Daily Observer In mess

Staffers accused MD Pa Malick Faye of gross corruption

By Staff Reporter Bakary Sambou, Banjul

Reports from the heart of the management of the Observer Company reveals incriminating evidences against it Managing Director, Pa Malick Faye, of involvement in serious corrupt practices.

An aggrieved senior staff very close to the management of the Observer Company, publisher of the Daily Observer Newspaper, has alleged that the company is in disarray, not only for the fact that staffers are angered by management's failure to pay salaries on time, but also the inconsistent rate of production of the paper has taken a turn for the worse. He blamed it all on Pa Malick's 'incompetent' management system.

The angry sounded staffer who spoke to Freedom said that the entire staff is unhappy with Pa Malick who now virtually controls everything about the company, single handedly.

''This guy is not even fit to man a group of uneducated cleaners, let alone to be MD,'' the source said.

He added, ''Pa Malick, in connivance with Momodou Sanyang, plotted against Neneh Macdoull Gaye and sent her and two key staffers packing, only for them to take over and preside over what has been business as usual, plundering of the company's coffers.'' According to the source, Momodu Sanyang, Director General of GRTS, who claims to be representing the president here, is aware of the graveness of the situation, ''but because of what he gets from Pa Malick, he blatantly ignores the plight of the staff.''

The source went on to accuse the present management team at the Observer Company of failing to maintain the legacy Neneh Macdoull Gaye worked so hard for ''because they were only interested in preserving their egoistic interests.''

He said ''for over three weeks now, copies of the Daily Observer Newspaper has been coming out very late. It is left behind by other newspapers with an almost 24 hours difference. For example, today the vendors are selling yesterday's issue.''

Describing Pa Malick as ''a son of Machiavelli'', the angry source alleged that the Observer MD is diverting materials meant to be used at the Observer Press Building for usage at a house he started constructing just after becoming Managing Director.

''Pa Malick had absolutely nothing before becoming Managing Director. He depended on petty borrowings and illegal land dealing to fuel a car he acquired through the same process. The house under construction is located at Old Yundum, where his senior brother is Alkalo,'' the source said. He also challenged the relevant authorities to check at the construction site to ascertain his claims.

''This corrupt attitude is what Pa Malick has brought to the Observer. He uses his influence with corrupt people within the APRC to intimidate the staff here. So even though people are unhappy about the situation on the ground, they dare not complain openly. This was how he framed the former editor in chief, Kemo Cham, and Abdoulie John, whom he branded as informer to some Western countries because of his reporting for foreign media organisations. This is the same Malick who put Chief Manneh in trouble because of his personal gains. He is capable of selling his family,'' the insider said.

''Pa Malick Faye and Momodou Sanyang accused Neneh Macdoull of discussing openly that they were the ones behind the arrest of Chief Manneh. This angered Yahya Jammeh so badly that he ordered the dismissal of Macdoull from her position as ambassador. There was no other reason other than that. And knowing Kemo Cham and Abdoulie John's relationship with Neneh, he instigated their departure in this manner,'' the insider went on.

He further alleged that until mid day on Wednesday 30 December, 2009, salaries for the month of December had not been paid, ''something that was unthinkable of during the charitable days of Macdoull-Gaye, who gave hope to every staffer at the Observer before she was removed.''

According to the insider, Christian staffers at the Observer are said to be even more annoyed than the rest as they were not able to receive their 'one by six' salary for the Christmas festivities. He revealed that this created an angry reaction from a particular marketing agent, who nearly became violent on hearing ''the old age excuse'' that the company's account were 'in red.'

Staffers also accused Pa Malick of using company assets as his personal properties. Just recently, a particular senior editorial member reportedly resigned after getting angered by Pa Malick's controversial decision of allocating Observer Managing Director's vehicle to his wife, and assumed control of the newly acquired Toyota Pickup hitherto allocated to a different department.

Staffers are also not happy with Pa Malick's unilateral decision of bringing his 'boy boy' from his home in Lamin Village and employing him without the due process.

''This is the same thing he complained bitterly against Deyda Halake about, when the former MD was removed. Pa Malick single-handedly campaigned to have Deyda's former watch man, who was complementing the effort of the pool of Observer watchmen, sent home, accusing him of been a potential spy for the Ethiopian.''

According to the insider, Observer's production reports indicate that the production has been inexorably declining during these past two months.

''From 2000 copies, we are now printing around 600 copies, which means that only less than 100 copies reach the streets.''

Speculation about resumption of rampant smuggling of copies of newspapers is also very rife as vendors are reducing their order on a daily basis.

''The Managing Director is not talking, and he will never ever talk against pilfering because the people involved has his secrete, and so he dares not try them.''

The insider pointed to decision Pa Malick took as soon as the removal of Neneh Macdoull was announced. ''He reinstated the son of an APRC National Assembly member, Bubacarr Cham, who was caught red-handed stealing copies of Daily Observer newspapers and sent home packing. The boy’s father uses his APRC influence to have Pa Malick take that decision without getting the permission from the rest of the management team. All these are issues that have divided the company into factions. Observer will never get back to where Neneh left it, the Insider moaned. 

--