By Arret Jatta
Two weeks after leading what became known as the candle light protest over acute power outage in the capital which spontaneously spread across the Greater Banjul Area, the National Assembly Member for Banjul North Modou Lamin Bah has hit back at criticisms from fellow lawmakers mainly from the governing NPP, who accused him of politicising the demo.
In a statement directed at the critics, Bah said the protest was a peaceful response to what he described as a worsening electricity crisis during which some areas go for 12 hours or more without power, affecting water supply in households, businesses and hospitals.
Hon Bah said the failure of major generation machines, reduced regional imports and an aging transmission network are to blame.
According to him, the use of candle in the protest was not for drama but a symbol used to send a message that “we were tired of darkness and that in this age (2026) our people should not live by candle light.”
The Banjul North Member rejects claims that the protest was political, saying it was a demonstration of a fundamental right of people to services they deserved.
In conclusion, Bah called on Nawec to provide a clear load-shedding timetable and urged the government to fast-track its promised solutions. He appealed to young people in Banjul and elsewhere to remain peaceful, saying, “We cannot develop Banjul North and The Gambia in darkness.”