Lamine Manneh: You are at it again trying to defend a cause that is bound to fail. We disagree totally with Francis's assertion of the plight of the local people. The initiative of providing business incentives in the Gambia is not a bad idea, but the present state of affairs is not conducive. You have touched an area of international trade that is of interest to me. Our dialogue in illustrating conditions for a viable investment in The Gambia can be debated thoroughly. The role of a government is a defining moment in international trade. Foreign investors who are eager to increase their portfolios, are willing to expand to new untapped markets with certain stipulations. Instability in The Gambia is a deterrent to our country's ability in enticing investors to setup businesses in our domain. We are fortunate to compare and contrast the political stability under Sir Dawda and the repressive conditions under dictator yahya. A case in point is the recent attack on Radio One. Any foreign investor will be reluctant to invest in The Gambia because of lawlessness and state sponsored terrorism. Our position on tourist support in The Gambia can only be viable if and when we have a government that is sensitive to the needs of the people. A government should be servants to the people and not their masters. The dictator failed in his suit against the proprietor of Radio One. He, however, resorted to vandalism and total disregard of private property. Francis is no fool to subject his company in a business venture that will fail. He is aware of situations in the Gambia and will be reluctant to invest in a sinking ship that is about to disintegrate. I welcome your reply. Naphiyo, Comrade ML Jassey-conteh ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface ----------------------------------------------------------------------------