Gambia L,
It was my wish not to comment, as at now, on the decision taken by Kenneth
Best, the expelled Liberian-born proprietor of the Observer Company, to sell
the company, including the newspaper, to Amadou Samba, a Gambian
lawyer-turned entrepreneur, because of two main factors.
Firstly, I am yet to get all the facts concerning the sale. Since the news
of the sale broke out, I have been trying, without success, to contact
Kenneth Best in Washington DC, to find out what actually led to his decision
to sell the Company and whether, apart from Amadou Samba, there were other
bidders.
Secondly, I must confess, at the onset, that while in the Gambia, Amadou and
I have enjoyed what I would describe as a very privileged relationship and,
consequently, I am at pains to openly question his motives for purchasing
the the Daily Observer now, even though I am a little bit suspicious, given
his close links to the Jammeh regime.
It is important for me to point out that my friendly relationship with Mr
Samba goes back to 1992, when Sierra leonean-born journalist Justice
Fonanah, now living in the US, and myself were assigned by Kenneth Best,
then editor-in-chief of the Daily Observer, to cover Amadou Samba's cement
factory row with Hatib Janneh of JIMPEX Company.
During the peak of the controversy between these two business giants, we
had several interviews with Mr Samba, during which we found him to be
enterprising, patriotic, erudite and benevolent. We admired these qualities
in him and he also admired the fact that during all those interviews he gave
us, we never misrepresented or misquoted him.
It was therefore natural that we became friends. Mr Best himself also
admired and liked Mr Samba because of his (Samba's) business shrewdness.
This, in fact, would explain why Kenneth Best would not hesitate to sell the
company to Mr samba.
Having said this, however, it is also clear in my mind that I wouldn't be
doing justice to my conscience and spirit if I do not express a word of
caution, in the wake of the sale, regardless of my friendship with the new
buyer, Mr Samba.
In my view, there is nothing wrong with Mr Best selling the Observer to Mr
Samba, if Samba has given him the assurances that the newspaper will
continue to maintain its editorial independence.
And I know that, under normal circumstances, Mr Samba has what it takes, or
the business acumen, to turn the Observer Company around which, of late, has
been having financial difficulties, and establish the Observer newspaper as
one of the best papers in Africa.
But given Samba's closeness to the Jammeh government, I would be both naive
and novice to think or believe that the Observer will continue to maintain
its editorial independence under the new management. I, for one, would not
buy that theory. Yes, it was encouraging to hear Mr Samba reassure the
readers and the staff that the paper would continue to maintain its
editorial independence.
But for me these are just wishes. The realities are certainly there!!! In
practical terms, I cannot see the Observer, henceforth, becoming too
critical of the government, because the hard truth is that Mr Samba also has
business interests/links with the Jammeh government and, therefore, he has
to ensure that he remains in the good books of Jammeh, so that his
construction company will continue to receive contracts from the government.
Mr Samba , I bet, would not want the Observer newspaper to publish any story
that would jeopardise his business relationship with the government, even if
the story is/was in the public interest.
In fact, given Samba's links to the the Jammeh regime, some are even
alleging that the government has actually bought the observer company, using
Amadou as a front or a cover. Anyway, time will tell if this is true or not.
But I'll be surprised if this was true, because I have always known Amadou
as a man of integrity and immense honesty.
To be fair to Mr Samba, if it turns out that he is indeed the true owner of
the Observer, who would never interfere with the paper's editorial
independence, then he deserves commendation for investing in the media,
especially at this point in time.
The militarisation of politics in Africa, today, has certainly jeopardised
the chances of a free press in the continent and, consequently, there is a
lack of interest in the media by African entrepreneurs in any investment in
the media. Investing in the media is considered a risky venture, which in
all cases, invites the wrath of governments.
So Amadou Samba should be praised for his bold move if the Observer were to
continue to live up to the expectations of its readers. The last thing the
observer readers would want, I would have thought, is for the newspaper to
be transformed into medium that only exist to defend the status quo.
The new management should never allow the Daily Observer to be an extension
of the executive. Rather, it should allow it to continue to report
alternative views, or operate as the Fourth Estate.
The new management would have done a great disservice to the country, if the
Observer newspaper was to be transformed into a medium whose sole function
was to prop up the government of the day.
The paper must ensure, at all times, that whatever it publishes is accurate,
balanced, fair, forthright and up to date, because it is in this way that a
people determine how much trust and confidence to place in a particular
media institution, be it a newspaper, radio or television.
Accuracy, fairness, balance objectivity and being up to date are, therefore,
the primary elements readers or listeners look for in a medium. Any medium
which has these elements will have the confidence of the people, but if they
are not there, that medium can forget it, for it will soon lose its
patrons!!!
Therefore, if the Daily observer wishes to maintain its readers, it must
continue to be in the vanguard of truth, justice and fair play, making sure
that whatever is in the public interest is reported.
Finally, I must say that one sad truth my stay in the UK has confirmed for
me is that the media all over the world, is held in one way or the other, in
some form of captivity. In Africa, this captivity can be through the hands
of corrupt and authoritarian regimes, while in the West, the captivity can
either be through the influence of advertisers, International Finance
capital, racism, or cultural prejudices.
In the UK, there is, within the newspaper industry, an undeniable
concentration of ownership, and of the power and influence which that
bestows, in a few hands. The newspaper industry is dominated by powerful
figures such as Rupert Murdoch, Tiny Rowlands, Robert Maxwell and Viscount
Rothermere.
This is almost certainly an important factor in the pronounced right-wing
skew of the political affiliations of the British papers with the Express,
Mail, The Star, The Daily Telegraph, Times and The Sun all espousing
right-wing positions, and only The Guardian (Liberal/Centrist) and the
Mirror (right-wing labour) reflecting centre or slightly left of centre
positions.
Anyway, sorry for boring you to death with this piece, and I hope I have not
offended anyone.
Cheers and best wishes to all.
Ebrima Ceesay,
Birmingham, UK.
PS: Just to inform you that some time ago, my good sister, Ndey Jobarteh,
and Brother Saiks Samateh, both of whom are on the L, got married. And in
this regard, a wedding party is slated for this saturday night at the Hall
in Kilburn, London. Therefore, those members of the Gambia L living in the
UK are invited to grace the occasion.
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