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President Jammeh Block Freedom Newspaper-Editors tell Commonwealth Election Observers!!
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President Jammeh Block Freedom Newspaper-Editors tell Commonwealth Election Observers!!
President Jammeh Block Freedom Newspaper-Editors tell Commonwealth Election Observers!!
Managing Editor Pa Nderry M'Bai Says Jammeh's Latest Internet Censorship Was A Hate Move Taken By A Falling Desperate Despot...
Freedom
Findings Reveal That It's only Local Embassies and NGOS Who Can Access
The Leading Paper!!-Our Daily Hits Are Getting Higher And Higher
Despite Jammeh's Censorship
 Election Observers Told To Take Note Of The Media Censorship Ahead Of The Friday Polls...
While
Gambians are preparing to go to the polls, we at the Freedom Newspaper
deplored President Jammeh's recent move to block our paper from being
accessed by Gambian voters. The publisher and the managing editor of the
Freedom Newspaper Pa Nderry M'Bai said Jammeh's latest attempt to block
his paper was a sign of desperation from a falling despot seeking for a
third term re-election. The Freedom Newspaper strong man says despite
the government's blockage of his leading Gambian online Newspaper, the
paper is attracting a lot of hits on a daily basis. Jammeh's media
censorship cannot send us out of business. He blocked our paper's IP
access address so that Gambians will not read this leading independent
paper. After his failed attempt to wipe out our paper from the phase of the
internet, Mr.Jammeh has resorted to blocking our website. This is an
affront to free press and democracy.
  
Jammeh Gamtel's Omar Ndow Editor M'Bai
  
Sulayman Bah Manager Editor Omar Bah Political Commentator Sey
  
Associate Editor Jallow Murdered Editor Hydara Tortured colleagues
Gamtel, the nation's main
telecommunication network alongside with Quantumnet, also a major
internet private provider has decided to block the Freedom Newspaper in the
Gambia. Government offices, and
private internet operators has been restricted access to the paper. Our investigations reveal that only local
embassies and non Governmental Organizations can access the Freedom
Newspaper in the Gambia . The government's move was calculated to
deny our people their God given right to free expression. The Jammeh
administration hates to see an informed civil society in the Gambia and
as such had decided to block the Freedom Newspaper. This paper has been
exposing the government's right abuses and wanton corruption. This is
the paper giving President Jammeh sleepless nights as we report the
news as it happens. We are not anti government as bandit by the regime
and its supporters. You hate us because of our uncompromising editorial
policy.
The management of the Freedom Newspaper therefore are
here by informing the Commonwealth election monitors and other
observers in the country about this sad state of affairs. The media
played a crucial role in any democratic evolution and if this
government wants to be taken seriously it must change its hostile
attitude towards the private press. The Freedom Newspaper is comprised
of Gambian journalists who want to see democracy, rule of law, good
governance and justice observed in our dear country. For President
Jammeh to deny our people from having access to independent source
of news is a mockery to democracy. When decent nations are working day
and night to empower the media, the Jammeh government is hell bent on
muzzling the private press. In today's Gambia, newspapers like the
Freedom Newspaper are usually classified as anti government
establishments. If President Jammeh can go extra miles to block our
paper from the Gambian public nothing will stop him from killing local
journalists determined to pursue the truth. We at the Freedom Newspaper
have been put to test by the Jammeh regime and shall pass the said test
God willing. We shall remain resolute and no amount of government
censorship will make us deviate from our editorial policy.
We
at the Freedom Newspaper are succeeding in our media project, as this
is the paper which Jammeh cannot stand. We have an over edge against Jammeh
and will certainly expose him beyond redemption. While editors of our
paper have been declared wanted, a score of Freedom Newspaper
subscribers are still languishing in police cells. The government
entertained the belief that these subscribers were Freedom Newspaper
reporters and as such refused to release them during the election
period. Notwithstanding, the Freedom Newspaper is still rattling
Jammeh's cage. We are reporting first hand information about political
happenings in our country. Jammeh is an enemy of freedom, but will one
day be held accountable for the atrocities he perpetrated against our
people. The Gambian people don't deserved such civilized slavery.
President Jammeh has no right whatsoever to determine what paper our
people should read. If a gutter press like the observer can be accessed
in the country, why not Freedom which is observing highest journalistic
standards and ethics? The freeness of the Friday elections would be determined by
the level of media and political freedom in the Gambia.
The
head of the Commonwealth observer team Dr.Salim, should not be deceived
by the government's lies that there is free press in the country. There
is none. Local journalists are living in constant fear and uncertainty. There is
growing self censorship amongst journalists as the government would not
give them free hands to do their basic journalistic job. Some of the
damning stories against the government and its agents reported on
Freedom cannot be reported by the Daily Observer. Journalists at the
Observer and GRTS, the state controlled media are subjected to untold
censorship. As we told one of the Commonwealth observers yesterday on
the phone, the Freedom Newspaper was created to fill the media vaccum
in the country. That this paper's editors were ready to report the
truth and nothing but the truth, no matter how the government perceives
us. Prior to the blockage of the Freedom Newspaper by the government, we reported about the illegal registration of non Gambian national from the Casamance. These non Gambians were issued with Gambian identity cards by the state. Once they obtained Gambian IDS, they are qualified to be issued with voters cards and this was exactly what happens. The regime issued the guest voters with voters cards and are ready to vote come Friday.
President Jammeh is doing a great disservice to himself
and the Gambian populace by resorting to blocking our paper. We even
told the Commonwealth election observer to try and access the Freedom
Newspaper on the link www.freedomnewspaper.com to see if she was going
to access the paper. We are not inventing stories against this
administration. We are merely informing election observers about what
obtains in the Gambia. We thought it imperative to expose the hatrate
harbored against the private press by the Jammeh regime. Gambians
should not be surprised if President Jammeh resorts to blocking local
embassies from accessing the Freedom Newspaper. It is unfair for
President Jammeh to secretly brows our pages and denied Gambians from
accessing Freedom.
President Jammeh hates to see editors and
reporters of this paper writing stories relating to his corrupt and
vicious activities. This was the paper which first report about the
execution of Gambia's former intelligence chief Daba Marena and four
other security chiefs by the government in March of this year. Our
piece never went down well with the regime. They are still trying
figure out who must have been the source of our story. Daba and co were
accused of trying to overthrow Jammeh's government. The Freedom
Newspaper is well connected when its comes to news gathering and
dissemination. We have the know how and the required professionals to
rattle Jammeh's cage. President Jammeh should remember that most of the
reporters and editors of this paper suffered in his torture chambers
one time or the other for reporting stories he is hell bent on denying
Gambians to read at this hour. Our reader target population is beyond
the frontiers of the Gambia and whether Jammeh likes or not we are
prepared to make printouts of the Freedom Newspaper available to
Gambians who are in dare need of it. This paper is not for sale and
shall jealously guard its editorial independence. Jammeh shall continue
to remember the Freedom Newspaper. There will be no retreat nor
surrender. The Freedom Newspaper shall continue to make this corrupt
government accountable to its people. Election observers and the
civilized world please note of Jammeh's latest move to censor
the internet. We rest our case. |
Posted on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 (Archive on Sunday, October 29, 2006)
Posted by PNMBAI Contributed by PNMBAI
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