Hardly would president Jammeh, who has his mandate renewed Thursday with an overwhelming majority for a fourth five-year term speak about peace, democracy and human rights without berating journalists.

His latest attack came during Election Day – Thursday 24 - when he was being interviewed about the polls; his hope of victory, post election Gambia, among others, only for him to sidetrack and take issues with the journalists.

Instead of giving us more breathing space to contribute our indispensable quota in the development of our country, promote peaceful co-existence among our diverse people, and champion the democratisation process of the country, our head of state sees journalists as people from a different planet who descend on The Gambian soil to destroy the little peace his government 17-year rule has left Gambians with to scramble for.

In his own words, journalists are less than one percent of Gambian population. Therefore, he will under no circumstance allow that insignificant number of Gambians to destroy ninety-nine percent of the population. Who says journalists are set out to destroy The Gambia?

What president Jammeh fails to admit, for indeed he understands that peace, development, democracy and human rights are fundamental to the work of journalists worldwide. These are virtues which are dear to us, more than anybody.  

Therefore, what our dear head of state must acknowledge is that he did not liberate Gambians from colonial rule. He should never forget that he had forced himself on Gambians in a manner that the country’s peace he ‘holds dear’ could have been jeopardised, if not infact breached.

What our dear head of state must never forget is that the sovereign Gambia he vows to ‘defend to the last drop of his blood’ has been made sovereign thanks largely to our profession.

What our dear head of state must understand is that our profession is rooted in certain uncompromising principles. We exist to hold his government accountable to the people, in whose behalf his government does this and that. And whether his government likes it or not, we shall prevail.

What our dear head of state must understand is that journalists are not threat to the fragile peace of The Gambia. The greatest threat to the peace and security is his government’s oppressive tendencies; his government’s failure to arrest the rising prices of basic commodities; among many other inadequacies.

If highlighting these is a threat to our dear head of state’s stay at State House, this paper would advise that his government better do something about them rather than dishing out money like nobody’s business and treating our economy like his personal purse.
Journalists like any other Gambians have the rights to take part in the democratisation process of   The Gambia, a country that belongs to all of us.
 
Let peace reign in The Gambia