Gainako Newspaper

Gainako's guest today is Mr. Pasamba Jow, Secretary General of the Gambia Press
Union -USA. In this exclusive interview with (GON), Mr. Jow who is also known as
"coach" explains the history of this embattled organization, its leadership structure,
mission statement and the press release that led to strong critiscism by some on-line
newpapers, blogs and forums

(Below we reproduce the whole interview.)

(GON): Describe GPU-USA and your role as the Secretary General?

COACH: The GPU-USA was founded to bring Gambian journalists in the diaspora together with
the sole objective of promoting unity and to help the parent body. This became necessary due to the
endless attempts by Jammeh and his government to stifle the press. This was spear headed by Baba
Galleh Jallow, Cherno Baba Jallow, Fatou Jaw Manneh and myself. I was elected Secretary
General in February 2006 and Baba Galleh who ably coordinated the GPU-USA prior to the
election of an executive committee handed over to the newly elected committee on the eve of
Gambia�s independence in 2006.

The objectives of the organization are clearly spelt out in the constitution as follows:

- Endeavour to support its parent body, The Gambia Press Union, Banjul morally and financially;
- Encourage and defend freedom of the press, of speech and of association in The Gambia as
...guaranteed in the Constitution of 1997.
- Promote unity and understanding among all Gambians. Work closely with The Gambia Press
...Union, Banjul and network with other media and human rights groups both at home and abroad.
- Promote solidarity among media professionals and between media professionals and other civil
...society groups in The Gambia and elsewhere in the work of promoting human rights and the rule
...of law in our country.

The role of the GPU-USA Secretary General as stipulated in the constitution is to provide the
necessary leadership for the organization. In consultation with other members of the Executive
Committee, to initiate contacts, propose activities, write letters on behalf of the organization and
handle other leadership issues as they arise.

(GON): Can you briefly, describe the structure of The GPU-USA organization especially to those
that are not familiar with such association, its portfolios?

COACH: The organization has two organs; the General Body, which is the most powerful and the
Executive, which is tasked with running the affairs of the organizations. The executive is as follows:

Secretary General - Pa Samba Jow
Deputy Secretary General - vacant
Public Relations Officer - Fatou Jaw Manneh
Treasurer - Joe Sambou
Auditor - Lamin Jatta
Social Secretary - Isatou Conateh

(GON): Ever since your press release entitled �Travesty of Justice or betrayal� there seems to be
strong critiscism from some on-line papers, blogs and forums. Some literally calling for your head?
What in your piece that particularly got some people so outraged?

COACH: Well the only negative reaction came in the form an obtuse editorial. An editorial that is
totally devoid of merit. I have since responded to the editorial. Any honest Gambian who read my
article �Travesty of Justice or Betrayal� knows that it was inspired by my frustration at the plight
of the press back home and the lack of tangible support from the Diaspora reporters. I will not
allow the serious issue of press freedom in the Gambia to be reduced to a war of words between
myself and anybody else. As we speak, Fatou Jaw Manneh is facing a kangaroo court on ludicrous
charges; Chief Ebrima Manneh is still missing; Lamin Fatty was convicted on frivolous charges; and
so if someone thinks that engaging in repugnant accusations and yellow journalism, characterized by
preposterous assertions is the way to go, I will have no part of it. What is more disconcerting is Pa
Nderry�s irresponsible response to my response, instead of doing the honorable thing of
acknowledging his deliberate misrepresentation of facts about me running a one man show, this man
true to form, engaged in another litany of accusations this time calling for an investigation of Joe
Sambou and I. First off, Pa Nderry who is registered on the GPU-USA listserv knows that Joe
Sambou has issued financial reports a number of times, but to acknowledge this will be honorable.
The most despicable thing is for Mr. Mbai to accuse Joe of transferring monies raised in 2005 to the
GPU. Here, I will draw your attention to a piece he authored on his website on May 29, 2007
captioned �GPU President Madi Ceesay at the �center of Corruption allegations� In which he
wrote: �During his US Visit, Madi Ceesay launched an appeal to Gambian journalists
overseas to extend helping hands to the Gambia Press Union. A vigorous fundraising drive
was immediately launched with Joe Sambou tasked with collecting the funds. Close to $1000
dollars were raised in that fundraising drive. The funds were later wired to Mr. Ceesay for
the up keeping of the Gambia Press Union Secretariat.� Is it not paradoxical that this same
person will turn around and accuse Joe of not sending the same money?

