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From: WALO@SMTP (Amadu Kabir Njie) [log in to unmask]
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Subject: Play nicely, or not at all
Date: 28-Oct-99 1:09:05 +0000
NOVEMBER 1999
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THE GAMBIA
AROUND AFRICA
Play nicely, or not at all
By Jim Fisher-Thompson (USIA staff writer).
Visiting the US recently, President Yahya Jammeh made himself
available to the African Correspondents Association and ended up being
grilled on his government's treatment of journalists back h
me. "I am
here because I believe in press freedom," he said at a breakfast meeting
with journalists which was co-sponsored by the Freedom Forum, one of
America's largest media foundations.
Joan Mower, director of Freedom Forum asked the president about
reports of government harassment of journalists in The Gambia. "It is not
true that we jail journalists. We believe in the rule
f law."
But Jammeh left himself open by admitting that any journalists
detained in recent years were for state security reasons. The problem , he
said, was that "journalists want to question people" f
r their stories, but
"they don't want to be questioned" about their sources when writing
articles that the authorities believe are unfair or false.
"I can assure you, the press is free [in The Gambia] as long as it is
responsible," Jammeh added.
Having come to power through a coup, Jammeh's government is
wary of criticism and quick to detain journalists who write articles critical
of his regime.
Jammeh - who was born in 1965, the year his country won its
independence from Britain - said: "We came to power to rescue our
country from a one-party system. The country had had the same pres
dent for 30 years who neglected education and allowed corruption to run
rampant. We came in with a plan for development. We built airports,
schools and roads; and now Gambia is the only country in A
rica whose
workers have experienced increases in their salaries each year."
That deserved to go into the Guinness Book of Records, only that the
president got his facts wrong. Yet he continued: "When we came [to
power], we came in the daylight and believed in freedom,
He recalled
the time he studied in Alabama in 1993, and said: "I want to assure the
United States that I have always been a friend of the US."
Copyright ® IC Publications Limited 1999. All rights reserved.
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<BR><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica" size=-1>NOVEMBER
1999</FONT>
<HR>
<FONT face="Arial, Helvetica"><B>THE GAMBIA</B></FONT>
<BR><B><FONT
color=#c91119 face="Arial, Helvetica" size=-1>AROUND
AFRICA</B></FONT> </TD>
<TD align=left vAlign=top
width="30%"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!
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<TABLE>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD align=left vAlign=top width="70%"><! HEADER><FONT
face="Arial, Helvetica" size=4>
<H2>Play nicely, or not at all</H2></FONT><! INTRO>
<H4><FONT size=4>By Jim Fisher-Thompson (USIA staff
writer).</FONT></H4><! STORY>
<P><FONT size=4>Visiting the US recently, President Yahya
Jammeh made
himself available to the African Correspondents Association and
ended up
being grilled on his government's treatment of journalists back home.
"I
am here because I believe in press freedom," he said at a breakfast
meeting with journalists which was co-sponsored by the Freedom
Forum, one
of America's largest media foundations.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>Joan Mower, director of Freedom Forum asked
the president
about reports of government harassment of journalists in The
Gambia. "It
is not true that we jail journalists. We believe in the rule of law."
</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>But Jammeh left himself open by admitting that
any
journalists detained in recent years were for state security reasons.
The
problem , he said, was that "journalists want to question people" for
their stories, but "they don't want to be questioned" about their
sources
when writing articles that the authorities believe are unfair or
false.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>"I can assure you, the press is free [in The
Gambia] as
long as it is responsible," Jammeh added.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>Having come to power through a coup,
Jammeh's government
is wary of criticism and quick to detain journalists who write articles
critical of his regime.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>Jammeh - who was born in 1965, the year his
country won
its independence from Britain - said: "We came to power to rescue
our
country from a one-party system. The country had had the same
president
for 30 years who neglected education and allowed corruption to run
rampant. We came in with a plan for development. We built airports,
schools and roads; and now Gambia is the only country in Africa
whose
workers have experienced increases in their salaries each
year."</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>That deserved to go into the Guinness Book of
Records,
only that the president got his facts wrong. Yet he continued: "When
we
came [to power], we came in the daylight and believed in freedom,"
He
recalled the time he studied in Alabama in 1993, and said: "I want to
assure the United States that I have always been a friend of the
US."</FONT></P><BR><! COPYRIGHT><FONT color=#909090
size=-1>
<P>Copyright ® IC Publications Limited 1999. All rights reserved.
</P></FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></FONT></FONT>
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