Tomorrow, 16th December marks the thirteenth anniversary of the murder of Deyda Hydara in cold blood by cowards who hid in the dark to commit this atrocious crime.
The dark forces against progress could not use the carrot and the stick to silence him. In the end they used the barrel of the gun.
The body of Deyda Hydara is no more but his spirit still lives in our midst. Deyda Hydara will never die but will continue to live in our hearts and mind, because he refused to be silent.
We can hear his echoes from the grave, telling us to speak the truth and not to relent at any time. He is urging us to continue writing even if our hands are cut. He is saying we should speak out even if our tongues are cut.
He breathed a big sigh of relief when he heard the good news of a media friendly environment.
“Move on my colleagues, move on! Do not give in. Surmount all difficulties to ensure press freedom,” he said as his voice reverberated in the grave.
Deyda will continue to speak out until all the laws impinging on press freedom and freedom of expression are revoked and new laws that strengthen them are enacted. He will not go to sleep until his widow, sons, daughters, relatives and close colleagues know who murdered him.
Go to rest, our dear colleague. Go to rest! Change in The Gambia is unstoppable. The future of The Gambia is bright.
