From Gambia President Union President and founder and former managing editor of the Independent newspaper Alagi Yorro Jallow, has stressed that GPU should not have awarded Attorney General Minister of Justice, Abubacarr Tambadou with the Press Hero Award.
“I suspect that the Attorney General and Minister of Justice Mr. Baa Tambadou sometimes fantasizes about being able to be doing things. But that no more makes him a true friend of the private media than his own fantasies make him a rock star, or an award Prize-winning Attorney-General, or the winning quarterback at the Super Bowl.
I did not see the Gambia Press Union citations justify awarding the Attorney General and Minister of Justice with that prestigious award,” Jallow said in his opinion.
He added: “I dissented to the award reasons amongst cited above and the emotional plea of Former President of the Gambia Press Union and co- chair of the Media Review Committee, Ms. Ndey Tapha Sosseh during her closing statement at the Truth, Reconciliation and Repatriation Commission hearing.”
According to Jallow, no one has done more for the Gambia Press Union and independent journalists in recent years than lawyer Hawa Sisay Sabally who represented the GPU and all heads of Media Chiefs to challenge the infamous National Media Commission before the Supreme Court of the Gambia.
“The Coalition of Human Rights Lawyers during the Second Republic which the current Attorney General and Justice Minister, Baa Tambadou, was an active member arbitrarily demanded from the Gambia Press Union US$20,000 for them to challenge the National Media Commission about its unconstitutionality, through its then chairman Lawyer Ousman Sillah who handed a letter and a bill to GPU and media chiefs in his office.
Ms. Hawa Sisay Sabally, whose representation has been truly outstanding, Hawa accepted the token sum of $3,000 from GPU partners OSWIA and returned $1,000 to the GPU coffers
It’s nice to see someone get an award who so richly deserves it; and I hope this will help persuade more lawyers and politicians to take Hawa Sisay Sabally’s excellent example and service with the private media,” he pointed out.