GCAF presents media guide to GPU

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BY SULAYMAN WAAN

Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (GCAF) in collaboration with the European Union on Tuesday handed over the media guide book on Security Sector Reform (SSR) to the Gambia Press Union at the conference hall of Action Aid – The Gambia in Kanifing.

The media guide book aims at increasing journalists’ understanding on SSR as well helps them to report on the issue and security institution as expected.

Atila Lajos, European Union Ambassador to The Gambia described media’s role in the SSR as very important, saying transparency is needed so as to create trust and dialogue.

He stated that transparency in the SSR is fundamentally important by nature.

“Media information is an effective tool for citizens to participate in decision making and key issues related to public safety and security and also to challenge them if necessary. Strong media is not only beneficial to the public but also the security institutions,” he said.

The EU ambassador said security institution working constructively with the media would only increase their (security institutions) legitimacy.

Lajos observed that the country’s transitional justice can only be attained through safeguarding the media independence and pluralism by reforming laws and policies that affect the media during the previous regime.

Colonel Momodou Badjie, special adviser to the presidency on security said the SSR team is delighted to work with the media fraternity, adding that the media is one of the important stakeholders for the SSR.

“In fact to allude to that we have employed the services of communication strategist who would help us to ensure that there is outreach and we are able to sensitize the people on what is happening in our office and what we are doing in the SSR,” he said.

He said his institution is convinced and need to convince people that the SSR belongs to the masses, noting that the security should be able to deliver the needs and aspiration of Gambians.

For the SSR to deliver the public’s aspirations, Badjie added that the media fraternity has to play a key role through disseminating information to the public as well publish or broadcast the populace’s feedback.

He said all Gambians knew how some journalists suffered in the past, intimating that the security sector has forgotten the past and want to have a good collaboration and working relation with all media houses.

“We want to come up with security sector that is effective, efficient and that would listen to the people,” he said.

Mustapha Mbye, chairman of GPU ethics panel described the event as historic, saying anything that provides efficient work and ethical standard for Gambian journalists is seen as historic.

He expressed gratitude to GCAF and the European Union for training Gambian journalists on SSR and for providing them with the guiding document.

Mbye urged journalists to make best use of the guiding book to ensure professional reporting on SSR issues.