Mr. Nyang, I take your point of view on the Femi Peters matter. We applaud and appreciate your coverage of all newsworthy issues to include disappearances, wrongful arrests, abductions, witch-huntings, judicial delinquencies, and kidnap. A special thanks to your reporter who risked life and limb by accompanying AI to locate Rambo. You must be supported and encouraged in these endeavours. Haruna. -----Original Message----- From: Modou Nyang <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Fri, Oct 30, 2009 1:03 am Subject: Re: [>-<] Political opportunism (Foroyaas coverage of Peters arrest) Since i first subscribed to this forum i have gone back to read a lot of postings. Having being with Foroyaa i can clearly say that Suntou is simply refusing to state the facts and trying to pick some petty squabbles out of the Foroyaa report and editorial. As mentioned by Demba and others, what the foroyaa report in fact did is to reaffirm the UDP statements as facts. At least this is not the time to pick political squabbles when Femi Peters is arrested for rightfully exercising his political rights. Lets try to address the unjust arrest and now detention of Peters and leave the petty talk. Suntou has proudly stated that he does not read Foroyaa which he is free to. But to state that he hardly reads anything UDP on Foroyaa is to confirm his hypocrisy and hate for whatever that is related to PDOIS. Which papers or media organisation in the Gambia has ever reported the disappearance of Kanyiba Kanyi, the then arrest and disappearance of Ousman Rambo Jaata etc, etc. I could state a lot more if my memory will serve me well. I was at Foroyaa when Kanyiba's family members even made Foroyaa to discontinue reffering him as a "UDP Stalwart" whenever his case was reported and we have seen recently Ousainou Darboe refer as a UDP organiser. In fact a special prayer was delivered for Foroyaa at Bakau Jaata Kunda when Rambo was released as a result of Foroyaa's relentless coverage of his disappearance and with great risk by one of its reporters to accompany amnesty International staffers to Sarre Ngai to officially see Jaata. Could this too be a case for political opportunism? One could also accuse the UDP of merely stating known facts at their meeting by simply regurgitating issues that were already dealt with in the press. Or because Suntou hardly reads Foroyaa and depends on the outside Gambian media, he had not come across those stories before. Suntou you are free to choose not to read Foroyaa, but by doing so i can assure one thing, You will miss a lot happenings in the Gambia because other papers will never carry them. Modou Nyang There is not secret that the Editors of Foroyaa are members of PDOIS. And that have not --- On Fri, 30/10/09, Demba Baldeh <[log in to unmask]> wrote: From: Demba Baldeh <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: [>-<] Political opportunism (Foroyaas coverage of Peters arrest) To: [log in to unmask] Date: Friday, 30 October, 2009, 2:07 Suntou/Bolonba, Where did I say you shouldn't read the paper if not affiliated with it? Does that make sense to you at all? May be... what am saying as you admit you hardly read the paper and anytime you do, you already have a preconceived notion of bias due to your own bias. "But if editors out there wish to republish verbatim the editorials and reports of Foroyaa, this means those papers are directly aiding the propaganda and attention seeking mechanism of PDOIS". Really.... So if those papers publish Suntou's position on Polygamy then they are aiding your attention seeking mechanism? So are you aiding those fundamental views of all those articles you republished on your blog? Come on Suntou... you ought to know better than that? as someone mentioned, I think you have a bone with those PDOIS guys or you must be once again seeking attention by trying to create controversies out of nothing.. I must say though you are entitled to a bias opinion as well. My point is... if you are to make a big deal out of others natural bias... you must look within yourself and reflect on your own positions...This is often missing in your positions and it reflects badly on your person as an attention seeking chap. Demba On Thu, Oct 29, 2009 at 1:14 PM, suntou touray <[log in to unmask]> wrote: Demba, Are you saying if one doesn't affiliate with PDOIS, one should not read the paper? That should by extension go with any other paper that is openly more sympathetic to PDOIS then. Any paper whose editor openly support PDOIS is on equal measure bias towards other parties. I think Demba, you are wrong in your analysis. Foroyaa see themselves as an independent news paper, although that is a questionable posture. They are saying, "we are investigating" and also stating "WHAT DID THE POLICE TOLD PETERS". The Paper has taken a moral high ground on so many issues, priding themselves as the only believable outlet, yet the are after all not independent or neutral. In that case why can't they stay out this partisan issue, since i hardly read any thing UDP on Foroyaa. The media is suppose to be an information vehicle that should