Folks,

When I first read this article in The Point newspaper's Friday, March 22, 2002 edition, I didn't think much of it. However having finally read it I came to conclusion that the article indeed deserves to be shared. Not only does it shed a little bit of light on the myth surrounding Kanilai, it also gives an indication of Jammeh's attitude towards the opposition.

Have a good day, Gassa.

Bah Condemns Women/Men Wrestling At Kanilai - By M.L. Jaiteh.

The NRP leader Hamat Bah has strongly condemned the wrestling contest between women and men said to have been held at Kanilai during the President's International Wrestling Championship.

Bah came up with the condemnation during an interview with The Point following his trip to Kanilai where he attended the good governance seminar at the Sindola Camp.

He argued that the practice was not in line with the teachings of the Islamic religion. "If it was like men versus men, no problem, but men to women that was wrong and un-Islamic", Bah further argued.

The NRP leader then turned to Jammeh's stay in Kanilai and posited that the number of working days spent by the President watching wrestling should be deducted from his annual leave.

Asked as to how he felt about having Kanilai as the venue for a seminar on Good Governance, he replied "I did not feel anything different since I have attended workshops in Tendaba Camp. I see no reason why I cannot do the same at Kanilai though I was security conscious but that did not stop me from staying overnight at that place."

Further quizzed on his Kanilai experience, he said: "I went to the place looking very inquisitive, but I did not see much of the exaggerations about Kanilai. It is not different from most of the villages in The Gambia, except for a huge wall that surrounds normal houses like those found in Fajara or along Kairaba Avenue. Apart from some big American cars, I did not see much difference between Kanilai and towns like Brikama or Bansang or any other place. I sincerely believe that there is an over exaggeration about Kanilai", Bah further remarked.

He also observed that the road linking Kanilai to the trunk roads needs to be tarred, as it is in bad shape contrary to what he heard about about it. "There is a diversion leading to a damaged bridge which is dangerous and there is need to rebuild that road and the damaged bridge properly for the safety of guests and others", he added.

Recalling their activities at Kanilai, he said MPs paid a visit to Jammeh at his residence. He quoted Jammeh as having stressed the need for the opposition to be meeting with government to discuss issues of national interest. "I for one, have no problem seeing the President or Cabinet member when the need arises", Bah concluded.

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This, my friends, is not Pamodou's views, but those of the outspoken opposition NRP leader. The picture he has painted about Kanilai is definitely very remote from all that has been written here about the place. This is why it is important to feel strongly only about things that one is sure of and not mere speculations.

By now all should already know, from the little that we've been told here by those who have visited the country recently, that the reality on the ground is a far cry from what some of you have been led to believe.