Open Letter to His Excellency .jpg)
President Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya AJJ Jammeh
Dear Mr. President,
Re: Pap Saine of The Point
Greetings Sir, and I wish you, your family and all Gambians well on this 44th Independence Day celebrations. I also congratulate you and your government for its continued focus and commitment to the goals of Food Self-Sufficiency, Educational & Infrastructural Development and Health Care Development. But today I write with thoughts of my friend Pap Saine of The Point foremost in my mind.
The Government of The Gambia did recently confer on Pap Saine of The Point, Kebba Dibba of GRTS, Conateh of Report & Journal GAMBIA’S NATIONAL AWARDS for contributions to professional journalism..
As MD & Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Observer I worked closely with Pap Saine and he was an extremely generous person to the Daily Observer. Whenever our equipment broke down, Pap Saine helped as produce next morning’s copy of the Daily Observer.
Yes, Mr. President, many a time it was Pap Saine who helped us produce next days Daily Observer when our machines failed – and he has done that for years, well before I arrived at the Daily Observer. All my staff at Daily Observer, from Deputy MD Andrew DaCosta downwards, can absolutely confirm that Pap Saine extended the Daily Observer much help and generosity. He would even come out of his home at night if our plate-making machine had broken down. He would allow us to use his acetate if we ran out, he would print on his photocopier for us whenever ours broke down or ran out of ink – and ultimately he would allow us to print the paper itself on his premises if out old Kord Printer broke down, or if NAWEK went AWOL.
In my humble view, Mr. President Sir, it is not in the interests of The Gambia or the APRC Government which I still support, for a man of Pap Saine’s integrity, honesty and generosity to be subjected to this treatment at the hands of the police and the prosecution. I most humbly urge you, Sir, to use the generosity of your High Office to have the case closed forthwith.
Yours most faithfully,
Dida Abdi Jallow-Halake.
Ex-MD & Editor-in-Chief,
Daily Observer.
