In a message dated 12/30/2001 7:00:09 AM Central Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:


> As we look forward to a bumper harvest and bumper tourist arrivals, The
> Gambia government is continuing to amaze its citizens with more
> infrastructural developments. The transparent, free and fair conduct of the
> recently concluded presidential elections and the President's excellent
> inaugural speech, gives us even more hope.
>
> The re-construction of the Badala Park highway from the SeneGambia Beach
> Hotel area, where it joins the Kombo coastal highway, to stink corner has
> now been completed and is truely a highway now. It now takes only a few
> minutes to drive to SeneGambia from Kanifing, Bakau and Fajara.
>
> Add to all these, is the British High Commissioner's reception of President
> Jammeh's inaugural speech. Culled from the Independent, please read on.
>
> Have a good day, Gassa.
>

Gassa,

All this is great, and no Gambian will frown upon any progress for our
country. Now, if the present government will stop the human rights abuses and
the terrorizing of the citizenry by the NIA, and let the press and the public
express their rights to support the party of their choice without
persecution, as well as express their opinions freely without the NIA
knocking on their doors in the mddle of the night, and if the government
stops labelling Gambians as enemies of the state and every other name just
because of their opposition to injustice of any sort, and their voicing of
this opposition as well as the condemnation of the heavy handedness of the
government, then we can all truely say that our country is moving forward.

Any kind of progress coupled with what is for all intents and purposes the
makings of a police state, only goes to undermine such progress and tarnishes
a good and commendable effort no matter how much it's supporters who refuse
to be objective, both for their own sake as well as for the sake and overall
well being of their fellow countrymen, try to conduct public relations on
their behalf.

When our leaders finally learn that to have the continued support of the
people simply requires not the barell of the gun or the heavy hand of
repression, but merely taking great care not only to bring material progress,
but to safeguard  every aspect of the rights of the people for self
expression, it will be a great day.

I hope we arrvie at this juncture eventually, and when we do, all of the
people who refuse to see that; as Martin Luther King once said,

"injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere"
will come to realize that those who are objective in their analysis of our
leaders and how they deal with the people, and  who are not satisfied with
just serving blind supporters for our own personal interest at the expense of
the rest of our compatriots, are indeed the voices that will eventually
safeguard our future for the benefit of all because they refuse to close
their eyes to the fact that we do not have to echange material progress for
our rights, but that we can actually have both.

Have a good day.

Jabou Joh


Regards,
Mrs Jabou N.Joh,
President/ceo,
Cumberland Investment Group,
557 Holt Valley Rd,
Nashville, TN, 37221
Tel: (615) 269 6949
Mobile: (615) 573 1785
Efax: (240) 371 5557 / (702) 995 0969

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