Open Letter to Pa Nderry- Writes Pa Musa                                                

Freedom Editor Accused Of Being Biased Against Jollas

From OLLEY SAINE

To Panderrymbai@gmail.com

Date Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 6:34 PM

Subject : Money is nothings in this world and u said u are a Muslim .self

interests if u die u know the place

signed- byyahoo.co.uk

hide details 6:34 PM (11 minutes ago) Reply

Open Letter to Pa Nderry

Dear Pa Nderry,

First I apologize for the presumption that you or anyone will listen to me but as a Gambian, a Pan African, a Muslim and a Human Being, I am very disturbed by the above direction.

I respect your right and role as a journalist and your dedication to all issues Gambian but as humans, we can all make mistakes. I believe that maybe your intention is not to stir ethnic antagonism and even maybe to reveal what you perceive as President Jammeh's ethnic biases, but I think what you are doing in this particular case is the right way to go about it.

But I urge you to review this stand as even if you are right you risk also being reverse ethicist. [I am sure you are aware of victims of racism and racists become reverse racists]. One can ask why are you only selecting the Jolas, when a greater majority of people in Public and Civil Services of The Gambia are non-Jola. Where are the Fula, Wollof, and Serere secretaries, PROs et cetera working for the APRC government?

As a brother, I think what you are doing is not useful and helpful and some of the names on your list are Civil Servants not Political appointees. They have every right to work for the State and like many of us, who worked for the State, that has no bearing on our political leanings and our ethnicity is one thing we did not choose, being an accident of birth.

I am adding my humble voice to this because I find it perturbing. We should not discriminate on the bases of ethnicity, race, creed or national origin.

You, Pa Kemo and myself are all Gambians in the Diaspora, we face this daily as Immigrants and we still expect that our human and civil rights will be respected. So in return, let us respect the human and civil rights of such persons as secretaries serving with the Gambia Government.

To be fair to you, I am also disturbed by the attacks on Mr. Dida Halake based on his ethnic and national origins, we may disagree strongly with him and/or his ways but that should translate to his being originally non Gambian or his ethnicity.

If you have a beef with senior public servants and President Jammeh, I believe you have every right to write and criticize them because they are Senior Public Officials and in the public domain, I still hold that their families are private and not fair game.

I hope and urge you to please discontinue this particular line of attack and I send you and Pa Kemo both my regards.

Pa Musa Jallow

Nottingham, UK

Editors note: Views expressed here do not represent the position of the Freedom Newspaper. This paper cannot take liability for the author’s content. The email above came from Olley Saine, but it is signed by Pa Musa Jallow.

For the records, this paper is not in the business of promoting tribalism in The Gambia. We are merely calling a spade, a spade. Jammeh is the one promoting tribalism. He treats non Jolla tribes with contempt, and utter disrespect.

Jollas are the finest ethnic groups you can find in The Gambia. But President Jammeh is hell bent on sowing seeds of discord in the country. He discriminates against other tribes. This is a fact.

If there is tribal turmoil in The Gambia, Jammeh should be blamed for it. He has created the conditions for retaliation. And this day is coming. Trust me. ...Gambians will revolt against his regime. Just watch!!!