Hon. Halifa Sallah, Secretary General of the opposition People’s Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS), has urged the Gambian Government to show tolerance in the case of two Voice Newspaper journalists who are battling with state following the publication of an article on President Adama Barrow’s potential exit and succession plans on September 23, 2024.
The Gambia Police Force (GPF) has filed false publication and broadcasting charges against Musa Sheriff, Managing Editor of The Voice Newspaper, and his news editor, Momodou Justice Darboe. This is in response to their report stating that President Adama Barrow is working on an exit plan and has already identified businessman Muhammed Jah of QGroup Company as his successor.
The PDOIS Leader spoke at a press conference organized by the PDOIS at its ChurchillsTown office. He noted that media outside the Government’s portfolio played a significant role in spreading the messages of the Coalition 2016 to people worldwide. He argued that there should be no dispute regarding publications, as it has already been refuted by National People’s Party (NPP) officials.).
“This is a government that benefitted from the media, especially the media outside the portfolio of the state, which really made known what we tell the whole world. In that line, there should be tremendous tolerance, and as rightly said, in case people write certain things, the question is, are the people okay with what they have written, do they believe it, and has it harmed anyone? And that’s where things like an apology and things of that nature can come up,” Halifa Sallah, Secretary General PDOIS, disclosed.
He added, “If something is written and refuted and the Journalist wrote what has been refuted, what is there to fight again? What would you want, for that matter, to go to the court? What do you want to achieve? That is the question. If we were the ones running the state, clearly, all those things called false news would not be criminalized.”
He emphasized that the PDOIS Government will not prosecute journalists for publishing false news as it serves no purpose, especially if you have the means to refute such publications. He noted that if the Government had a second thought, this matter would be addressed before it gets far on the prosecution of Journalists.
He also urged journalists to be more professional in their work at all times, hinting that journalists’ credibility is not to be afraid of the state but rather to adhere to the virtues of journalism, which is to publish the truth, the facts, and in good faith.
