I am taken aback by the criticisms levelled against The Gambia Press Union by Mr. Modou C. Nyang in the Monday, 23 January 2012 edition of The Daily News.
This is largely owing to the fact that Modou C. Nyang has not been attending GPU meetings regularly over the last three years and is not in a position to have accurate information about what is unfolding at the Union.
Prior to the GPU Congress in June, he had attended only one GPU general body meeting and that was the one held on Saturday, 21 January 2012 at the Union Secretariat in Bakau.
He said, “An online newspaper has published an article on the working conditions of the reporters of Foroyaa newspaper. The report indicates that Foroyaa reporters have tried to involve the management on several occasions claiming improvements on the poor conditions in the paper. Some of the reporters in that very paper are still classified as freelance not yet staff after serving that very paper for many years now. Talk less of paying social security taxes for those hard working young people in that institution. The reporters have even threatened management that they will go on strike. The meetings were held in the month of December and yet, no improvement.
Where is The Gambia Press Union? What is your position here? How come something so major, involving fifteen reporters, most of whom are members of the Union and the Union is silent? Is it that the president of the Union is working for Foroyaa, and on the side of the management, not with his fellow journalists that the whole leadership of the Union does not want to do?”
We don’t like quibbling over trivial issues on the pages of newspapers and that is why the GPU leadership has not responded to Modou C. Nyang; but I wish to seize this opportunity to enlighten this young man who has not been attending our meetings, yet chose to concoct a story with a view to casting aspersions on our integrity.
 I am not a spokesperson for either the president of The Gambia Press Union or the Foroyaa newspaper, therefore I will not speak for them; but I wish to make it clear that I am an executive member of the Union, who will not sit idly by and allow lazy minds to smear our image.
Modou C. Nyang was at the last general body meeting and he heard what one of the Foroyaa journalists said at that gathering. The Foroyaa reporter said he proposed to his colleagues at a meeting held at Foroyaa that they should ask the GPU to intervene and solve the matter, but his colleagues told him that they wanted the issue to be shrouded in secrecy. Therefore to suggest that The Gambia Press Union refused to intervene in this matter is a distortion of facts.
Assuming without conceding that this article was sent to The Daily News for publication before the general body meeting held on Saturday, 21 January 2012. This means that Modou C. Nyang was bent on concocting a cock and bull story with a view to misleading the readers of The Daily News in the country and around the world. It is in line with ethical and responsible journalism that a media practitioner should get facts right at all times. Modou C Nyang got it all wrong when he said that the GPU refused to intervene in the standoff involving the Foroyaa management and some of its reporters. We were not privy to the facts at the beginning of the standoff and only knew about the matter when it was published by Jollof News; this is because the aggrieved journalists wanted this issue to be a family affair.
Modou C Nyang said, “on Friday, 6 January 2012, Momodou S Jallow of The Daily News was arrested and later charged with sedition.”
Is Mr Modou C. Nyan writing fantasy or facts? As far as I know, The Daily News reporter is not charged with sedition, but criminal libel. This misrepresentation is yet another indication that Mr Modou C. Nyan is not au fait with developments in the media. That he does not know the difference between sedition and criminal defamation is indeed worrying and shows that he is unfit to be a media practitioner in the country.
 He would be well advised to turn to something else to do. If he continues on with his embarrassing ignorance of the basics of the law, he is going to write himself into big trouble very soon. I am an executive member of The Gambia Press Union and an editorial member of The Daily News; therefore I am familiar with the case of The Daily News reporter.
He further stated, “His employer, The Daily News and other local newspapers have published reactions and statements of other media organisations condemning the act and calling for charges against him to be dropped. GPU is yet to be heard, what are you waiting for? Do you wait until it is too late? When the matter reaches the court? Or are you waiting for a plea for intervention from the reporter or the newspaper? That should not be the case. The Union should respond to its members on time regardless of any factor or difference. The boy was doing a noble job and at this point in time, he needs the strong backing of the Union.”
I agree with Modou C Nyang that the “boy” needs the strong backing of the Union. Once again, let me make it abundantly clear that the leadership of the Union is in touch with the reporter and is doing its utmost to resolve this matter. Furthermore, the GPU has been assisting members and non- members of the Union. Dodou Sanneh (a non- member of the GPU) was supported by The Gambia Press Union throughout his ordeal. The Gambia Press Union provided lawyers for both Dodou Sanneh and Nanama Keita. Therefore it is absurd for Modou C. Nyang to state that the GPU is not standing by its members including The Daily News reporter. I wish to bring to the attention of readers that even though Modou C. Nyang is yet to be a member of the Union, we are morally obliged to support him. It is a travesty of truth for Modou C Nyang to state in his commentary that The Daily News reporter is a member of the Union. We (the president and some of the executive members) are constantly in touch with The Daily News reporter.  
The GPU started talking about Chief Manneh shortly after the former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Marie Saine Firdaus, responded to a question posed to her in 2009 by the Minority Leader, Momodou Sanneh. Therefore it is absurd to suggest that the GPU was at all times calling for the release of Chief Ebrima Manneh.
We have written a letter to the honourable Attorney General and Minister of Justice asking him to grant audience so that we can brainstorm on ways of hammering out an amicable solution in the best interest of the Manneh family. Given that you are a habitual absentee to GPU general body meetings you are not aware of this development.
Nyang added, “Previous leaders before you were attacked and called names. Madi was called an opposition politician. Ndey Tapha was labeled too and even saw the creation of The Gambia Media Association (and where on earth is this anyway) as she was seen as a candidate of the GPU old guard. I am too young to remember the tenure of D.A, Deyda and others, but I am certain they had their fair share of blame, accusations and counter accusations.
What I know of the last two is that by the end of their three-year tenure, they both left us a Union, stronger (financially, visibly, focused) than they inherited. I hope we can expect the same from this leadership.”
This is a hit-and-run smear campaign orchestrated to break down the solidarity of the GPU, creating them-versus-us mentality, which is obnoxious. In as long as he has the right to express himself, therefore his expression should be base on fact. Who is Modou C. Nyang to cast aspersions on the integrity of the Gambia Press Union? He is not a serious so-called youth activist.
Our records show that Mr Modou C. Nyan is not even a paid-up member of the Union. Since after the June 2011 Congress, he has been defaulting in paying his dues. He therefore lacks the moral authority to comment on the affairs of the GPU. If Mr Modou C.Nyan is allowing himself to be used as a willing tool to further certain damnable ambition and desperation, he has come out badly bruised. Let him retreat to his sanctuary with his tail between his legs to lick his wounds.
I rest my case.