Banding,
Thanks for the information. I hope our National Assembly Members will lunch
their own hearing into these allegations to prevent it from happening again.

Malanding

----- Original Message -----
From: "Banding Samura" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, March 23, 2001 5:41 AM
Subject: Re: Hajj 2001


> Malnding,
> I hope you had a response from either Pa Njie or one
> one Yaya's cronies, about the mess that this year's
> pilgrims found themselves in. Without doubt it's been
> the most difficult Hajj in recent memory for Gambian
> pilgrims.
> It all started when Yaya wanted to gain some political
> points by controlling the business of Hajj. He started
> by imposing a fixed tariff of D24000 for the hajj
> package. This evidently cannot cover the overheads of
> responsible travel agents who want to provide safe,
> secure, and comfortable hajj for their clients; hence
> Banjul travel withdrew from this years Hajj, and
> advised their clients to choose any other agent of
> their own liking.
> Left with little choice, most of the travel agents
> signed with the millennium company to use Yaya's "suma
> Abion" as air carrier. This is the "abion" that
> ebrima's source/s wrote about some months ago. This
> planes capacity is less than 200 passengers, and it is
> supposed to airlift more than a 1000 passengers within
> the time frame of the hajj.
> Indifferent to the hardship that will be caused to
> elderly pilgrims, the flights started to arrive in
> Jeddah some three weeks before the actual Hajj
> rituals, causing considerable financial difficulties
> to those who have to stay in here for more than a
> month. And because of the ceiling he placed on the
> package, the travel agents had to cut their losses by
> not providing food for the hajjis as had been the
> practise. The poor pilgrims had to fend for themselves
> in very difficult circumstances. Indeed towards the
> end the hajj, many hadn't a riyal left even for food.
> His own 200 or so people that were sent for hajj
> didn't fare much better either. Infact they suffered
> most than many of the others. They were involved in
> petty bickering with the organisers about money that
> Yaya said was to be given to them and which they did
> not have. Many were left to beg from other pilgrims or
> from anybody who appears to be sympathetic to their
> plight.
> With the hajj now over, there came the scramble to
> return home as quickly as possible with the next
> available flight. Apart from its capacity,the "suma
> abion" flights were also irregular,and the amount of
> cargo it can take is very strictly limited. Many
> pilgrims have left without their valued suitcases,and
> only god knows when ever these will get to Banjul.
> Millennium company indicated to the pilgrims that they
> will hire a cargo plane to freight the suitcases; but
> up today it has not happened, and it is not likely to!
> This years hajj has been a big financial disaster for
> most of the agents, and an ordeal for Gambian
> pilgrims.
> With all the problems mentioned above, the plight of
> pilgrims who signed up with Pa Njie's globe is even
> more tragic. It is alleged that Pa njie paid Yaya's
> millennium company a cheque that could not be honoured
> by the banks. Furious at this audacity, it is again
> alleged that Yaya gave instructions to the effect that
> " even if they all have to die there, Pa must pay his
> company before his pilgrims are airlifted out of
> Jeddah". I can't verify the truth or otherwise of
> either claim. The fact is that there are still many
> Gambian pilgrims, including all of globe travel's,
> that look like they may be stranded in Jeddah for a
> while.
> Now in the particular case of your mother and mother
> in-law, I think it is right that you got worried.
> Having checked out of their "hotel", it must mean that
> they will be in an even more difficult position of
> spending all these waiting days at the Hajj terminal
> of Jeddah's airport. This is definitely very
> inconvenient to say the least.
> I wish your mum and all remaining Gambian pilgrims a
> safe and speedy return home, but this years hajj had
> been the most difficult and chaotic for Gambian
> pilgrims. Whatever Yaya's intention was in meddling in
> hajj affairs, this one has truly backfired, causing
> considerable hardship to Gambians once again.
> --- "Malanding S. Jaiteh" <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
>
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