Mr. Editor, please allow me to respond to your editorial “GPU USA is a joke!! Pa Samba Jow and co must go!!” which is in response to my article “Travesty of Justice or Betrayal”. I must first assure you that I take no ill from your article, precisely because it is only through constructive criticism that we as a people can forge ahead. It is however, imperative to correct some of the erroneous assertions in your piece. 

First, you claim “The Gambia Press Union USA branch, under the leadership Pa Samba Jow is a total failure. It’s membership and Executive are in total disarray. No line of immediate communication amongst its members,  no conference call, no offices, no serious leadership to steer the affairs of the organization. One is compelled to reason, if  GPU USA is not another one “man show” surely and wholly hijacked by coach Jow. Yes,  GPU USA is all about Jow and nothing else. Period. Coach issued alerts, press releases without consulting his Executive Colleagues. If this is what we call GPU USA, then it is about time it leadership consider steeping down. Moral conscience ought to have dictated to its leadership to call it quits, since they are not living up to expectations. It’s totally wrong for its Chairman Pa Samba Jow to blame his colleagues for the woes of Gambian journalists” 

The only correct contention here is that we have no office. You know we have a listserv where we conduct most of our business. Secondly, it is very wrong to suggest that I issue press releases without consultation.  I will endeavor to refresh your mind here. The GPU-USA has issued only four statements since its inception. The first one was to condemn the arrest of the Independent staff, which was edited on the listserv. The second one was a letter to African heads of state. That was drafted by Mr. Lamin Jatta and edited on the listserv. The third was to congratulate Mr. Madi Ceesay for winning an award. And the fourth was to condemn the arrest of Fatou Jaw Manneh. Again, I consulted with members of the group before issuing these release. Here the reader can see that your assertions are fallacious. Can you tell your readers how I hijacked the GPU-USA? As an editor and publisher of a newspaper, one expects you to resort to reporting facts and not to engage innuendos and
 conjuring. 

Your claim that I blame our “colleagues for the woes of Gambian journalists” is not only repugnant but also devoid of any common sense. To do that will be criminal; the woes of the Gambian journalists are as a result of Jammeh’s tyrannical rule and no one else. What I did write is “The conviction of Lamin Fatty by Magistrate Buba Jawo on the flimsiest of charges sunk the Gambian judiciary to its lowest level. The whole trial was a witch-hunt by President Jammeh and his recalcitrant government. This verdict came as no surprise to those who follow Jammeh's tyranny. There is no doubt that the Gambian judiciary like all other branches operate on the whims and caprices of Jammeh. 

What is however perplexing is the passive and carefree attitude of the Gambian journalists in the Diaspora towards the plight of our colleagues back home. Both the GPU-UK and USA branches are rendered impotent by the lack of participation of members and the deliberate decision by some former prominent journalists to sigh away from joining or supporting these two groups. It is a shame that the embattled and browbeaten media houses in The Gambia had to scramble to pay the fine for Mr. Fatty.” 

Unless you are out to deliberately distort the facts, one can easily see that I was expressing my concern at the blithe attitude of journalists in the Diaspora towards our colleagues. Pa Nderry, can you honestly stand here and suggest to the whole world that the Diaspora journalists are doing their part in helping our colleagues back home? On your suggestion that “Moral conscience ought to have dictated to its leadership to call it quits, since they are not living up to expectations.” I am surprised to read this from you Pa Nderry after I have confided in you a number of times about my plans to step down and give chance to others to lead. In fact, how many times have I tried to convince you to become active? As the former secretary of the Gambia Press Union and publisher of the self-declared “leading and most authoritative source of news” your moral conscience should have prevailed on you to take an active role in the GPU-USA branch to help steer this organization to the
 right path. 

You further commented: “For the records and the sake of posterity, we deem it imperative to dispute Pa Samba’s “wild and unfounded” allegations against our press men and women. Such allegations cannot go unchallenged,” I am compelled to ask my friend, what are the wild and unfounded allegations against our pressmen and women? I want to believe that either you did not read my article carefully, or you may have misunderstood what I wrote. In addition, I must curiously enquire, why did you not publish the article? 

Again, you said; “We expect our dormant GPU USA branch, to draw leaf from Alieu Badara Sowe. This to some extent would help to preserve their integrity. These folks are guilty of “doing disservice” to Gambian journalists. The best thing they can do now is to resign and call for a fresh elections.” 

Pa Nderry, It is clear here that you must have been writing with a lot of emotion and not enough reasoning or had a problem of deciphering what I wrote. It is always easy to accuse others of dereliction of duty, which I have no problem with because I am of the unflinching believe that criticism is the only way to make us see our mistakes. What I want you to do is tell the people what will Pa Nderry do to revive the “dormant” GPU-USA Branch? As the former secretary general of the parent body and the owner of the freedom newspaper, which has suffered from Jammeh’s tyranny, I would think you would at least be in a good position to help us out here. 

What  I find baffling is that I speak to you almost on a weekly basis but you have never expressed these diatribes to me or even given any suggestion for the way forward even though I have discussed the GPU with you on umpteen times. Finally, I will hope that you will attempt to get the facts about the GPU-USA and come to realize that we must come together for the greater good of all of us. Again, one who criticizes others must be prepared to accept criticism in good faith. I write in that spirit and hope we all will keep that spirit in mind when we find ourselves being criticized. Thank you.

Pasamba Jow

"True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
       
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