(GON): In a recent piece Mr. Ebrima G Sankareh of the Echo while urging you to work harder to
bring all the journalists under one umbrella, stated that you offered him a chance to lead the
organization? How true is this and can you arbitrarily and unilaterally hand the leadership to a
non-member?

COACH: Ebrima Sankareh is a friend and a brother. I hold him in high regard. I have known him
since in the Gambia as a fearless journalist and citizen who has never hesitated in fighting for other
people�s rights, one such case was when he came to the rescue of a taxi driver who was being
manhandled by members of the security forces. He fought with the assailants, and was praised for
his fearless actions. I spoke to Sankareh and I suggested to him my desire to step down and call for
early elections, this was before the Freedom editorial. I urged him and people like Mathew K.
Jallow who have been in the field of journalism to join the press union, that people like him and
Mathew can even lead this organization. Sankareh then said he was not interested, that I should
continue to lead and they will assist in any way that they can. I was not trying to handpick a
replacement; the GPU-USA has a constitution that clearly spells out how vacant positions are to be
filled. I do not own the GPU-USA and cannot unilaterally hand over to a member or a
non-member.

(GON): A lot of people rest the blame and ills of GPU-USA squarely at your feet. These blames
range from poor membership, to lack of enthusiasm. Did you as leader make any effort to galvanize
the membership?

COACH: I may not have done everything to galvanize the organization, but I have continuously
called on journalists like you to either become members or become active. I do hope this current
discussion will be a good thing for the GPU external branches and the parent body.

(GON): Some people often cite your association with �PDOIS� as a conflict of interest simply
because they view this association under your leadership to be pro-PDOIS and as a consequence
led to your inability to maintain a non-partisan independent press union? Do you agree with this
assessment?

COACH: This is a very interesting question. PDOIS has been in existence for twenty-one years this
year and Foroyaa for twenty. I have been associated with the party in one way or another for about
19 years, but I have never worked for Foroyaa as a reporter. I was a reporter for New Citizen
Newspaper on politics and sports and throughout this period, I was never accused of bias against
one group or another. So to answer your question, my association with PDOIS has never influenced
how I lead the GPU-USA. I am an activist who has fought for rights of all people regardless of
political affiliation. In fact my first undertaking in the USA was to protest the arrest of Ousainou
Darboe, Ousainou Njie and others in an interview with WBAI radio in New York City.

(GON): On the Freedom editorial, it is alleged that you acted alone on the press release and none of
the executive members were aware of it. Can you elaborate on this?

COACH: If you read my response, you see that this allegation was baseless. What is more
disconcerting is Pa Nderry�s irresponsible response to my response. Instead of doing the honorable
thing of acknowledging his deliberate misrepresentation of facts about me running a one man show,
this man true to form engaged in a litany of accusations. This time calling for an investigation of Joe
Sambou and I. Pa Nderry, who is registered on the GPU-USA listserv, knows that Joe Sambou
has issued financial reports a number of times, but to acknowledge this will be honorable.

(GON): Did you consider resignation at this point?

COACH: For the past few months, I have contemplated stepping down, but my immediate
preoccupation is

[1] raise funds for the media, about 150 people have been sent emails to help fund the parent body
[2] to recruit new members and
[3] to revitalize the group. This was why I called names in my article to join the organization. I think
.you guys are very important in what we can do as a group to complement our colleagues back
.home.

(GON): Do you feel misunderstood and is there anything you might want to clarify or add?

COACH: The only emphasis I will want to make is that the GPU-USA is not the property of any
single person. Membership is not restricted to only journalists but all press freedom loving people.

(GON): Coach, you are simply calling for Gambian journalists to rally behind each other and form a
united front for Press Freedom. Is there any other thing the people who reacted negatively have
against you other than calling for a clear unity?

COACH: (....Laugh) Reading the reaction especially from Freedom, one can easily conclude there
is a personal vendetta, but I do not see it that way. I think it has a lot to do with how we approach
issues. Again, what is important here is not Pa Samba Jow per se, but the fight for press freedom. It
is quite common that sometimes in our fight against tyranny; we turn on each other instead of
harnessing all our energies to fight our common enemy.

(GON): How would you positively reach out to your fellow Gambian Journalist to join the Gambia
Press Union without alienating anybody?

COACH: From the reaction I have gotten from most people, it is encouraging and I hope that I can
positively reach out to others to join our struggle. It is not in our interest to alienate anybody;
actually, we do not have the luxury to do that.

