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Letter to Dodou Sanneh-GRTS Detained Reporter
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Letter to Dodou Sanneh-GRTS Detained Reporter
LETTER TO DODOU SANNEH- THE DETAINED GRTS REPORTER
By Mamadi Ceesay
Doudu
Sanneh, God and Gambians knew your arrest and detention was done while
on active national duty with objectivity. This is what a patriot should
and always expect from a despot whose wish is to make all and sundry a
puppet who can blow his trumpet at any given time. This era of Yaya
Jammeh is the most difficult era that Gambians have ever witnessed
since we assumed the affairs of our own destiny.
Dodou, your
area of profession that is journalism is one of the most risky and
difficult trades in The Gambia under Jammeh. We have witnessed arsons
attacks on Radio 1 FM, the Independent Newspaper, and in December 2004,
the gruesome killing of one of the country’s great and a noble
journalist, Deyda Hydara. His killers are still among our midst with
impunity. May his soul rest in peace.
Also, we have seen under
Yaya Jammeh how GRTS journalists/reporters/announcers have recently
turned to praise singers for Yaya Jammeh. Any staff that wants to be in
the good books of Jammeh and his cronies must be ready to praise him
and inflate figures of defectors from the opposition parties to his
APRC. The likes of Kebba Dibba, Sarjo Barrow, Ismaila Manneh, Musa
Camara, Malick Jones (he has recently turned to praise singing), Musa
Camara, Modou Sanyang (his praise singing has paid him dividend by
appointing him GRTS director), etc. These semi-illiterates at GRTS are
always bent on praise singing thus forgetting that they are serving
Gambian people and not a single entity like Yaya Jammeh. Their
conditions of services are so poor but you won’t hear them talk about
it or even raising the issue with the GRTS management. Your salaries
are stagnant since 1994 and poor, no refresher courses for you to
uplift your performance.
GRTS, a state-owned public institution
has a lot of professional deficiency ranging from lack of
professionalism, lack of capacity building, disrespect for the ethics
of journalism and biasness against the opposition. GRTS biasness has
been manifested during this current election campaigns by focusing
camera on only the opposition speakers thereby refusing to focus it on
their supporters and their poor picture quality. The list goes on and
on….
Mr. Dodou Sanneh, the purpose of writing this letter is to
console you since your service could be terminated anytime you are
released from detention. Your arrest according to theorist was linked
to a report you filed in while on a campaign trail with the
UDP/NRP/GPDP alliance that about 200 APRC supporters defected to
UDP/NRP/GPDP. Dodou, this is ”treason” according to APRC’s perspective.
They would have expected you to say the contrary but alas it was the
other way round.
The most disappointing and disheartening about
Dodou’s arrest was the comment made by Modou Sanyang, GRTS Director on
the Point Newspaper (Wednesday, 13th Sept.2006) edition “that he is not
aware of Mr.Sanneh’s arrest, declining to make further comment”. Dodou,
this alone should be an eye opener for you. Not even your own director
is unaware of your arrest more so concerned about your welfare under
whose order you left to make coverage for GRTS in the campaign. Will
Mr. Modou Sanyang care if you are kidnapped, disappeared or killed? No!
He careless! To add salt to injury was a comment Fatoumata Jahumpa, a
disciple of Jammeh made on the BBC’s Network Africa morning progrmme.
This ignoramus shameless told the whole world that she too is unaware
of you Dodou’s arrest. So if you are released from detention, you have
the discretion and the prerogative to blow APRC’s trumpet against your
professionalism or stay upright.
I would not pray for your
sacking but there is a probability that you would be…but even if you
are sacked, I implore you not to do like the other sacked civil
servants do. Do not go round praising the President. Just keep it cool
and calm as that may not be the end of your life nor shall it prevent
you from holding any prospective job. True, you are a responsible
person with a family and dependants, and your possible sacking would
have a great impact on them emotionally and economically. Just take it
with good faith and know that you shall triumph oneday. We all know how
GRTS is operated. One must toe their wishes or pack your bits and
pieces and bid each other farewell.
I implore on any reader who may be a friend or a relative to Dodou to copy and serve him this letter to read.
I
pray for your speedy release from detention and return to your family
in good health. This shall come to past oneday, as Yahya Jammeh would
inevitably be removed from power oneday.
Mamadi Ceesay |
Posted on Wednesday, September 13, 2006 (Archive on Friday, September 29, 2006)
Posted by PNMBAI Contributed by PNMBAI
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