I believe that the Media Bill is notting but to give the government the right to ban newspapers and prevent reporters who have different views from working.

The government enjoys a comfortable majority in parliament and they will of course do everything to make sure that the bill is pass. For Jammeh to send the bill back to parliament only means another cosmetic decoration. Whatever changes or amendments, it will still remain very repressive and grant the government excessive powers to regulate the media. Therefore the bill should go!!!!

If Jammeh and his government believes that they are doing good job as they want us to believe then there is no need for  media fear or paranoid because the bill is “dictatorial" and “unconstitutional”. It is well calculated and is an assault to people’s liberties that is guaranteed by the constitution.

It is draconian and fascist and the  government is giving itself the power to license the media and journalists. We  should object to the bill in the strongest terms and it should be challenged in court as Jawo said.

 

The Struggle Continues!!!

Ndey Jobarteh

 

 

>From: Momodou Camara <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Fwd: Jammeh Withholds Assent On Media Bill, Press Union Still Defiant >Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2002 11:12:47 +0200 > >Jammeh Withholds Assent On Media Bill, Press Union Still Defiant > >The Independent (Banjul) >NEWS >July 15, 2002 >Posted to the web July 15, 2002 > >By Pk Jarju >Banjul > >In a move unprecedented in the history of the working relations between the >presidency and the legislature, President Jammeh has sent the National >Media Commission Bill to the National Assembly, apparently refraining from >appending his signature on it due to a host of 'inappropriate' provisions. > >The Bill, which was passed by the National Assembly in May, was sent back >to its members, who are being told to reconsider certain 'inappropriate' >provisions, which according to confirmed reports was seen by the president >as incompatible with some clauses in the constitution. > >Although the exact reasons behind Jammeh's decision are far from clear The >Independent has reliably learnt that the president had recommended that >some clauses on the Bill deemed to run contrary to the spirit of the >constitution be deleted. Prior to his decision, there were spurious reports that >Jammeh had assented to the Bill, only to give the momentary order for its >reconsideration. > >The Media Bill was condemned by journalists from within and outside The >Gambia for what they called its draconian disregard of the freedom of the >press to operate uninhibited in a democratic country like The Gambia. >Human rights concerns had also added their voice to the chorus of >disapproval of the Bill, arguing that it opens the chance for arbitrary trial and >punishment of journalists irrespective of the truth or otherwise of their crime. > >Meanwhile President Jammeh's move has been interpreted as helping to >facilitate a cordial relation the government and the Gambian Media, which >since the change of the guards in 1994 has left a lot to be desired. > >Earlier reports had suggested that President Jammeh had initially assented >to the Bill, which was later sent to the National Printing and Stationery >Department to be published after it became an Act of the National Assembly. >However sources said that the printing process was halted on the orders of >some government officials, who had echoed the President's wish for it to be >sent to the National Assembly for reconsideration. This is the first time in >Gambian history that a Bill enacted by the National Assembly is being >returned to it by a president who has apparently refrained from giving his >ultimate assent to it. > >The clerk of the National Assembly Momodou Sailu Bah confirmed that the >Bill has been received from the President. It would soon be placed before >members of the National Assembly during its next sitting on July 24. 'We are >doing everything possible to finish working on it on time' Bah said. > >However, in spite of this latest development The Gambia Press Union has >maintained its defiance against the whole idea of setting up a Media >Commission, which could be characterised by arbitrariness to deal with >journalists thought to have defaulted. Demba Jawo its president posited that >although it was refreshing that the president had refrained from assenting to >the Bill, the GPU is far from satisfied with what he called the cosmetic >changes that are about to be made to the Bill. Mr. Jawo said the Union would >not baulk from its demand that a complete overhaul of the Bill was the only >acceptable alternative. He said that the GPU would still challenge the Bill in >the courts if it makes it in the National Assembly for a second time > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface >at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html >To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: >[log in to unmask] > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~