OPINION

By Cherno Baba Jallow

Rarely, and certainly not in the annals of Gambian history, does a sitting president file a lawsuit against a newspaper. But then again it should summon no disbelief, if leaders feel wronged by a newspaper reporting and thus decide to pursue legal means for adjudication.

In a clean break from the past, an ugly past of leadership by reprisal, President Adama Barrow recently sued The Voice newspaper for reporting that he had chosen the businessman Muhammed Jah as his successor and was working on a plan to step down from the presidency. Time was, and not too long ago, Barrow’s predecessor would have, and just because he could do it, ordered the rounding up of The Voice journalists and for their incarceration. Or worse.

But these are buoyant times for the press and free speech in The Gambia. The new political environment, long decontaminated from the vestiges of authoritarianism, has ushered a full return to a constitutional mode of political living. Fear, since banished from the hearts of Gambians, has been supplanted by outspokenness. Now, the citizens openly question and ridicule their leaders. And newspapers are thriving in a tolerant political environment to report the news and editorialize on it without fear and the likelihood of detention and physical harm.

This is why the recent arrest of The Voice journalists was alarming —- alarming in the sense that it brought a chilling reminder of what life once, and recently, was.

Granted, Barrow had the right to sue The Voice, but the legal move was unnecessary and counterintuitive, not because of the suit in and of itself —- that’s for the court to decide, but mainly because of the news article itself. It was carved out of idle banter, and hence, needed to be taken for what it thoroughly lacked: depth and editorial discretion. The latter is key because it underscores the need for newspapers to have editors with a keen sense of the news, the conceptual and conclusive stages of a story and its airtight irrefutability.

The Voice article’s headline was bold and conclusive: ‘’Barrow Chooses Muhammed Jah as Successor As Pres. Works on Exit Plan – Sources.’’ This gave the readers an immediate impression that the story was detailed with anecdotes and quotes from the paper’s sources. But there was none in the article. It had no supporting legs, as in, say, emails, text messages, audio recordings. The paper didn’t even directly contact the president or his inner circle —- not NPP mid-level leaders, but his press officer or information minister. And nor did it contact Jah, the main protagonist of the story. Or, it is possible that the paper did in fact contact both of them or tried without success. If it did, the readers never saw it in the reporting. This is sloppy journalism.

An article of this magnitude —- about a president stepping down and handpicking a successor — should never be rushed into print. It should be multi-sourced and thoroughly vetted for accuracy and newsworthiness. And it should trigger a sufficient amount of editorial skepticism because this story defies believability. Consider: Barrow stepping down and choosing a businessman as a successor, sidestepping all the senior leaders of his party who have been in the political dug-out with him since the beginning. It just didn’t make any sense. And a few weeks prior to the publication of the article, Barrow had announced that he would seek another term by contesting the 2026 elections.

But the issue is no longer about the professional malpractice of a fledgling newspaper. It is about the ill-conceived move to go after journalists on an issue bordering on frivolousness. Abound, are instances justifying the need for a president to sue members of the press. This isn’t one of them. A simple rebuttal from the president himself or his spokesman would have sufficed.

Throughout his presidency, Barrow’s conduct on matters of the press and of free speech has been overwhelmingly conciliatory. He has been remarkably tolerant. At a campaign rally in Wellingara in 2021 during the last presidential elections, Barrow told the crowd.; ‘’Now you can say anything you want; nothing will happen.’’ He added: ‘’If you wish to do it, you can spend all your time castigating President Barrow; I am not going to respond to you.’’

It’s a mark of tolerance still to seek redress in the courts rather than deploy the coercive might of presidential power to go after journalists. But Barrow’s lawsuit against The Voice stretches credulity. What does the president hope to achieve out of this legal maneuver? Force the journalists to recant their story? Jail them? The longer this case drags on, the higher the potential for an encroachment on press freedom. Does Barrow really want to go there? Does he want to jeopardize his impressive record on free speech? He should resist the authoritarian temptation. He should drop this case. Immediately.

The People’s Republic of China and the Republic of The Gambia first established formal ties in 1974, just 9 years after The Gambia regained its independence. Since then, the two nations have been united by a firm commitment to South-South cooperation, bolstered by mutual respect and a shared desire for a more equitable global order.

Over the last five decades, China and The Gambia’s collaboration has thrived in a variety of fields; including politics, economics, culture, and interpersonal exchanges. China’s unflinching support for The Gambia’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity has been matched by The Gambia’s commitment to the one-China principle, although the relations experienced twits and turns.

Former President Jawara laid a blueprint of the second National Development Plan from 1975-81 which primarily focused on constructing a health care system. During this period, the Chinese were interested in advancing Primary Health to a more advanced healthcare system and beneficiary communities include Fajikunda, Yorobawol, Kuntaur, etc.

Notable milestones mark our collaborative path, including the signing of the Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement in 1974, which triggered Chinese support in critical sectors in infrastructure, agriculture, and healthcare. The formation of the China-Gambia Joint Economic and Trade Committee in 1985 strengthened our cooperation efforts to advance trade and investment objectives.

The resumption of diplomatic relations in 2016 after a brief interruption demonstrates the strength and resilience of the friendship between our the peoples of Gambia and China.

The signing of the Belt and Road Cooperation Agreement in 2018 demonstrates how The Gambia’s socioeconomic imperatives connect with China’s ambitious global infrastructure cooperation initiative. Today, our countries have strong political confidence and close coordination in multilateral institutions such as the United Nations and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), promoting common interests in the global arena.

Economically, China is one of The Gambia’s main trading partners and a key source of foreign direct investment. China’s commitment to critical areas such as infrastructure and agricultural projects, education, health, and security in The Gambia exemplifies our meaningful economic and technical cooperation.

