By Pa Samba Jow.


 Mr. Editor,


 Please allow me to respond to your editorial "GPU USA is a joke!! Pa Samba
Jow and co must go!!" which is in response to my article "Travesty of
Justice or Betrayal". I must first assure you that I take no ill from your
article, precisely because it is only through constructive criticism that we
as a people can forge ahead. It is however, imperative to correct some of
the erroneous assertions in your piece.

First, you claim "The Gambia Press Union USA branch, under the leadership Pa
Samba Jow is a total failure. It's membership and Executive are in total
disarray. No line of immediate communication amongst its members,  no
conference call, no offices, no serious leadership to steer the affairs of
the organization. One is compelled to reason, if  GPU USA is not another one
"man show" surely and wholly hijacked by coach Jow. Yes,  GPU USA is all
about Jow and nothing else. Period. Coach issued alerts, press releases
without consulting his Executive Colleagues. If this is what we call GPU
USA, then it is about time it leadership consider steeping down. Moral
conscience ought to have dictated to its leadership to call it quits, since
they are not living up to expectations. It's totally wrong for its Chairman
Pa Samba Jow to blame his colleagues for the woes of Gambian journalists"

The only correct contention here is that we have no office. You know we have
a listserv where we conduct most of our business. Secondly, it is very wrong
to suggest that I issue press releases without consultation.  I will
endeavor to refresh your mind here. The GPU-USA has issued only
four statements since its inception. The first one was to condemn the arrest
of the Independent staff, which was edited on the listserv. The second one
was a letter to African heads of state. That was drafted by Mr. Lamin Jatta
and edited on the listserv. The third was to congratulate Mr. Madi Ceesay
for winning an award. And the fourth was to condemn the arrest of Fatou Jaw
Manneh. Again, I consulted with members of the group before issuing these
release. Here the reader can see that your assertions are fallacious. Can
you tell your readers how I hijacked the GPU-USA? As an editor and publisher
of a newspaper, one expects you to resort to reporting facts and not to
engage innuendos and conjuring.

Your claim that I blame our "colleagues for the woes of Gambian journalists"
is not only repugnant but also devoid of any common sense. To do that will
be criminal; the woes of the Gambian journalists are as a result of Jammeh's
tyrannical rule and no one else. What I did write is *"The conviction of
Lamin Fatty by Magistrate Buba Jawo on the flimsiest of charges sunk the
Gambian judiciary to its lowest level. The whole trial was a witch-hunt by
President Jammeh and his recalcitrant government. This verdict came as no
surprise to those who follow Jammeh's tyranny. There is no doubt that the
Gambian judiciary like all other branches operate on the whims and caprices
of Jammeh. **

What is however perplexing is the passive and carefree attitude of the
Gambian journalists in the Diaspora towards the plight of our colleagues
back home. Both the GPU-UK and USA branches are rendered impotent by the
lack of participation of members and the deliberate decision by some former
prominent journalists to sigh away from joining or supporting these two
groups. It is a shame that the embattled and browbeaten media houses in The
Gambia had to scramble to pay the fine for Mr. Fatty."
*
Unless you are out to deliberately distort the facts, one can easily see
that I was expressing my concern at the blithe attitude of journalists in
the Diaspora towards our colleagues. Pa Nderry, can you honestly stand here
and suggest to the whole world that the Diaspora journalists are doing their
part in helping our colleagues back home? On your suggestion that "Moral
conscience ought to have dictated to its leadership to call it quits, since
they are not living up to expectations." I am surprised to read this from
you Pa Nderry after I have confided in you a number of times about my plans
to step down and give chance to others to lead. In fact, how many times have
I tried to convince you to become active? As the former secretary of the
Gambia Press Union and publisher of the self-declared "leading and most
authoritative source of news" your moral conscience should have prevailed on
you to take an active role in the GPU-USA branch to help steer this
organization to the right path.

You further commented: *"For the records and the sake of posterity, we deem
it imperative to dispute Pa Samba's "wild and unfounded" allegations against
our press men and women. Such allegations cannot go* *unchallenged,"* I am
compelled to ask my friend, what are the wild and unfounded allegations
against our pressmen and women? I want to believe that either you did not
read my article carefully, or you may have misunderstood what I wrote. In
addition, I must curiously enquire, why did you not publish the article?

Again, you said; "*We expect our dormant GPU USA branch, to draw leaf from
Alieu Badara Sowe. This to some extent would help to preserve their
integrity. These folks are guilty of "doing disservice" to Gambian
journalists. The best thing they can do now is to resign and call for a
fresh elections." **
*
Pa Nderry, It is clear here that you must have been writing with a lot of
emotion and not enough reasoning or had a problem of deciphering what I
wrote. It is always easy to accuse others of dereliction of duty, which I
have no problem with because I am of the unflinching believe that criticism
is the only way to make us see our mistakes. What I want you to do is tell
the people what will Pa Nderry do to revive the "dormant" GPU-USA Branch? As
the former secretary general of the parent body and the owner of the freedom
newspaper, which has suffered from Jammeh's tyranny, I would think you would
at least be in a good position to help us out here.

What  I find baffling is that I speak to you almost on a weekly basis but
you have never expressed these diatribes to me or even given any suggestion
for the way forward even though I have discussed the GPU with you on umpteen
times. Finally, I will hope that you will attempt to get the facts about the
GPU-USA and come to realize that we must come together for the greater good
of all of us. Again, one who criticizes others must be prepared to accept
criticism in good faith. I write in that spirit and hope we all will keep
that spirit in mind when we find ourselves being criticized. Thank you.


