Enough Is Enough: The President’s War on the Truth Must Stop!
By Ndey Jobarteh
The President’s latest attack on journalists is not just disappointing, it is dangerous. To claim that media houses are “praying for Gambia to be on fire” is not only false, but deliberately inflammatory. This is the language of fear, paranoia, and control, not the language of a democratic leader. I quote:
“We have Journalists in this country , anything that is good they won’t write it, anything that is bad they will rwrite about it. They said good news is not news. But I disagree with that, good news is news. But we have media houses that are in the country, others are outside the country and others are online, they are media houses that are always praying that Gambia will be on fire, everyday they are lighting fire in the Gambia, Anything that will cause fire in the Gambia, they always pray for anything that will cause fire, Even my this speeech they won’t show it. Are there no other things in the Gambia?” President Adama Barrow!!
Journalists are not the enemy. The truth is not the enemy. But clearly, this President has a problem with both.
Let us be very clear, bad news is not created by journalists, it is created by bad governance. If there are problems in The Gambia, the media’s job is to report them, not to cover them up to protect the image of the powerful. That is how accountability works in a democracy.
The President’s frustration with media coverage should not be directed at the press, it should be directed at his own administration’s failures. Blaming the messengers for the message is cowardly leadership.
To accuse journalists of lighting fires and wishing for national chaos is a blatant attempt to discredit the press, intimidate dissent, and shift attention away from the real issues plaguing our nation. This is textbook authoritarianism, and Gambians must reject it.
We have been here before. We know what happens when leaders begin attacking the media, questioning loyalty, and deciding what truths are acceptable. This is how dictatorships are born, not in one day, but in statements like this, one threat at a time.
We will not be silenced.
A free and independent press is not optional, it is essential. It is not unpatriotic to hold power accountable, it is our duty. If the President cannot handle criticism, he is in the wrong office.
The Gambia is watching. And we will speak up, loudly, clearly, and fearlessly.
No more dictatorship!
No more authoritarian!
Fighting for the soul of our nation!!
Video source: The Fatu Network
