Deyda’s murder and challenges facing the Gambian media

Paper presented at annual Gambian ALD symposium, Washington, D.C., May 28, 2005

By Baba Galleh Jallow

December 16, 2004 was The Point newspaper’s 13^th anniversary. For 13 years, the paper’s founders, Pap Saine and Deyda Hydara, with the support of a small number of dedicated staff, had struggled to bring the news to their readers. Columns such as Horomsi and Good Morning Mr. President had become household names in The Gambia. The paper’s editorial policy was unquestionably independent but leaned more towards the moderate and the persuasive. True, the paper was uncompromising in its condemnation of corruption and the abuse of power. But its voice was moderate, wise, sparkling with goodwill and concern toward all, anxious for the well being of the nation and desirous that those at the helm of the ship of state would learn wisdom and temperance for the good of the nation and for their own good.

But on that fateful day, as the paper celebrated its 13^th anniversary, someone nearby was on the verge of executing an evil plot and snuffing the life out of one of the most wonderful human beings one could ever find. Someone among the crowds at The Point that day, or someone lurking nearby, knew that Deyda Hydara, managing editor of the paper, was marked for death. Someone nearby was bent on depriving Deyda’s family of a father and a husband, a brother, uncle and cousin. Someone was bent on depriving The Gambia of one of her most illustrious and decent sons, one who had spent the greater part of his life bringing enlightenment to the people, preaching moderation and temperance, speaking out against injustice and tyranny and earnestly warning against the self-destructive tendencies of people who find themselves in power. Someone somewhere, close by, was waiting to pump bullets into Deyda’s head and heart. And someone did just that. As Deyda drove home after a long and joyous day at work, an evil person pumped two bullets into his head and one into his heart and drove off in an unmarked taxi cab. No one has so far been charged with the crime. And no one is ever likely to be charged with the crime.

The question is: Who wanted Deyda Hydara dead? Well, we can only work on the available evidence. Which is that Deyda Hydara was the editor of an independent newspaper dedicated to the fight for truth and justice; that Deyda Hydara ran columns and stories relentlessly condemning the madness and injustice perpetrated by some sectors of Gambian society; that Deyda Hydara was involved in an ongoing legal battle against the promulgation of unjust and repressive media laws at the time of his murder; that Deyda Hydara was constantly exposing the injustices perpetrated against the weak by the powerful in our society, both through his own publication and through the publications of Reporters Without Borders and Agence Press Francaise, for whom he was the Gambia correspondent; that Deyda Hydara insisted on relentlessly drumming unpleasant truths into the ears of those who would not hear the truth. If we can tell who would be most offended by Deyda’s activities as demonstrated in these pieces of evidence, we probably wouldn’t need to look far to identify the evil finger that pulled the trigger on the night of December 16, 2004. We would have no need for elaborate press releases claiming to carry out investigations into Deyda’s brutal murder. We would have no need for the listing of phone numbers and the asking of anybody with reliable information to call the NIA. We would simply put two and two together and get our four.

Deyda’s murder is a very good indicator of where we are as a nation. It is a good indicator that yes, we were not mistaken in our accusations of the authorities that there is absolutely no security for the powerless in today’s Gambia. How could anyone claim the existence of security in a country in which journalists could be murdered with impunity, media houses set on fire with impunity and police and soldier-brutality perpetrated against inncoent civilians with impunity? Deyda's murder is a good indicator that in today’s Gambia, the murder of government critics can be committed with blatant impunity and no one would ever be arrested for it. Why? Because the police are afraid to ask too many questions? Because the NIA can look only so far? Because the police, the NIA and everyone else find themselves emasculated and reduced to pretending that what they see is really not what they see, and what they know is really not what they know. They all know, or at least suspect very strongly that they know, who killed Deyda Hydara. But they are blind and dumb to the truth because the truth is too ugly to contemplate.

Deyda’s murder is an act of terrorism. It is a good indicator that terrorism does not have to be male, Arab, skinny, with an eagle nose and long flowing beared; that terrorism could also be black, with a head like a square piece of dead wood. Deyda’s murder was a crime calculated to terrorize not only the Gambian media, but all Gambians. It was calculated to stun and petrify the people, to say to everyone that this is what happens to people who engage in activities like those Deyda engaged in. It was a calculated attempt to repeat the message that was sent out to the Gambian people on April 10 and 11, 2000: that whoever dares make too much unpleasant noise in The Gambia will go six feet deep. And nothing will come out of it.

But Deyda’s murder also represents a victory for the forces of truth and justice in The Gambia. By his death Deyda has dealt a devastating blow to the forces of evil in our country. He has exposed the shameful cowardice of those who, because they have the guns, feel that they can commit any crime and get away with it. He has, by his death, focused the world’s attention to this small corner of the globe where, for over ten years, a small group of tyrants have lorded it over the people and broken their own laws with impunity. If Deyda’s murderers were hoping to stop him from exposing their evil deeds, the ironic result is that by his death, Deyda has turned the full light of international attention on his killers. They have achieved the exact opposite of what, in their sick and jaundiced imaginations, they had set out to achieve. Not only are the world’s curious searchlights now fully focused on The Gambia, they will remain focused on The Gambia until the truth about Deyda is known and the culprits brought to justice in one way or the other. There is no doubt that one day, someone will stand in front of the world and say with total certainty, this is Deyda’s murderer. That day will come, and when it comes, those who feel that they can commit such despicable crimes with impunity shall be condemned to eternal damnation, human and divine.

