During the recently celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr, as has become the custom, the President of the Republic of The Gambia, His Excellency Adama Barrow, met with the religious leaders of the country. The gathering, brings together the religious leaders from all the different sects of Islam in the country.
Traditionally, the aim was for the country’s religious leaders, long regarded as guardians and custodians of spiritual and moral values, to meet with the president and members of his government to exchange views and pray for each other and pray for the general wellbeing of the country as a whole. It is not difficult to discern that these intentions are pure and cannot be faulted in anyway.
However, during this past Eid-ul-Fitr, some remarks were made which seem to deviate from the original aim of this assembly. Among these is the statement of the president that the press is only bent on reporting negative issues about the government. He revealed his displeasure at this and cited the numerous road projects and other developments his government has embarked on. He said the media does not report on these.
One can argue that the media does indeed report on these developments. The media outlets, both print and electronic, are replete with reports on these road projects and other areas of development. True, there are a lot of reports of negative issues as well, especially on the issue of corruption and the seeming lack of accountability; but, that is to be expected.
It is important to remind the president and his government that the press is referred to as ‘the fourth estate’ for a reason. After the three arms of government, the Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislature, the press has been identified as the fourth estate due to its important role of holding the government accountable by reporting to the public.
If the press were to report only on the positive things and what pleases the government, then it would have failed in its responsibility to educate, inform and entertain. The Constitution has given this heavy task to the press and it should fulfill that responsibility in an honest and impartial manner.
The truth is that a free press that does its work properly is essential for the government to do its work. The president and or his ministers cannot be everywhere, nor can they be aware of everything that goes on in the country. They must therefore depend on the press to inform them of the goings-on so that they can rectify any wrongdoings.
The true role of the press is not to serve as a mouthpiece for a sitting government but to hold them to accountable for and, on behalf of the people.
