By Alhagie Jobe
Ousman Rambo Jatta, a politician and now member of the ruling APRC party of President Yahya Jammeh has been appointed the new Managing Director of Yahya Jammeh’s controlled Observer Company, publisher of the Daily Observer newspaper with effect from Monday.
Jatta who has no journalism background whatsoever, replaces Momodou Sabally, who now heads the state television, GRTS as Director General.
Jatta, a former opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) National Youth President and councilor for Old Bakau Ward who has long held the reputation as one of the most virulent and potent critics of the APRC regime, defected to the APRC in January 2011 during celebrations marking the fourth anniversary of the presidential medical treatment programme held in Banjul. During his defection to the APRC, Jatta told the crowd in Banjul that “If you cannot beat the system, then join the system.”
Since then, Jatta has been praise singing and shoe-polishing for Yahya Jammeh and his government as can be seen in his social media posts and reactions all over. Many believe his appointment is the work of current Communication minister Sheriff Bojang, who wants to slot in all his Bakau folks into the system.
It could be recalled that earlier in 2006, Jatta was a member of the opposition UDP who protested against the suspected misconduct in the country’s 2006 Presidential Election, claiming that a group of people, traveling in two Army vehicles, were non-Gambians dressed in military uniforms who voted for Yahya Jammeh for tribal reasons.
The consequence of this accusation resulted in the arrest of Jatta on 23 September, a case in which currently imprisoned opposition UDP leader and Lawyer, Ousainou Darboe was his defense counsel and fought for his freedom. He was held in prison for a year until Friday, 19 October 2007 when he was released.
