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: > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mail. > http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- > > To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L > Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] > if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------