(GON): Sometimes you are very emotion in your writings or responses to other people, don�t you
think it would be more professional for you to control your emotions when you are confronted with
an intellectual issue?

COACH: I have tried recently to avoid being overly emotional. I was embarrassed when a friend I
hold in high regard called my attention in a situation I had with someone where I used words very
unbecoming of a dignified person; since then I have decided to avoid my emotions getting the best of
me.

(GON): Coach, thank you for talking to Gainako.

COACH: Thank you for the opportunity and continue the good work

...SMART TOWN
....Revisited (Part One)
.....................By Baba Galleh Jallow................June 27th, 2007

Unlike all other towns, life in our precious little Smart Town was always
normal. Not even the greatest of storms and tornadoes could disturb the
smooth musical rhythm of life in our little town. Come hail come wind,
come rain or shine, our little town remained calm and serene, its life
patterned along age-old traditions and established norms of peace and
respect. Peace on Earth, read the great white banner at the entrance to
our little town.

The small streets of our little town were paved with air and marked by rows and rows of beautiful
thorn bushes, sharp and pricking to the touch, which grew freely and lent an added tranquility to the
atmosphere. This meant that when our common townsfolk walked our common pathways, they had
to stiffly hold their arms by their sides to avoid getting seriously pricked, or their garments caught in
the brambles. Here and there were big trees under which were erected big wooden beds that
served as meeting places for the learned among our common townsfolk. There under the cool
shades of those mighty trees, they would discuss every subject under the sun and carry on their
learned debates, day in, day out.

Society in our little town was divided into several distinct strata. Right at the peak of the social
pyramid perched our most prominent bigwigs, the fat-potbellied moneybags and fake paperbags
who controlled the strings of all our bulging purses and drove around in brand new Pajeros and
other expensive cars. These were the Homo Beevys and Homo Rattys, the Homo Luhatis and
Homo Jelyebs, the really great names whose mere utterances activated the juicy glands of our
common townsfolk. Nicknamed the untouchable homo tohotoho, these our most prominent
bigwigs led a life of ease and plenty. They led what was commonly known in our little town, as
�pramboyal divestyles� even though none of them was really a diver.

The favorite past time of our famous moneybags and fake paperbags was to ride their fattened
mares at the golden dusk of our little town, waving their flywhisks at our amazed common townsfolk
as they trotted gaily by, and letting out small shrieks once in a while, so as not to be mistaken for
wicked impersonators. For of late, some of our dishonest townsfolk with no money and little brains
had taken to riding stolen mares along the streets of our little town, pretending to be our untouchable
bigwigs so as to be able to dupe one innocent victim or the other. But now, with their special
shrieks, the real bigwigs could be easily distinguished from the fake ones, for these could only make
strange noises with their coarse and unpolished voices.

A rung down the top of our social ladder were our less prominent bigwigs, the Homo Wayhas and
Homo Sachas, the Homo Diyamus, Homo Lambalehs and Homo Degalas whose defining
characteristic was their nearness to the real moneybags and their expertise at the elusive science of
maratu. They made up the administrative cadre of the prominent council of our little town. Owing to
their fabled garrulous cleverness and nimble minds, they were also the chief advisers to many a giant
businessman in our little town. These had no fattened mares to ride in our golden sunsets, but they
owned beautifully painted lil� donkeys, which they loved to slowly ride before our famous
moneybags, cracking their leather whips and waving gaily at our distinguished ladies, often to make
easy way for their prominent bosses, often to catch a small glimpse for themselves. Their favorite
past time was to hang around our prominent moneybags, listening to their tall tales of gallantry and
exploits, and giving advice where needed and even where not needed. They were truly, the most
spectacular lot in the social cocktail of our own very smart little town.

Next on the social ladder, almost parallel to our less prominent bigwigs, were the quiet ones of our
little town: the Homo Norpicos and Homo Mofiseshs, whose defining characteristic was silence,
but who nevertheless contributed immensely in making our little town what it was: A lively hub of
exciting activity that was the pride of the centuries and all of the other towns in the neighborhood,
big or little.

