This is my tribute to the most respectful human being I have ever known, Deyda Hydara, my beloved father and my role model. I am honoured to say that the amount of love my father devoted to his family and the public is rare and will never be forgotten.

Since his early days, he had always been ambitious and willing to achieve the maximum out of life and use it to help people by informing them of what is truly happening in their society. He never resorted to force and was always a voice for the people, facing problems and seeking help. He was ready to make the greatest sacrifice for the cause of the poor, showing them the way and encouraging them to make the most of the freedom to express themselves, so that they could become worthy members of society.

What I have learned from my father is that a good journalist should be devoted to his or her job. That means that he or she should do everything to report a story as it is – truthfully, impartially and honestly.

The press is a sine qua non for a country’s development. That means that a country cannot progress without people being informed of events happening on a daily basis. It seems that in the Gambia, the government is doing everything possible to weaken the press from doing their job freely. My father fought against the newly passed bills, which threaten freedom of expression in the Gambia.

We are the descendants of a highly religious family called Hydara Shariff – meaning bravery. As a result, I did not expect my father to surrender to any threats from whomever. When I heard the news, I was devastated and have not yet recovered from the trauma, nor has any member of our family (my mum, my two sisters and brothers and my niece Amy – the youngest member).

May the people responsible for this big plot realize what they are about to face in this world and the Day of Judgement. They killed an innocent man whose only crime was being honest and truthful. They used a gun as their weapon against a person who used a pen as his. I want all those people who have my dad’s blood in their hands to know that everyone has their day and God is watching.

The Point, Monday, 31 January 2005

(Reprinted with kind permission)