Here is the letter Mr. Conateh needs to answer instead of hurling abuse

Ms. Ndey Tapha Sosseh

Dear Madam,

Thank you for your letter informing us of your activities, which will be graced, you say, by the Secretary of State. Thank you also for referring to us at the Daily Observer as your "partners".

As far as the Hon. Secretary of State is concerned, you will recall that while your "partners" in the internet media fraternity were disgracefully attacking her honour and integrity, we at the Daily Observer came out in her defence. The abusers, or "journalists", then turned against us with unbridled venom. You, Ms. Ndey Tapha Sosseh, have done interview after interview since you replaced your boss Madi Ceesay as GPU President. Can I ask if you are on record, in any interview or letter-to-the-editor, condemning the disgraceful manner in which so-called Gambian "journalists" attacked the Hon. SoS, a decent and respectable woman like yourself, simply because she had been appointed to serve in President Jammeh's cabinet?

Secondly, I have been personally vilified and attacked simply because I was appointed as MD & Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Observer. Did you, and your honourable journalism "partners", at any point put pen to paper in defence of journalistic decency? No. You are, on the contrary, on record for attacking the Daily Observer, as they do, in your speech at the GPU congress in March 2008. Why? Because, according to you, we have not said anything about certain matters which have to do with state security! With respect, Ms. Ndey Tapha Sosseh, naivety of these so-called journalists is shocking! Journalists in USA and UK are also restricted on matters to do with state security. Our government is criticised by your lot because security agents give evidence in camera. Again this is standard practice in USA and UK where state security agents do regularly give evidence in camera. And what about the Muslims who have been locked up for 5 years in Guantanamo Bay and British prisons, without trial, for being security threats? With no evidence whatsoever being given to their lawyers or any court?

You want us to be your "partners" so that we practice your kind of naïve journalism to de-stabilise a hard-working and progressive African government for purely political reasons? Inspite of CNN and BBC propaganda, what is the difference between the 2000 elections in the USA and those in Zimbabwe and Kenya recently? The only difference is that Africans die rioting because they believe the propaganda - thanks to "journalists" like your lot. The first duty of any government anywhere is the security of the state. While this is accepted for Western countries, even at the expense of so-called "human-rights", why are African states undermined and weakened, as in Zimbabwe's, case to the point of collapse? No, madam, we will never be your partners in what we consider to be treason against the development of Africa and the cause of Pan-Africanism. Call it "journalism" if you wish, but look for other "partners", not us.

Ms. Ndey Tapha Sosseh, what are we "partners" in/for? As you recall, many journalists asked that the three GPU top people during Madi Ceesay's reign, i.e. Madi Ceesay, his no.2 Ndey Tapha Sosseh and his no. 3 Emile Touray, should resign to allow for an enquiry and fresh-start for the GPU. Instead a so-called election was engineered in which no. 1 resigned to be replaced by his loyal no.2 (your good self), while no. 3 moved up to no.2. And what was the first decision you, madam, made as no. 1? No enquiry into what went on at the GPU during the last 3 years! Surprise, surprise, it is a cover-up! So I ask you again: what do you want us to be "partners" in? At the recent GPU congress, you made sure that the two seasoned and senior Daily Observer journalists who went for GPU positions, Ebrima Jaw-Manneh and Lamin M Dibba, did not get elected. Instead you co-opted a Daily Observer free-lancer whose name I forget. Of course, I fired the free-lancer on the spot for disloyalty to his senior colleagues - just as my uncle Sheriff Bojang fired you, madam, from the Daily Observer a couple of years ago. As for your "partners" at FOROYAA, they even penned an editorial in which they visualised me in Mile 2 prison - I presume after "democratic" Mr. 2% comes to power!

Or do you want us to be your "partners" in your constant attack against President Jammeh's hard working government, simply because the other lot happen to be your uncles, cousins, nephews and school-mates? No, as far as we are concerned, the GPU stands for Gambia Political Union and you are an opposition political party under the guise of "journalism". Of course, you are also funded from abroad by the same people who fund the MDC in Zimbabwe, under the guise of "journalism training" and "civil society empowerment" (The British and USA governments are stopping Saudi Arabia and other countries from doing exactly this in USA and UK by seizing such funds under the Anti-Terrorism Act! Books and videos on Islam and Hadith also get seized!). We say good luck to you. We don't want any of your "journalism training" money and we don't want your ready-made visas either.

Funny isn't it - Daily Observer's Ebrima Jaw-Manneh has honourably returned to work after four weeks in USA, while one of your lot has absconded after the US Embassy funded all his expenses to cover the US election campaign! Of course, we at the Daily Observer are enjoying the irony immensely, and I am sure the American Ambassador is none too pleased - but then again we could have told him about all these so-called "journalists". Mr. Ambassador, I will bet my compound that if, for example, Daily Observer's Lamin M Dibba, is given a visa to the USA and asked to cover the US elections, he will return to The Gambia as agreed. But I digress.

Finally madam, if you want us to be partners with GPU, let the three top people under Madi Ceesay's reign resign. Madi Ceesay has resigned. Ndey Tapha-Sossey and Emile Touray should also resign. Then hold an election in which bona-fide journalists are not barred from voting because "the GPU does not know who Ebrima Jaw-Manneh is"!! Then the GPU may become a Press Union, rather than the political opposition union that it is today. Otherwise? Otherwise we wish you well in your anti-government political activities (please stop calling yourself "journalists"!).

Your most respectful non-partner,

Dida Halake.

MD & Editor-in-Chief,

Daily Observer.

Post Scriptum: As you know, after your firing from the Daily Observer, you never visited until I became MD. As a Gambian and a respected lady, I say to you here that you are most welcome to visit the Daily Observer, and even share our Sunday Lunch with the staff (2p.m approx). But you are not welcome as President of the Gambia Political Union (GPU) for we are not "partners" with GPU as it is currently set-up.