By Kemo Kanyi
Former aspiring female presidential candidate 2021, Marie Sock, has called on President Adama Barrow to clarify the deportation agreement signed with the German government in 2017.
She said the government should, by all means, show transparency in issues of national concern and tell the citizens about criteria or yardstick for deportation.
“My concern is, how did they negotiate the journeys, How could they negotiate for Gambians to be returned, What were the key factors, or what were the concerns of the Gambia government, What are the criteria that Europeans used as a yardstick to say we are going to deport them?” she asked rhetorically.
She added: “Migration is legal. Migration is everywhere. We have Europeans coming here, there are all kinds of nationalities coming into our country, and all we just tell them is to follow due process. Someone who has been in Germany for more than five years, six years, or ten years, bringing them back wouldn’t help.”
She alleged that over five hundred million Euros were spent by the European Union for the reintegration of the deportees, but to her dismay, nothing was accomplished.
“The Gambia government went to negotiate for the returning. They told the Europeans that they needed money for a reintegration system so that when they came, they would train them by building skill centers, and over 500 million euros were given for the reintegration of those deportees. Where is that money? How many skill centers were built for them,” Madam Socks queried during this exclusive interview.
She further alleged that a three-month program was designed based on which, every month, they (deportees) can be paid stipends, which they can use to sustain themselves.
“After three months, when they finish the program and have enough skills, they can reintegrate into society, but nothing happens. Did you see any reintegration center here? I urged the president to give the boys their money. The government had received monies on each head as per the agreement with the German government.
“After receiving money on each head, I am calling on the President H.E. with all due respect to come out and give these boys their money. His ministers are not doing what they are supposed to do. This is one of the reasons oppositions and other citizens are calling on the president to double up because things aren’t going well,” she pointed out.
She noted that most of the youth who are deported don’t know what criminality is. “Hard-core criminals are working for the government. This must be regulated. Our boys should not be portrayed as criminals,” she cried out.