Below is the reaction of the Freedom Newspaper Editorial Board
...............................................................................
Thanks Coach Jow for speaking your mind. We respect your views and we expect
you to reciprocate our stance. We have set the pace for sound, sincere and
honest debate about the Union that never was. GPU USA's failure should not
be buried under the carpet. We should talk about it. We don't mind to be
damned  for exposing agents of "failures." Our only perceived crime is,
speaking  out against people who are claiming to be representing Gambian
journalists, when in actual fact, there is no serious organization put in
place to carry out such a task. What Jow and co failed to realize is that
it's healthy to have dissenting views within the rank and file of GPU USA.
Exposing GPU USA'S "dirty leans" in public don't make one  to be an enemy of
the Organization. GPU USA, is not making any serious "progress." It has been
reduced as a " talk show" organization with or no serious long term plans
designed to keep the organization running. The real GPU USA is yet to be
born  This is not the type of organization we want for our journalists. An
organization where its President can dictate who should succeed him without
allowing the electoral process to take its cause. An organization, where
there is no accountability and transparency. Since the inception of GPU USA,
there is no information available about monetary transactions reached in the
name of the organization to its general  membership. Here we need brother
Joe Sambou to come up with progress report about the Union's latest
financial records. This paper's editor Pa Nderry M'Bai once mailed a Bank of
America Check of $50 Dollars to Sambou. M'Bai extended the financial help to
GPU Gambia. This was the time when we received an appeal from  GPU
President  Madi Ceesay to help the Gambia Press Union to pay its rent
arrears. There are other Gambian journalists who mailed Checks to Joe
Sambou. It's hypocritical and dishonest for anyone to suggest that Gambian
journalists abroad are insensitive to the plight of their suffering
colleagues in the Gambia. What has Coach Jow contributed to bail out our
Colleagues in the Gambia? We are curious to know. Perhaps, if Joe Sambo
should hand over his records to media houses, the truth would prevail at
last.

We are not alleging any financial impropriety at this hour, but for the sake
of transparency, we want GPU USA to be accountable to its membership. This
would win the confidence of donors. Monies collected in the name of the
Organization should be made public. As members of the Union, we cannot  tell
if the Organization had a bank account and  where the collected funds are
remitted to. This might sound weird, but the truth be told there is no
transparency at GPU USA.

Joe Sambou needs to clear himself from this mess because as a Chartered
accountant, he ought to know better. GPU USA should be in the position to
open a Bank account in its name, but there is no account in the name of  the
organization as far as we know. This exposes  how "weak and dormant"  its
Executive is. There are banks in the US, which provides free  Bank accounts
to interested customers. But GPU USA took the " back door route" by allowing
Sambou to collect monies on its behalf. Joe would do a great justice to
himself, GPU USA and Gambians  by surrendering financial records he reached,
negotiated, collected or acted on behalf of the Union to its general
membership for scrutiny.

We can vividly recall when Fatou Jow Manneh wrote to Joe Sambou  expressing
the need for him to expedite the process to wire the collected funds to Madi
Ceesay. Madi privately wrote to Fatou enquiring the status of the fund
raising. Close $1000 dollars was collected. But up to this hour, there is no
acknowledgement from GPU Gambia as to how much money was wired by GPU USA.
There was also no news item published by Gambian papers, regarding the said
funds extended to the parent body in the Gambia by Gambian journalists
abroad. Jow cannot tell us that he is a "caretaker" President who allows Joe
Sambou to receive monies in the name of union without his signature or
blessing. By the way, who audits Joe Sambou? Joe reports to who?
Under the circumstances, the best thing Jow, Sambou and whoever is involved
in this mess to do,  is to submit themselves to "an independent probe." We
at the Freedom Newspaper are prepared to help in terms of monetary and
material needs to coordinate the said probe. There is absolute need to
investigate GPU USA. We are interested to know the activities of these
individuals since the formation of GPU USA. As journalists, we must practice
what we preach.

We want to inform our good friend Pa Samba Jow that we don't need his
permission to write about GPU USA. Our Editorial is the opinion of the paper
and we do not  need a third party to decide the content of our paper. As the
saying goes "Journalist Doumboka." Being our friend, don't make you immune
from being criticize by Freedom. We tell the Gambian story as it unfolds.

As intimated to you during our phone conversation, your press release came
as a spam mail. Our server for some reasons could not allow it in. Thanks to
other sister papers, we read your "wild and unsubstantiated" allegations
against our fine men and women of the press. This paper had in the past
published your pieces and would continue to publish your pieces despite our
dissenting views on issues. We hope our explanation would help in this
regard.

Finally, we want to reaffirm our call for Coach and co to steep down. It
tantamount to doing disservice to one's community, when there is no serious
leadership put in place to run GPU USA. Winning an election is a good thing,
but having the ability to deliver the goods is another thing. Since the
current executive is not accountable to its membership,  it should step down
for now and allow investigators to probe their past activities. We hope our
piece would be read in the sprit of unionism , transparency and
accountability. We look for the day, when GPU USA would be accountable to
its membership, donors and well wishers. We thank you for your attention.
Peace.

Posted on Saturday, June 23, 2007 (Archive on Tuesday, July 24, 2007)
Posted by PNMBAI  Contributed by PNMBAI
Return <http://www.freedomnewspaper.com/Homepage/tabid/36/Default.aspx>

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