German Tourist Changes Holiday Destination Following Halifa Sallah’s Illegal Arrest

Dear Editor,

I am not a Gambian and I know nothing about the country, but my eye was caught by the headline “Gambian Opposition Leader Halifa Sallah Goes on Felony Trial” in a paper called the Senegambia News when I was searching the Internet for suitable holiday destinations and typed in “Gambia”. Over the past few days, I’ve tried to follow the story, in your own paper and others, and understand it.

We know that things are different in free western countries, but it seems that this man was working for the good of the people, so how come the government is not supporting him instead of locking him up?

Is the government not also working for the good of the people? So why is Mr. Sallah considered to be a bad person? I don’t understand!

Is the whole government so afraid of one man that they have to arrest him and lock him away? Surely not! Are they showing the whole world that they are afraid of opposition? (Because Mr. Sallah is mentioned as being an opposition leader).

Fear makes people do strange and sometimes foolish things, but governments are supposed to think things through and not make bad mistakes like this, appearing to be afraid. I have read on the Internet that the “whole world is laughing” at this ridiculous situation and my friends in Taiwan are saying that it has heavily influenced their view of the country.

It is evident to sane people that a corrupt judge from within a corrupt system will conduct any trial. If the leaders were wise, they would quietly give up this nonsense before it affects their pockets. I’ve already decided the Gambia isn’t for me as a holiday destination. I’ll go somewhere with a mature government that doesn’t pick on people who are trying to make their job easy for them. There must be hundreds of thousands of people all over the world who feel the same.

Whatever happens to Mr. Sallah, he will have won, unless he is set free quietly, and with an apology from a clever and competent Head of Government.  Having read your comments and those of other online sources, I am not sure if the Gambian President is capable of being either clever or competent, but he is perfectly at liberty to prove me wrong!