Yusupha, Thanks for the welcome and the maturity shown in your post. By the way I don't know how my named got changed to Daddy Nying. I guess the list managers know my wife's surname is Nying. Anyway my name is Kebba Jobe. CLARIFICATION: You see, the point I am trying to make here is not to defend the government's every act or ommission but to highlight some RECENT POSSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS. That this regime's human rights record is abbysmal is to put it mildly. However, recently there has been a significant improvement. As far as I know, I haven't heard of any abitrary arrest, harrasment of journalists or anybody for that matter, since the incarseration of Dumo Saho and Co. This, I think it is a step in the right direction and should be welcomed. I may appear to be defending the regime's human rights record but AM NOT. I am just trying to explain the situation in the country from a different perspective. If Ebrima's source has any evidence to the contrary I would like to be informed. THE RADIO ONE FM SHOW You asked "How can one conclusively say that governance has improved because of a recently started Radio One FM broadcast show"?. If you belief in the power of the media particularly the radio, you wil see the significance of this. The fact that the opposition have access to a private radio where they can publicly question the wisdom or lack of it of the way government does certain things and the public calling to ask how they (the oppositio) would have handled such situations if they were in government, can be effective in allaying some people's concern that the UDP, for example, are just of a bunch of angry people . ON EDUCATION, you don't seem to appreciate the fact that the building of schools is almost as important as recruiting qualified teachers. One has to start somewhere. If the previous government had built schools or trained qualified teachers and provide a condusive environment to retain them, then this government's task would have been much easiar. You do not also seem to see any corrolation between the number of people graduating each year from the Gambia university, the Gambia college, the 480 computers and servers being bought for the schools and its possible impact on education. ON HEALTH, you again seem to suggest that it is a waste of resources to build the numerous clinics and hospitals simply because there aren't many quallified docters, equipment or sufficient medicines. The justification again should be apparent. If you have the docters, equipment and medicine but you don't have any hospita ls or clinics, how are you going to attend to the sick? Honestly I neither think that these clinics and hospitals being built are a waste of resources nor white elephat projects. I am also of the opinion that your assumption that the Cuban doctors serving our sick people are "less qualified" is wrong. They are doing a great job for our country and people. ON THE FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY, I am very surprised that you cannot see the link between food self suffiency and the role of mechanised farming. I am sure you will agree with me when I say that the number of hectres that a single tractor can plough in a day cannot be matched by one hundred farmers using our tradional farming implements. With regards to the Fishery plant projects, how can you remotely suggest that they are a waste of money? If we don't start by building these plants now so that we can derive more from our abundant fish resources then God ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------