Mr. Sidibeh,
I am very delighted that your likes are also showing interest in this issue
and asking questions. This is the only way to move our nation forward
without much aggravation. Having said that, let me make it abundantly clear
that I was contacted by Taf and he asked if I minded forwarding his part of
the story. Of course I said I would be more than happy to do so. For this
reason, whatever I attribute to him, you can take it as coming from him. He
is still subscribe to the L (though not the Gambia-post) and he can refute
or clarify anything that is different from the reality from his end.
Going back to the Brufut land issue, you asked a few questions that I would
rather asnwer by way of asking more questions. From my own point of view,
the questions that I do not answers to, thus far, are:
1. Does the TDA exist or not?
2. Who has claim to the TDA lease and what area does it cover?
3. How does the 1991 Lands Act define land ownership in our country?
4. Based on existing laws and the constitution, who does the land in
question actually belong to? In other words does the land belong to the
state or the Manneh clan?
5. Did Taf follow the correct and normal procedures for the acquisition of
land for his project?
6. Is Taf's project in the national interest or not?
Once I have answers to ALL these, then I would make up my mind as to who to
support in this case.
Have a good day, Gassa.
PS. Taf has promised to give me a scanned copy of the land use map of the
area showing the demarcation of the TDA and where he was allocated land. Is
it possible to have displayed on the L? Just a thought.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Momodou S Sidibeh" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Sunday, August 11, 2002 2:06 PM
> Subject: Re: Operation House The Nation - Part 2
>
>
> Gassa,
>
> I want first of all to thank you for using your invaluable time
> dredging up so much important information from different sources in
> your efforts to
> keep
> us abreast with developments in this important land issue in Brufut.
> Like most readers, I am finding them quite useful.
>
> I am assuming however, that your discusions with Taf is primarily to
> provide
> him a channel through which he can argue or rather lay his case to
> those Gambians who, through mailing list media, have levelled severe
> criticism against his company's controversial acquisition of
> communally owned land in Brufut. If that assumption is correct then it
> should be encouraging that debates and discussion in mentioned media
> raises local Gambian concerns to
> a
> degree that at least some important entrepreneurs find it worth their
> while to make their opinions known both on Gambia-L and Gambia|Post.
>
> We should perhaps continue to vigourously debate in a respectful
> disposition, national issues so as to entice Gambia leaders both in
> industry
> and politics to use their time to respond to concerns raised here.
>
> My big question to Taf is why, in spite of the availability of virgin
> land (?) elsewhere in the coastal regions, he seems to have insisted
> in
> acquiring
> land in Brufut still mired in much controversy? Does he not realise
> that
> the
> inhabitants of Brufut, because they have categorically indicated that
> they have no interest whatsoever in giving up tenure over their land
> nevermind compensation, that the long-term interest of Taf
> Construction lies in abandoning that project?
> (The premises I am begging here is simply that, irrespective of acts
> of parliament passed in favour of TDA along the Kombo coast, people
> will not quitely submit tenure over traditionally owned land on the
> bases of such legality. There is an obvious clash between modern
> legislation and
> cultural
> rights that cannot simply be abolished by laws passed in Banjul).
>
> Sidibeh, Stockholm/Kaatong
>
>
>
> -
>
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