Ebrima, your expertise in democracy and what you think prevails in The Gambia leaves a lot to be desired. I would have thought that, by now, you would have grasped the the consequence of sanctions on the ordinary people of this country. Whereas I agree that the democracy being practised in The Gambia needs to be further improvrd and nortured, the constant gloom you paint about the situation in the country is far from the truth. To imply that the country is in a chaotic state where lawlessness is the order of the day and that there is no justice or freedom of expression or of religion is totally untrue. The level of freedom of speech or expression now in The Gambia has never occured in the history of this country. If you must know, there is a weekly talkshow on radio one Fm every sunday afternoon when panelists from all walks of life and including opposition party members debate issues of national interest without any censorship or fear. People are encouraged to call and express their views freely without prejudice. This is but one of several improvements in the governance situation in the country. Let's enlighten each other and debate issues of national interest maturely and decently based on facts and the desire to educate and improve on the governance situation in the country. To lobby for sanctions against the country or paint such a gloomy picture of the country is not the way forward. 2D truth. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------