----- 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 > > > > - > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~