirdest and most embarrassing of all is that he thinks he can sell development by party affiliation. That is backward.
  Why did you attack Baba Jobe and Fatou Jahumpa Ceesay?
  I did not attack their persons. That would have been a different ball game. I do not know either of them in person. These people are public figures and we have all rights to condemn their actions especially if those actions fall ill of what is to benefit society. Baba Jobe and his style of support of the APRC was an impediment to progress for all that was striving to democratically get rid of the APRC. Now the very crocodile he thought could be made a pet swallowed him. We are now left to inherit the slander and the squander. Baba's case is your typical Gambian case study, the darling and the lion of the APRC is now recognized by none, friend or foe. When push comes to shove, Gambians will most likely kill the messengers and spare the dictator simply because of cowardice. Either way I think keeping him in jail is a very senseless move for the APRC. Whatever Baba did, was fantasised out of the APRC apparatus and aggrandisement. They are the same egoistic, grandiose,
 political misfits anyway. As for Fatoumatta Jahumpa, I think she is just sycophantic. The colour of the flag will not matter to her taking a closer look at her political portfolio. If China decides to invade the Gambia tomorrow, Fatoumatta will be the first to speak Chinese on GRTS.
  What I could not understand was how a very well renowned lawyer can be shot, and above all the statements that could have been made, she chose to propaganda for the APRC that week. That was beyond me. That was the lowest she could get to. Silence would have even fared better. She is excellent in self-degradation as a politician.
  What is your opinion on the latest debate about the term limit of the Presidency?
  For heavens sake Africans should be serious and realistic about this total craze for power and step down and give chance to others. Jawara became president when maybe Jammeh was not even born, and now Jammeh wants to take us from midlife to eternity. Let us be real. They try to cloak it under Vision 2020. For Heavens' sake! It gets on our nerves.
  Can you imagine being with the APRC for the next 20 years? God forbid. I think a term limit is very important in the upkeep of democracy. Giving chance to others who can bring a different perspective and focus to government should always be welcomed. I think leaders even when they are doing very well should have the urge to give way to others.
  How would you evaluate the state of the Gambian media?
  Battered but still steadfast. I think the Gambian media is trying hard under all these abhorrent circumstances to hold on to the banner of informing the people come what may.
  You condemned the arson attack on the Independent. Were you surprised by it?
  Not at all, but you know only fools will attempt to kill ink!! These crimes are committed by vagabonds who are very low on self-esteem. After the attack, Dr. Amadou Janneh gave a quick statement clearing the Government of any wrongdoing, which I think was very inappropriate and premature to make any judgment out of the case at the time. He was only two weeks in office!!! It is still pending and we are still waiting to the architects of this malfeasance.
  What would you say to assertions that any time the Independent publish your article they get into trouble?
  Really? If that is so then I think there is part of the audience that is not happy about what I write. The Independent should buckle up. There are more articles coming. I do not carry the view of the Independent and vice versa, unfortunately. I do not write to garner applause or insult, I write because I simply do not bite my tongue or sit on my ideas on issues simply because it is not going to sit well with certain quarters.
  Sorry. That is not what I was thought. I hope you guys are not going to be bullied to your knees.
  What do you think of the National Media Commission and how it will affect the work of journalists?
  The NMC Act is a draconian law by a predatory government. I think friends of the media and journalists have already exhausted themselves on this topic. Why all this energy from the government on this obnoxious Act? The economy is laying flat, the mood of the country is very down, the security of the country is at its lowest with crime and gun culture on the rise. The education and the health system is in shambles, the morale of the civil service is pathetic, not to mention the moral decadence in society. Is the Media Act going to ease these problems or is the government avoiding the snake and hitting on its mark on the ground? Please, the debate on this Act is just diverting peoples' attention from the hunger, the confusion and the want, consuming the nation.
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Posted on Saturday, May 06, 2006 (Archive on Tuesday, May 30, 2006)
Posted by PANDERRYMBAI  Contributed by PANDERRYMBAI
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