Dear Editor,

I normally vote with the majority to ensure that my vote is not wasted. But in the current war between my good friends at Jollofnews (Jollof’s Kemo Cham and Abdoulie John were promoted to editors by me at the Daily Observer) I must, as facts dictate, cast my vote for Halifa Sallah. I have previously criticised Halifa for using 100 words when 10 would do, so I will keep it brief (my small signature is also dwarfed by Halifa’s gargantuan flamboyant flourish of the pen!):

The whole thing about Halifa saying “don’t come to my funeral and un-name the child you named in my honour” is taken completely out of context. Halifa was simply using those phrases to underline his strong feelings about a petition trying to banish him from Foroyaa. Infact, one could even argue that Halifa’s fault was in being too nice and too democratic in attending that meeting with the journalists. Those who know me would know that Halake would have given that petition short-shrift: by throwing it in the bin. Halifa went to the trouble of having the meeting with the petitioners and put

ting his position before them at length
(too long in my view!). He should be applauded for that.

Secondly, when I first got to know Gambians I was surprised at how people quarrelled at the top of their voices, on many occasions shouting with anger “I will kill you! I will kill you!” Now, a British policeman passing by would make an arrested and charge the individual with threats to kill. Period. A Gambian policeman, by contrast, will calm the fighters down, and in five minutes all three will be sitting there smiling and sharing ‘attaya’ (which is the real reason why the policeman even bothered to stop in the first place!). Halifa’s meeting statements must similarly be put in that cultural context.

Thirdly, even though I was an “enemy” of Foroyaa’s while at the Daily Observer, Foroyaa gave my unlawful detention excellent coverage (next to Fatou Jaw Manneh’s) and Sam Sarr kindly came to see me in detention. In other words, whatever I may thing of Halifa’s Sallah’s “polemics and pomposity” (as Jollofnews puts it) one cannot deny Halifa Sallah’s and Foroyaa’s commitment to the welfare of those they serve – including JollofNews’ co-proprietor Yaya Dampha.

Finally, it appears to me that Yaya Dampha and JollofNews (like Halifa Sallah and Sam Sarr) too spoke/wrote in the “heat of the moment”. I know Abdoulie John as a sincere but at times passionate man: I remember him being very passionate, rightly, about me being betrayed at the Daily Observer when I was boss – but I waved him away with the grand gesture of a Caesar striding the narrow Gambia like a colossus!. I have no doubt that all concerned will, in true Gambian tradition, forget this little “storm in a tea-cup” very soon.

I promised to be brief, so I will stop here and wish you all a Happy 2012 – although in the light of the fact that President Jammeh has won a 2011 Gambian land-slide and is going for the Presidency of the WHOLE of Africa in 2012, I cannot resist provoking Halifa by saying goodbye thus: Chi Jammeh”