Needless to say, the Gambian media faces the daunting challenge of surviving in an environment in which journalists could be murdered with impunity and with no fear of immediate reprisals on the part of the murderers. Gambian journalists, and I mean those worthy of the name, face the great challenge of upholding the high moral standards for which Deyda was killed, and in the process, running the risk of suffering Deyda’s sad fate. Gambian journalists are challenged to realize that while Deyda’s fate is sad, it is also honorable and elevated. Gambian journalists are challenged to refuse to be terrorized by the killers of Deyda Hydara; they are challenged to defeat the dishonorable and shameful motives of Deyda’s killers; they are challenged to derive inspiration from Deyda’s spirit and to keep his memory alive by continuing to chant the songs of freedom and truth and justice he chanted to the last minute of his life. And to know that in the final analysis, truth will triumph over falsehood, justice over injustice; that in the final analysis, victory is for the righteous and the evil doers will perish. They shall be smitten by the Hand of the All Mighty Lord and shall be reduced to ashes and scattered in the winds of time; they shall be smitten and dumped into the stinking dustbin of history, to be forever shunned and cursed by generations yet unborn. These are the eternal and immutable laws of nature from which Gambian journalists should derive strength, inspiration and courage in these hard times.

The Gambian media is challenged to continue defending the state against its worst enemies, against corrupt politicians and power hungry despots, against unjust laws and heartless tyrants, against the bloody fates of our neighbors in the West African subregion. And the only way to defend our country against such anarchy and destruction is to remain unwavering in our dedication to the truth and to the fight for justice and against all forms of injustice and tyranny. God is on the side of truth and the truthful. He is one the side of justice and those who fight for justice. And even though the Gambian media may face and suffer great persecution in the hands of tyrants and despots, they should find solace and strength in the fact that eventually, no matter how many are killed, no matter how many suffer persecution, no matter how many suffer exile - in the end, truth will triumph over falsehood and evil will be vanquished, and it shall have no place to run and no place to hide.

The Gambian media is challenged to continue asking the questions that need to be asked. Questions such as who killed Deyda Hydara? Who killed Koro Ceesay? What happened on the night of November 11, 1994? Why did the government of The Gambia shove the case of the students and journalist killed on November 10 and 11 2000 under the carpet? Who set fire to the premises of Radio 1FM? Who tried to set the offices of The Independent on fire? Who burnt the press belonging to the managing editor of The Independent? Where is Foday Makalo? Why has President Jammeh not fulfilled his promise to limit the terms of the presidency? What happened to the slogan accountability, transparency and probity? Where did President Jammeh get all his enormous wealth? Why should he own a zoo? These and many other questions must persistently be drummed into the ears of those who would not hear them asked. The demands for justice and accountability must be persistently made. The Gambian media must constantly insist on holding public officials to account. They must insist on the fact that the people are the real owners of our country and that no person is above the law. In the process of asking these questions and making these demands, they must know that the enemies of truth and justice will stop at nothing to silence them. But they must be resilient and they must remember that a gunman can kill only those destined to die. That in the final analysis, all power belongs to God. They must remember that gunmen can kill human beings, but they cannot kill the truth, and justice. Their bullets can destroy the physical bodies of their victims, but the soul is eternal and can be touched only by the Hand of God Himself.

The Gambian media is challenged to continue serving as the voice of all those who are denied a mouth to speak with. Today, we have a situation in our country where the public media is totally monopolized by a small group of people in power. Both Gambia radio and television have been reduced to the personal properties of the president. The journalists working at these institutions have allowed themselves to be reduced to mere robots and parrots, going where they are asked to go and saying what they are asked to say. In blatant disregard for the fact that the public media belongs to the public, that the public media is funded by taxpayers' money, the president and his sychopants abuse their control of the public media in a most shameful manner. All views contrary to those held by the president are denied access to the public media and our limited national resources are wasted through marathon coverages of the president roaming aimlessly about in his zoo, or marathon coverages of useless traditional dancing and wrestling contests held at the president's palace in his village, while he reclines comfortably on his throne, throwing wads of brand new banknotes at the poverty-stricken crowds. Meanwhile, hundreds of constructive issues needing urgent coverage are left to rot in the gutter; the people are deprived of vital information on all manner of issues important to their survival and wellbeing. The private Gambian media are thus challenged to step in and fill the gap left by the hijacking of the public media. Let them be called opposition or whatever mouthpieces. They have a right to be what they want to be and will be doing a great service to the nation by providing a forum for the expression of alternative views and opinions.

Finally, the Gambian media must know that when the going gets really tough, very few people will be willing to step forward and offer a helping hand. They must know and remember the wise words of Machiavelli, that no one should fall in the belief that someone would pick them up. If you must fall, fall with the knowledge that you can pick yourself up. The Gambian media must be dedicated to its mission and work for its own sake. They should anticipate neither reward nor support from anybody, not even from the very people that they are risking their lives to save. For people have a way of falling very silent and simply watching just when their voices and support are most needed.

While the above challenges are within the power of the Gambian media, there are some challenges that are not. The Gambian media faces the challenge of operating with very limited resources. Media not beholden to the whims and caprices of the powers that be find themselves in the difficult situation of both watching their backs, and living on the edge of bankruptcy. There are limited opportunities for the training of journalists; there is little money to buy computers and pay taxes, rent and other overhead expenses. Businesses craving to be in the good books of the authorities are afraid to advertise with certain media houses, and the few available presses are often terrorized into refusing to print for certain publications. Which all translates into the unpleasant reality that the ultimate challenge of the Gambian media is to survive against very great odds in a very hostile environment. And this is a challenge that they must rise up to and if humanly possible, overcome.