By: Binta Jaiteh
The National Assembly Member for Busumbala, Muhammed Kanteh, on Wednesday clashed with the deputy House speaker Seedy Njie over the trade minister’s failure to provide data on the number of Gambian youths cleared for employment inSaudi Arabia.
“We want to know the list [ of youths cleared] so that each can be accounted for,” NAM Kanteh demanded to know from the trade minister Baboucarr O. Joof during questions for oral answers with various ministers yesterday.
However, deputy speaker at that juncture interjected, insistingthat legislators should read the Standing Orders.
“The Minister answered that they don’t have the list of the employees to be deployed. What answer do you want again,”stated deputy speaker Njie.
According to the deputy speaker, the minister noted that his ministry doesn’t keep the data.
“We don’t come to Parliament with the intention to disrupt the procedures or bully the speaker,” said Njie, adding that the Speaker is the judge of the House who decides which questions are admissible or otherwise.
“Members should respect the Standing Orders because when the Speaker makes a ruling on a particular matter, that is final. There are a lot of rules and Standing Orders that the Speaker could use against lawmakers who are in contravention of the orders,” he charged. He added: “It is a tradition in Parliament that members abuse their powers and bullying the Speaker for the sake of the media. We must avoid that to keep decorum. If you think the Speaker is wrong, use your Standing Orders to seek the attention of Parliament.”
NAM Kanteh sharply reacted to Njie’s, asking him to stop “misleading” the public. Kanteh wondered aloud how a whole Cabinet Minister can tell lawmakers that his Ministry did nothave the data on Saudi labour migration issue.
“It is a settled practice and by law for the minister responsible for employment to formulate policies on labour-related intervention as well as to promote, coordinate and monitor labour workers and safety of the working conditions and accurate data of employees. On this basis, my question for the minister to give us accurate numbers of persons set to go to Saudi Arabia under the work agreement should be answered.
“We cannot afford our youth to suffer under such agreement,” Kanteh pointed out.
He argued that the deputy speaker didn’t want any accountability mechanism to ensure that youth, who are set togo to Saudi Arabia, are accounted for.
“That’s why he intervened to prevent the minister from answering the question. Njie is misleading the Assembly by saying that the minister can give any answer to questions, even if it has no bearing to the question asked,” he stated.
NAM Kanteh described the behaviour of the trade minister as unfortunate and sad before he angrily walked out of the Chambers.
Wuli East lawmaker Suwaibou Touray reminded the Minister that a lot of circular migration agreements have been approved by the Parliament to Saudi Arabia, Spain, and United Arab Emirates (UAE), adding that a lot of hope is generated that jobs will be available in those countries and “now young people are seeking to get passport for traveling”.
“How many jobs did your ministry anticipate from theseagreements,” NAM Touray asked the trade minister.
Minister Joof replied that job mobility is part of human existence and those who intend to move out and have the right skills to fit in the economies could be optimistic that at some time, they will get there.
“It depends on what the agreement contains. As to the number, I am not in the position to update on that but to be assured, a significant number will migrate,” he replied.