This sentence of Fatou jaw Manneh is outrageous and calls upon all of us to rethink our attitude to kinsmen and

our commnunity. Other wise we shall all become a silent victims of a cancer draining our fabric as humans and

entity.

Gambia is going through a serious transition where we all should think about the strategic direction those at the

Helm of the state want to take us and where as responsible people want to see ourselves. This sentencing seem to want to achieve among other things: set example to those who dare, rob the intellectual fabrik and instill fear in families of those potential thoughtful minds.

I have read some of Ms Manneh artikels and i find them thoughful and warning not only to the ruling clichè but also to Gambians in general to be mindful of ourselves and resist disowning ourselves in or to any situation or entity but to be our own and stand up for our rights. Preserve our dignity and strive for the betterment of our country. I can understand if the ruling club is angered by these words of decent and sanctity because the game is to play us against one another and that we never realise what is being hidden behind the mask. Minds like that of Ms. Manneh are poisons for forces working to impact lasting mental and psychic havoc on their  so-called peoples.

The next point the government seem to instigate with these sentencing and fine is to ensure that insecurity grip

those who dare speak against the organised maming of our civil liberties and more importantly discourage any

any form of resentment. And resentment is healthy as a corrective instrument in all of us, without which our destiny will be blured for ever. Think of Ousmann Koro Ceesay and Deyda Hydara, and you should smell the strategy of this Administration. It is to rob and disengage totally what ever is there to enlighten the people and guard against the building of truthful, decent and role models in our people. Fatou jaw Manneh is one of those

and that is why even in the face of potential death she refused to lose her composure. She is a role model for me and that makes me think sadly about the many mens in her situation who have and would kneel down for mercy no matter the humiliation. To confront a dictatorship sometimes requires a thorough self evaluation in regards to social norms and role distributions. I mean if a woman can go through this trauma and stays composed all through it, then the Gambian mens should rethink their positions and responsibilities. Towards our women.

Today is the time for us to stand together in words or kind and support Ms Manneh. The administration will have in mind that after prosecuting her in such a manner, blame will come from her own family for daring to write what even “mens don’t do”.  We have to resist this because thats how Jammeh is successfully ruling

us. Because they know how (especially) the Mandinka society operates, president Jammeh waste no time to play us against one another. Since we forget to see the big picture that together we stand and divided shall we be  misused in the face of a very tangible force utilising every opportunity at hand.

Our hearts and prayer must be with Ms. Manneh in her struggle with Tyranny and i hope the fire she started will

Continue to burn. The huge fine is meant to send her to jail and thanks to her journalist colleagues may be she will not be incarcerated. But even then she remain our symbol of decency and worth.

Kemo Kinteh