Culturally, the Confucius Institute at the University of The Gambia serves as a thriving center for Chinese language instruction and cultural exchange, supporting a vigorous academic exchange program between our countries. Thousands of Gambian students have taken advantage of government scholarships to pursue higher educations in China, strengthening our people-to-people ties. Indeed, the China-Gambia partnership exemplifies South-South cooperation based on values of equality, mutual trust, and respect for various growth paths. Our partnership’s symbiotic character highlights its validity as a paradigm for promoting mutual benefit and prosperity.

Looking forward, I am confident that there exists significant untapped potential to further deepen collaboration between China and The Gambia, particularly within the realm of higher education. The University of The Gambia, as the nation’s preeminent institution of tertiary learning, stands poised to serve as a linchpin for expanded cooperation initiatives.

Proposals to strengthen collaboration include expanding student and faculty exchange programs between the University of The Gambia and Chinese academic institutions, establishing joint research centers to address global challenges, and creating dual-degree programme in areas of mutual interest. Over the years, there has been a significant milestone by the Chinese government in advancing the quality education which complements the education sector policy 2016-2030 through scholarship opportunity for young Gambians to harness their potential to study in China. At China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue last year, H.E. President Xi Jinping announced the Plan for China-Africa Cooperation on Talent Development, stipulating that China will launch the China-Africa Universities 100 Cooperation Plan and 10 pilot exchange programs of China-Africa partner institutes to support Africa in strengthening education and innovation. At the FOCAC Summit in September, H.E. President Xi Jinping further announced the Partnership Action for People-to-People Exchanges, committing to provide 60,000 training opportunities to Africa, mainly for women and youths.

According to the research shown by standard newspaper, since the reinstatement of the diplomatic between the two countries, from 2016-2024, more than 400 students were offered scholarship opportunities to study in China which has surpassed the trend of UK, US, India, and other countries.

Historically, during the struggle for independence from 1894-1965 to post independence of the Gambia, a large junk of our young people were so much enticed to pursue their degrees in the European countries or even in America. With the immediate intervention of mass Chinese scholarship opportunities, China has now become the turning point for not only the Gambia but across the sub-region.

Furthermore, the incorporation of Chinese and National Gambia languages and cultural studies into our joint academic curriculums will show a promise for strengthening bilateral ties.

In summation, the China-Gambia relationship serves as a beacon of hope, demonstrating the effectiveness of developing-country collaboration in pursuit of common developmental goals.

As we move on with our partnership, let us remain committed to developing political trust, expanding economic cooperation, and boosting cultural exchange. Let us embrace the spirit of friendship, mutual learning, and win-win cooperation as we write the next chapter of our long-standing partnership. Together, China and The Gambia have the power to effect positive change on the global stage, championing peace, development, and a community based on shared prosperity.

Nyaninka Manjang
Student Union (SU) President
University of The Gambia

OPINION

By Yaya A Bojang (Bojis)

Gambia has adopted a learning system that has been long-lasting for decades, and every student grapples to scale this system high enough to be seen by the public. It’s not too long since we celebrated the outstanding performance of the Grade 12 students, and now, too, we are celebrating the cheerful performance of the Grade 9 students in the country.

The jubilation of this achievement by the schools coincided with the Teacher’s Day. Teacher’s Day is a day that is recollected by many writers, especially among the teachers about the remarkable efforts of teachers in changing the lives of others – a poor student in Sandu becomes a minister or a businessman because of the impact of the teachers on him. However, many writers lamented the ordeals faced by teachers: the lack of attention on teachers, the under remuneration, and the disproportionate salary against their efforts. But then, it is not something that’s echoed by the government – the largest population of civil servants but cannot fight for their own upliftment – a lack of unity. Wait! I will not sound verbatim about this remark on teachers. If it’s a colour, the writers have painted the ordeal equal to a country-size wall.

Reflecting on EDUSA Nation Tour- 2023 campaign on TVET Education for the need to institutionalise technical and vocational learning in our education system, I am with the strong belief that learning 9 subjects at the upper level is tormenting and less impactful considering the demand for creativity and innovation in our educational and economic development.

Simply, education is the acquisition of desirable knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are beneficial to society. Therefore, education is meant to help and support and positively impact society. How many of us became dependent on our parents after Grade 9? All of us. And the same for Grade 12.

Urgently, our curriculum should be tailored based on the needs of society – the areas of demand by society and also the country. Precisely, I am advocating that specialisation should start as early as the lower level and be realised at the upper level. Where students could fully have a point of direction in their academic journey and could have an impact on their lives and society at large. We cannot be too ambitious to grab all these subjects at a go and intend to be a know-all, never. In fact, all that knowledge becomes volatile after your exams – effects of memorisation and rote learning. I therefore contend that having 3 credits in woodwork, metalwork, and mechanics with a practical knowledge of them is more meaningful than Aggregate Six or the 9As or credits. But our minds cannot come to terms with this because the system hoodwinked us into believing AGG 6 and 9 CREDITS are yardsticks for outstanding performance. But the system can correct itself and accommodate the real thoughts of academic excellence.

Seriously, let’s revisit our curriculum to cater to the demanding demands of our society and the country at large. The article is already lengthy to add the unimaginable consequence of our curriculum, but I can tell you that The Standard Newspaper revealed that most UTG students find themselves doing a job different from their areas of study. Isn’t that ridiculous? We need to be creative. Students can learn about poultry as a course from the upper level and specialise in it and have a career, the same for aquaculture, the same agroforestry, the same crop production, and be assessed based on that in practical means.

It is high time we changed our mentality about our standards of excellence in our academia. Our education should reflect the needs of our society for economic upliftment.