505 26

Monday May 3, 2010 was World Press Freedom Day and the occasion was observed by the Gambia Press Union who organised a symposium at the Alliance Franco Gambiene institution along the Kairaba Avenue.
The gathering was chaired by Mrs. Ami Bojang Sissoho, an experienced journalist and the coordinator of GAMCOTRAP. She gave the opening remarks and expressed that she was greatly honoured to have been invited to such an august gathering as chairperson. She welcomed fellow journalists and important members of the community who had accepted the invitation of the GPU. She focused on the theme of the day being Freedom of Information: The Right to know or to knowledge.
Statements on the theme were delivered by several invited guests from various organisations of the country such as Action Aid Gambia, UNESCO and others.
The Minister of Information and Communications was represented by the Deputy Permanent Secretary, Binta Sanyang. It was noteworthy that the Department of Information had recognised the invitation of the GPU and responded positively by sending the deputy permanent secretary to grace the occasion.
The first speech was from UNESCO National Office in the person of Emil Touray who read out the statement of TJNESCO Director General. He emphasised the importance of access to information and freedom of information which he stated was the principle that organisations and governments have a duty to share or to provide easy access to information they possess to anyone who wants it, based on the publics’ right to information. The right to know is central for upholding other basic rights, he continued. “I call on governments, civil society, the news media and individuals everywhere to join forces with UNESCO in promoting freedom of information globally." The statement ended.
Another speaker from the African Center for Democracy and Human Right, Amadou Ceesay, highlighted the importance of press freedom and the sharing of information which he identified as essential. Capacity building is necessary he added and said that the UNDP was proposing to come up with a study of this. He dwelt on access to justice and the need to work together on the right to justice. He dilated on justice and freedom of speech.
Lamin Nyangando represented Action Aid International The Gambia, expressed Action Aid’s appreciation of the Gambian Media and its willingness to support and to work together with the media. He described freedom of speech as a great challenge and stated that access to information is a crucial issue. He indicated Article 19 of the African Charter on Human Rights and Section 209 and spoke on ethical journalism. He also emphasised on the conduct of journalists.
Alieu Sagnia, former director of Information Service, spoke on the threat to media freedom and freedom of information across Africa and stated that World Press Freedom day serves as a reminder that the press in Gambia and elsewhere in the world is under threat and needs public support so as to enable journalist to continue to play the role as "watch dogs" of the state. The authoritarian state poses the greatest threat to journalists and media freedom, he commented. This is the major threat in most countries in Africa and elsewhere. This form of government is out to control the media and oppose freedom of speech. Here in The Gambia, this has been the case and has caused many qualified journalists to flee the country and are now working abroad. At one time media houses could boast of employing investigative journalists who would investigate and report on important cases in the country.
Due to opposition and harassments, these journalists are no longer playing their investigating roles, they are all working outside the country for fear of their lives. The right to knowledge and to know is central to upholding other basic rights, the furthering of transparency, justice and development, embracing the complimentary notion that freedom of expression which comprises of democratic principles. It is important for Gambian journalists to make an effort to know the law because many journalists are ignorant of the laws of the land and careless in their performances generally which can be a threat to media freedom and access to factual information.
We are aware of authoritarian governments in many parts of the Africa and around the world. There are leaders who do not want to step down from power once they have served their terms of office and do not adhere to the constitution, the laws of the land. This creates a dilemma for the media, the press and journalists. These types of leaders obviously are not transparent in their activities and will not tolerate being told the truth yet it is the role of the journalists to publish factual reports of what is happening in the countries.
Every year the world celebrates World Press Freedom Day when we listen to many statements on this issue of press freedom and freedom of expression etc. While we continue to have authoritative leaders who are blind to their faults, there can be none of these freedoms or justice which are the hallmarks of good and effective journalism in any state.