Your Excellency,
We the people from Brufut in UK,Western Europe and
North America are compelled to bring to your attention
the land problems between our people back home, TAF
construction and your Government.During your
Presidential campaign in Brufut, you promise our
people that the land belong to them a decision we
think you should stick to for the interest of peace
and stability in our community.
Your excellency, we are disheartening with the current
news coming out from the land issues. TAF at the
moment announced over the media that they would
carryout a demolition exercise over an area in Brufut,
which is supposed to be a state land in collaboration
with the Department of physical planning and housing.
What is state land? Who is the state anyway? With the
gratest respect your excellency The state is no more,
no less than the people of this country. In this case
it is our people in Brufut who own the land.
Our people in Brufut have lost part of our land to
Brusubi Housing Development, Department of Parks and
Wild Life. Brusubi has brought us neither electricity
nor water not even to mention telephones.
The planned demolition exercise is merely an attempt
to clear the ground for the benefit and interest of
"TAF construction" Our people have rejected TAF's
proposal and offer of compensation. Your excellency,
it seem the present policies of your Government on the
matter would rather defend the corporate interest of
TAF than care about the thousand of landless youths
and the poor in Brufut.
If this so-called state land is allocated to TAF, it
is done without the consent of our people and without
disclosing to you and your cabinet the true facts on
the ground.The state Department of Local Government
and Lands ignored or pretended that there were no
developments on the ground affecting the area. Or
"Kabilos" in Brufut who owned the land have for the
past three years been sharing the land amongst
ourselves.
Why should our people in Brufut not be allowed to
build and live on the land that our forefathers have
ploughed and tendered for centuries? If this land in
Brufut is allocated to TAF our youths in Brufut will
have no land to build and live on. Our people in
Brufut will not be able to affrd this proposed high
class residential houses by TAF. Ti will lead to
affluence in the midst of poverty in Brufut. The
policy of conceding our entire coastline to foreigners
in the name of Tourism Development Area (TDA) has lost
credibilty. Are Gambians not goog enough to live on
the best parts of our own land? Tourism is good for
development but tourists are notoriously fair weather
friends. A wrong travel advice could turn all our
tourist sights into deserted areas. Ordinary Gambians
should have the option of being able to live near the
beach and so shoud the people of Brufut.
Your excellency the land administration in our country
is in disarray because our so-called officials are
self-serving. After the debacle of "Suntu Yahi" the
Department of State for Local Government and Lands is
still determined to give more land to TAF
construction. TAF's project in New Yundum is at the
expense of ordinary landowners some of whom remain
uncompensated. The proposal for high class residential
home in Brufut is not wanted by our people. We are
happy with our mud houses.
On purely economic point, why should the government
subsidise a private individual in the person of TAF
construction for the so-called development project?
Should TAF not buy rather than be "allocated" the land
he wants for his projects?No matter how TAF's
project's are dressed up, it's remains, purely money
making enterprise from an entrepreneur and as such TAF
should be buying the lands he needs at market pricies
either from individual owners or from the state.
Your excellency, it seems rich and powerful peopleonly
have to point out the sites(land) they want and it is
allocated to them.Ordinary Gambians have to wait for
years for state layouts and even then, only persons
with influntial friends are allocated plots.
Your Excellency, in the interest of social and
political stability in Brufut,we the Brufut community
in diaspora respectfully urge your Government to order
a stop the propose project.
Respectfully,
Signed on behalf of the Brufut community in diaspora:-
Abdou Karim Sanneh Manchester UK
Dave Manneh Southampton UK
Kutubo Manneh Saudi Arabia
Ismaila Bojang Alanta USA
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