Caught in the Act of Cronyism The Independent (Banjul) EDITORIAL July 15, 2002 Posted to the web July 15, 2002 Banjul Our National Assembly has been indicted and may be even unwittingly betrayed by the only man a majority of its members have secretly sworn to serve wily-nily. Jammeh's decision to refrain from giving his presidential assent to the Media Commission Bill leaves the National Assembly especially those who have come to assume something of a bootlicking role for him nowhere to hide their faces. They have been defaced unmasked for who they really are - wolves in sheep's clothing - vultures attired in dove white, caught in the act of cronyism. As confirmation of Jammeh's move reached us we could not forget that forgettable day in May, when in the true nature of the partisan posturing of the Assembly Jammeh's goons had argued lamely sometimes that the Bill was a perfect document that would see to the establishment of a model Media Commission to set the standards. Save for the few in the opposition camp, who were more instructively and convincingly vocal in their detracting stance than their political opposites were in blindly endorsing it, the majority that mattered in the Assembly relished and hailed every sense of it as wonderful to 'regulate' and 'improve' the standard of journalism. What an insult to Gambian journalists who have a Union of credible and seasoned men and women whose indefatigable drive to send Gambian journalism into a quantum leap is undeniable. Over-zealotry from Jammeh's obsequious cronies in the National Assembly has come to naught - at least while the Bill is deftly handed back to them. It is all unfolding like a class drama, showing an irate and flushed teacher, giving disparagingly red marks to his grudge-faced pupils for a badly done assignment. The only difference here is that nobody is learning anything, although if the contrary should be the case it has to be the National Assembly, which should be learning to differentiate between what should be reserved as an APRC congress agenda and what should be above partisanship. We could imagine the obvious embarrassment to APRC members of the Assembly who have been caught in the worst kind of naked, senseless, tactless, and pointless cronyism that even Jammeh has to ignore this time, purportedly for something more prudent, more nationalistic in complexion. Now the dejected majority of 'APRC for all seasons' are left to rock their own abandoned boat - abandoned albeit temporarily by Jammeh. The power of numbers may tell in the Assembly but it is the power of ideas and unadulterated reasoning that is more blessed. Why can't they see that the Bill is harbouring some obnoxious provisions that would eventually kill journalism the way it is practised around the world? The only reason is that there is a mad rush in the corridors of the Assembly to please Jammeh and be his 'yes man' regardless of how this pans out for the collective interest. 'This Bill was designed in the spirit of reconciliation and friendship with the press' an APRC member of the Assembly had enthused in a typical antic of over-zealousness. But the truth is that the extreme contrary will result if we become a nation of complainants, not before the courts but before the Commission, which would have non-journalists sitting in it. Clearly its drafters and its myopic proponents in the National Assembly are guilty of either blithe disregard or blatant ignorance of the need for journalists to breathe freedom freely as the air to nourish our democracy and give it a clean bill of health. By now the 'yes man and women' in the National Assembly should be learning that to be APRC FUNDAMENTALISTS they should be prepared to face more embarrassing situations like this after cow-towing and crawling under one man and his whims, leaving the nation's interest a casualty of their own inability to see beyond their nose. Jammeh's decision is a statement, a clear message that nobody should interpret for our Assembly members. They should know by now where their gaze should be - on the nation's interest and not on anything resembling one man, especially if that man's next move is unpredictable as a motion in the dark. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~