D.A. Jawo
Banjul

Quote: "It is no use trying to lock the staple door after the horse has been
stolen."

There cent canoe disaster at the Banjul - Barra crossing, which resulted in
the death of several people, was no doubt an accident always waiting to
happen.

Without any prejudice to the outcome of whatever investigations the
authorities may carry out, there were no doubt certain ominous signs that such
a disaster could happen there sooner rather than later. Therefore, it could
not have come as a complete surprise to many people considering the
unregulated nature of the traffic across that stretch of water. However, the
measures taken by the authorities after the disaster can only be described as
too little and too late.

If indeed proper steps were taken earlier on to regulate things, we would not
have been mourning such precious lives today.

The Banjul - Barra crossing remains the Achilles' Heal of this country's road
communication network. While there are not enough ferries to service the
ever-growing number of passengers on the route, the two available ferries are
also often plagued by poor servicing, resulting in more delays to travellers.

Indeed, most of the time there is usually only one ferry operational at any
given time, thus compelling travellers to use the dangerous small boats and
canoes to cross. As a result of the poor ferry services, many precious
man-hours are wasted in waiting to cross, no doubt costing quite a lot,
particularly to the business community, to whom every minute is money. The
ferry service, even at the best of times hardly operates according to schedule
and as a result, travellers can hardly plan their schedules.

It is as a result of such unprecedented delays by the ferries and the poor
services they render that have no doubt encouraged the proliferation of small
boats and dug-out canoes. Therefore, any attempt at this stage by the
authorities to stop their operation would be counter-productive and result in
quite lot of hardship to the ordinary people from both sides of the river who
need to cross everyday in order to transact their business. All that the
authorities needed to have done but failed to do was to put in place a
stringent regulatory framework for both the ferries and the other river craft
in order to make them more efficient and safer.

However, any attempt to stop or even minimize the operations of the small
boats and canoes could lead to clandestine crossings, which can be more
dangerous. Therefore, there is no point in instituting such drastic measures
after the disaster when simple regulatory measures could have prevented it.
Indeed we should thank our God that it was not one of the ferries involved in
such a disaster, particularly seeing how slow emergency rescue can be
mobilized.

"I know it is risky, but I must continue to use the small boats to cross
because I cannot afford to sit the whole day waiting for the ferry when I have
important things to look after," said a frequent traveller.

It is one thing to licence all boat and canoe operators, but it is quite
another to ensure safety operations. What is required is no doubt more regular
inspection of the sea worthiness of the crafts and their operators, of course
by competent inspectors. That of course should include the ferries as well.
They should always ensure that both the operators and all their navigational
equipment are technically competent. It is also necessary to ensure that the
services are improved and better coordinated in order to avoid the present
chaotic situation that seem to obtain at both sides of the crossing.

It is indeed hard to see why river traffic is not given adequate attention as
road traffic, when it is just as important for certain areas of the country.

Virtually everywhere, there are traffic policemen checking on the
roadworthiness of vehicles as well as checking on the credentials of their
drivers. Why can't the authorities do the same for river traffic? There should
be a proper policing mechanism which would not only licence all river craft,
but to put in place a competent regulatory framework which would constantly
inspect all river craft on a regular basis for safety as well as all their
operators for efficiency. The situation at present seems so unregulated that
anyone can jump into any type of river craft and carry passengers across the
river. It does not only happen at the Banjul - Barra crossing, but all over
the country. It is therefore time that the relevant authorities wake up to
their responsibilities and accord river travellers the same protection that
they give to road travellers.

Do we need a military aircraft?

One of the surprising highlights of the last Independence celebrations at the
Independence Stadium was, no doubt, the acrobatic display by a military
aircraft said to belong to the Gambia Armed Forces.

The questions that everyone seems to be asking are how the Gambia acquired
such an expensive toy, how much it cost the country and whether there is any
need for it. Indeed it was no doubt part of what one TV commentator referred
to as President Jammeh's "the sky is the limit" promise. However, it is hard
to imagine what use this country has for a military aircraft. Even assuming
that it was obtained free of charge, probably from Ukraine or Libya (the two
most likely benefactors), but certainly, this country cannot afford to
maintain it.

I have no doubt that it must have cost a fortune to even make that acrobatic
display, let alone to maintain it in an airworthy condition for any lengthy
time.

The geography and socio-economic nature of The Gambia is such that this kind
of aircraft can only be needed for external defence. Therefore, being almost
virtually surrounded by Senegal, the only possible external aggressor against
this country, would be Senegal or at least with their connivance. Therefore,
even with this aircraft, do we really have the capacity and military
capability to fend off any such determined aggression from any quarter?

Another pertinent question that people ask is whether the introduction of the
aircraft on Independence Day when President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal was the
guest of honour was merely coincidental or it was deliberately meant as a
message to him that The Gambia also has fire power.

However, whatever the mode and reasons for the acquisition of the aircraft, it
is certainly not a priority for his country. There are a thousand and one
priorities on which whatever money to be spent on the upkeep of the aircraft,
could have gone to. Even assuming that President Jammeh acquired it through
the same means he used to acquire his own New Millennium aeroplane, I wonder
whether he has the resources to maintain both aircraft.

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