These silent ones were men and women of great wisdom and experience. However in our little
town, survival, in our true sense of that word, demanded more than wisdom and experience. To be
in the real swing of things and perfectly in line in our little town, you needed more brawn than brains,
more muscle than experience, or so it really seems. That was why our gentle Homo Norpicos and
Homo Mofiseshs decided, at some sad point in time, to withdraw into the background and watch
the never-ending drama in our little town with guarded interest. Once in a while, they groaned and
sighed and shook their heads and sadly smiled, and flicked their tongues or made a small guttural
noise to emphasize their presence; but they otherwise remained very quiet, and simply watched with
saddened eyes. They were always misunderstood and no longer felt comfortable in our little world
of facts, facts, and more hard, undiluted facts and iron figures where well, you really had to know
the hard facts and iron figures or withdraw into your melancholy world of silence. Why otherwise
would our little town be called smart town?

.......PREPAID PHONE CARDS;
ANOTHER ILLEGAL EXPLOITATION OF
......IMMIGRANTS RESOURCES
............ By Momodou Lamin Drammeh................June 26th, 2007

Are you as frustrated as I am with the shady business practices of the various
prepaid calling card companies across America? If yes, then it is time to break
the long silence and submissiveness.

Using these calling cards has persistently been consumers' nightmare. Almost
ninety five percent of all prepaid calling card consumers are immigrants and I
just wonder if that is the very reason we are being taken for granted. Or are
the crooks behind these operations just confident that we, the consumers, most
of who originate from third world countries will remain dormant and submissive
to their continuous exploitive practices. Enough is enough and it is time to act
and make our voices and concerns heard. We have to send a clear message to
these firms by exposing their fraudulent business practices.

It is very disgusting and disappointing that the average five-dollar prepaid calling
card cannot yield twenty minutes of proper calling time to Africa. There are far
too many hidden charges and costs associated with the use of these cards than those disclosed in
the fine prints. Moreover, the minutes usually announced by the automated voice system are
exaggerated, falsified, and far less than the actual calling time allocated, which I believe constitutes
false advertising and is punishable by law.

There are so many ways and means at our disposal that we can use to expose these unscrupulous
practices by these firms and eventually correct their unacceptable mode of business.

One way is to use the power of the Internet to expose these crooks by denouncing their negative
attitudes towards us. We can also sign petitions through our local organizations and representative
bodies like the Gambian organizations and similar associations of other countries and submit them to
various attorneys' general offices all across the United States.

Another effective means is to refrain from buying these prepaid calling cards for a certain period of
time. We can protest against their exploitation by boycotting their products and services, which will
subsequently result to a significant loss of revenue for them. Let's all participate in one form or
another, and we shall make a difference.

Editor's note: We want to add that some of the hidden charges associated with these phone cards
are call rounding to the nearest minute. Sometimes there are as much as six (6) minutes rounding.
Meaning when you use five (5) minutes you are charged eleven (11) minutes. It is also a fact that big
companies like AT&T and MCI benefit immensely from these fraudulent charges. These prepaid
phone card companies purchase minutes from these giant long distance companies and once several
people start calling the lines get jammed and the phone card gives you a busy signal while your
minutes are consumed. Gainako echo the writer's call to take action against another illegal
exploitation of immigrants. This is no different from using illegal immigrants for cheap labor only to
put the blame on them for simply wanting to make a living.

...TICKETS SHORTAGE
HITS U-20 FANS IN CANADA
............By Yero Jallow, Staff writer��June 25th, 2007

Reliable sources close to the Gambian community in Toronto, Canada revealed to Gainako that
there is massive tickets shortage in the expected U-20 soccer competition in Canada. The source
who spoke under condition of anonymity in Ontario, Canada indicated that the Jammeh
administration disapoints Gambians in another instance by their failure aforetime to submit a certain
form that was going to secure enough tickets for all Gambian attendees. The same source added
that the lawyer that was assigned to the Gambia for the tickets called them and notified them he
couldn't secure the tickets at the last minute. The said source complained and queered bitterly about
this man-made misfortune by Jammeh and his followers.

Meanwhile it is alleged that Jammeh spent one million Gambian Dalasis securing a Ghanaian 300-jet
flight supposedly to carry fans to Canada. A slight delay is anticipated, but it is expected by evening
of June 25th 2007, Gambian fans and soccer players would have arrived in Canada.

In sideline, at least two Gambian representatives are believed to be in Canada working with the
Gambian community and are helping them secure lodging in the cultural center situated in Toronto.

Any Gambian fans wishing to attend the soccer tournament is advised to purchase their tickets in
their places of residence. Gainako will give full coverage to the tournament. We appreciate any
information forwarded.

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