be independent and non-partisan. This is not always the case, but there is no need for political parties to have their own newspapers. If media personalities like Baba Galleh, Sankareh or any other journalist with a paper suddenly became a politician, the wise thing to do is employ somebody else to run the paper and allow independence, neutrality and fair play to take precedence over bias and self-centered publications. I have to admit, i hardly read Foroyaa, the free press (echo, Senegambia, The Gambiajournal, Allgambia, Freedom, Gainako, Maafanta does it for me.) But if editors out there wish to republish verbatim the editorials and reports of Foroyaa, this means those papers are directly aiding the propaganda and attention seeking mechanism of PDOIS. In closing, Foroyaa took the moral high of saying "we are investigating" and trying to water down Ousainou speech. If any one do that to Halifa, I am sure hell would have broke loose. Suntou Bolonba On Thu, Oct 29, 2009 at 6:39 PM, Demba Baldeh <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Suntou, > > In as much as you see Foroyaa as a newspaper you also have to understand > that the paper is an organ of a political party. So only if you don't > understand the role Foroyaa plays that you can be taken by surprise that > they ponder towards their ideology. If UDP or any other political party had > a similar organ they will be promoting their brand more than anybody else. > > How would you assess Suntou's blog report issues related to the UDP??? vs > PDOIS or APRC? Sometimes understanding political components goes a long way > to help one analyse reports. If you see such a skewed report on Gainako or > senegambia or other more independent papers may be you can call them on > it.... > > Hope that helps clarify so you don't try to make something out of nothing... > > Demba > > On Thu, Oct 29, 2009 at 4:28 AM, Dave Manneh <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >> >> Mr Touray, >> >> Please elaborate a little more if you would, on what constitutes >> “Political Opportunism” on Forooya and/PDOIS’ part/s? >> >> I’ve read both links you provided, and I am still none the wiser as to >> what could have raised your ire. >> >> I suppose most importantly too, why, in your view >> should PDOIS and Foroyaa be two entities; independent and separate from each >> other? >> >> Kind Regards, >> >> Dave >> >> NB: Am at a loose-end presently; having finished one project and not >> started on another. So I've spare time to indulge in cyber chitchat. >> >> 2009/10/29 suntou touray <[log in to unmask]> >>> >>> [ This e-mail is posted to Gambia|Post e-Gathering by suntou touray >>> <[log in to unmask]> ] >>> >>> >>> In has much i wish to avoid focusing on the style the foroyya news >>> paper adopted in reporting the UDP rally and subsiquent events, one >>> cannot but comment on their strategic ploy to make the issue down bit. >>> The Foroyaa reportage culled from www.gainako.com higligthed serious >>> opportunism on the part of Foroyaa the arm of PDOIS. They claim that, >>> whatever was mention on the UDP rally was reported by their paper. As >>> if rallies are the same as news paper items. If it is trust and mutual >>> cooperation we are all advocating, the Foroyaa should change its >>> stance and see to it that, their views or way is not the only way. >>> >>> We want to respect the persons and agendas of all the opposition, try >>> to bridge the gabs, therefore, Foroyaa activitiues on this issue is >>> unprofessional and politically bias. >>> >>> http://www.gainako.com/news/news/2009/10/29/public-meeting-by-political-parties-is-a-constitutional-political-and-civic-right-and-not-a-privilege.html. >>> >>> >>> In an earlier coverage on the episode, Foroyya went as far as quote a >>> number to the people that attended the rally. Were they guessing or >>> did they actually count the number of people that attended the rally? >>> Foroyaa should do its best to always be seen to be independent of >>> PDOIS, if not their side of stories like this will be rejected and/or >>> taken with a pinch of salt. >>> http://www.foroyaa.gm/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3750 >>> Suntou Bolonba >>> >>> >>> >>> ----------------------------gambiapost.NET------------------------------ >>> SUBSCRIPTION: http://thegambiapostforum.com/membership >>> We thank you for joining our forum. The purpose of The Gambia Post Forum >>> is >>> to provide a place for national discourse, a place where we can exchange >>> ideas >>> and share common interests. The Gambia Post is the largest Gambian online >>> community on the Web where a variety of issues are discussed. We maintain >>> an >>> Open Forum for ALL Gambians and Friends of The Gambia, accessible to >>> people of >>> all works of life, and ages. And so while we understand that it is human >>> nature >>> to lose one's temper occasionally, a consistent pattern of profanity, >>> especially >>> against the parents of others will not be tolerated. This may result in a >>> suspension and if necessary an indefinite ban. 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