Dear Editor,

Gambians deported from Spain but Whose Fault?

I would like to join the debate regarding the Gambian athletes and officials deported from Spain. At the moment there are allegations flying around without anyone telling us those who are truly responsible. Blaming the Spanish police alone is not going to help us take care of such trouble in the future.

I lived in Spain for many years, and as a Spanish national I with many others lived in this country without much difficulty. But since the Gambia Government started to interfere with people’s businesses abroad, the difficulties started. The government must stop thinking that everyone living abroad is an enemy. Is it that because people living in abroad are free to think for themselves, and so they are considered criminals? Or is it that the government wants everyone to come back home to work on the president’s farm or to be remote-controlled to work for a basic D1000 salary?

Tens of thousands of migrants gained papers here as a form of amnesty amidst widespread criticism against the government and these men and women are working hard to help their families home.

It was good that some of these uninformed guys thinking that those in abroad are as idle as president Jammeh, were educated by Foroyaa newspaper that Diaspora Gambians continue to contribute millions of Dalasis through remittances.

I have seen people here who have never attended primary school back home but are now graduates in various disciplines, while others have become respected businessmen.

Besides, we have Ambassadors or High Commissioners to represent us in foreign countries and during this time, several efforts were made to make sure that our officials in Spain intervene on behalf of our boys but to no avail. Some of us even went to see our boys but can’t do a thing about it. It should be the duty of our officials to see to it that Gambians are protected abroad because it's the poor taxpayers who are paying to keep them in office.

As a matter of fact, we cannot pour all the blame on Spanish  immigration police in the midst of all the migrant problems in Europe. Similar situations do happened but the intervention of embassy officials helps a great deal. Our embassy officials were no where to be found, their phone numbers were unavailable, there was no one responding.

It was shocking that The Point newspaper has to contact our boys in Spain and asked what was actually going on while our own government were busy keeping their colleagues in jail and dictating the GRTS to announce false stories about decent citizens. Gambia is the only African country around where its embassy is as useless and hopeless compare to other countries, and sadly, the same problem applies to all our other embassies in Europe.

Also why should the Gambia government keep collecting millions of Euros from such countries in exchange for deporting Gambian migrants? Diplomacy should be based on mutual respect and not doggy deals.

Not too long ago a plane full of Gambian illegal migrants arrived home and instead of helping them settle down financially and emotionally, they were prosecuted for ‘disorderly conduct’ and sent to Mile Two Prison. Why can't the government gave them part of the money they collected from these countries as a fair bargain because after all, that was the agreement. This is a serious crime.

President Wade of Senegal refused to enter into such deals even though he accepted support from such countries. He refused to accept Senegalese being deported in exchange for cash. That was reported here and it is only us who keep this shameful act and keep lying to our young men and women and their families.

With the likes of another dictator called Colonel Ghadafi, West Africans are deported daily to Libya just to please his former adversaries and we only follow this method like a tail without investigation into the reason behind such misdeeds.

Our useless diplomacy based on shouting and insulting foreign diplomats in order to blind-fold us is unacceptable because behind closed-doors we accept money from the same people we keep blaming. How do you expect Mambanyick Njie a person who cannot pass his O’ levels at Gambia High to be responsible for such important role as Sport Permanent Secretary? Is this a joke or what?

Someone who read the Audit Report on our Foreign Embassies will be amazed with what is really happening with our money. I recommend a General Accounting Office be set up as soon as possible if the APRC government is really serious about accountability.

Editor's Note:

Spanish 1st VP Maria Teresa Fernandez visited Gambia in March to strengthen ties with Gambia.

Saney Jagana, Spain