----- 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]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~