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| Pansy Tlakula |
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights has called on The
Gambia to join the group of nations that have adopted the commission’s Freedom
of Information Act which guarantees citizens absolute access to information.
The AU’s special rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to
Information, Commissioner Pansy Tlakula gave the call yesterday at the Kairaba
Beach Hotel where journalists, activists, and rights leaders converged to
celebrate World Press Freedom Day.
She said: “I am hoping that The Gambia will join others in adopting the
free access to information act which has so far been adopted by only 16 countries
across the continent. This act ensures that the citizens’ rights to free
expression and access to information which is vital to democracy are secured. Without
information, we cannot have access to our rights. Only 16 countries have
adopted the Commission’s Free Access to Information Act by the African Human
Rights Commission. Laws on sedition and criminal defamation are bad laws that
are being used by governments across Africa to suppress dissent, freedom of
speech and expression and opposition. Where there is repression on freedom of
speech, journalists are involved in self-censorship.
Tlakula called on the Gambia Press Union, the body responsible for the
affairs of journalists to have a constructive dialogue with the government in
addressing the problems affecting the vibrancy of free media in the country. She
also urged the members of the media to pay high regards to their professional
ethics.
She added: “The media must ensure the highest level of responsibility of
professional ethics. We call on politicians to leave the newsrooms just as we
called on the journalists to avoid politics. The Gambia Press Union has an
observer status but not once have they come to the office to report violations
of the rights of journalists in this country. We have to, as we fight for a
free society, use litigations means and challenge the laws in the court of
laws, and until we exhaust the legal means in both home and abroad. Engage the
government in the constructive dialogue; you have an opportunity in that you
are one people with one heritage in this country.”
Better media-government relation
Meanwhile, Malick Jones the deputy permanent secretary at the Ministry
of Information and Communication Infrastructure has said that the government is
open to allowing the media have a self-regulatory body but added that such
progress can only be made through fruitful dialogue. He
also enjoined the media to report the “impressive progresses” that are being
made in the country that “the international media is not seeing”.
He said: “The government wants to better the relations and this can only
work out if we sit down and talk. If this happens, we can regulate ourselves,
not the government regulating us. We can learn a lot from Senegal and Ghana in
this respect. We are waiting for funds from UNESCO to facilitate the self-regulation
for the media in the country.
“We should also try to celebrate the development in the country that the
international media is not seeing. I think there is lot of development taking
place in Africa that the international media is not saying and you can do that.
You can report on development issues. We will one day take off some of the
things that you deem are not favourable to your operations. The Gambia has come
far from where we were before because we can today boost of at least 14 radio
stations, public television, and so many daily newspapers.”
Others speakers were Hannah Foster of African Centre for Human Rights
Studies, Almamy Taal, the president of the Gambia Writers Association, Mahamane
Cisse Gouro, regional director at the Office of the United Nation High
Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR), Emil Touray, the President of the Gambia
Press Union, Lamin Fatty, the managing director of The
Standard newspaper, Amie
Sillah of Fororyaa newspaper, George Christensen and Madi Jobarteh. A minute of
silence was also observed for journalists who have died on duties or suffered
unjust incarceration around the globe.
By Alagie Manneh
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