----- 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]

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