OBSERVER

Let us dispense with this propoganda that guyanese and norman girvan and others with their agenda are pushing about Barbados.

Let me state a few facts:

1)Guyanese have not built up Barbados.

Guyanese have contributed the least to our sugar industry compared to other carcom workers.In other words they are ‘now come’.

From the 7o’s,80’s, and up to the 90’s barbadian along with our caribbean brothers and sisters from from st lucia,at vincent and dominica came here for over 30 years and worked on our sugar plantations assisting in the sugar and food crop industry.

2)Despite what norman girvan and others say – guyanese are not coming here and doing work in construction,care of the elderly and agriculture that bajans won’t do.

Guyanese are coming here from a place where they earned $5.00 u.s dollars a day and in barbados as an unskilled person can earn up to $40.00 u.s per day.

They therefore are quite willing to undercut the barbadian worker and are known to go behind the back of a barbadian worker and say I will do this job for half the price.

For years many bajan workers were crying out about this practice in construction,while in the home help area every day unskilled bajans are daily asking persons for work in looking after elderly relatives,cleaning etc.

Every year government pay to train unemployed bajan women in Care of the Elderly and even some dishonest illegal guyanese have managed to enroll using their fraudulent I.D.s and sexual favours.

Agriculture is one area where they are making a contribution,but they have done this to the disadvantage of the vincys and lucians whose banna trade has now been destroyed and are willing to work but however will not stoop as low as the guyanese.

Now the planataion owners have a group of people – the guyanese – who will do anything for money and draw the line at nothing;unlike the vincys and lucians.

So they work monday to easter sunday,,Good friday,boxing day – 12 hours a day with overtime so that they can take the hard earned foreign exchange our barbadian companies earn and send it back to guyana.

They pretend to be skilled in every trade when in truth they know nothing about the trade, and have introduced the system of bribing public officers which is the norm back in guyana.

Using fraudulent documents,engaging in prostitution,trafficking of their young women,squatting and defecating in open areas in zone 1 water areas which again is common in even their city georgetown which up to last month in kaeiteur and starbroek newspapers, mayor green was crying out about open sewage on the streets of georgetown.

I can go on and on,but guyanese bring more harm than good,more cons than pros and their contribution to guyana has been grossly exaggerated for obvious reasons.

I guarantee you than when the guyanese leave, Barbados will continue working and will probably work more smoothily when they leave.

Like Australia we have to decide the type of workers by skills and temperment we want in here.

@ mash up &buy back .
Nevertheless, we should not overlook the vital contribution that the Guyanese have made to our sugar industry in their role as Pan Boilers, way before the 70″s.

norman girvan writing a lot of crap. it looks that he wants for barbados what happenin jamaica. he should write about his advice to manley and explain if it helped destroy the jamaica economy. a lot of jamaicans have said so. ignore him because nobody takes him seriously. is it true he was hired by the last blp government?

@LIB

Do you think the onus should be on those making the accusations of abuse to produce evidence?

@David

It’s a pity that the notice didn’t also instruct Guyanese citizens that when they are in Barbados they should also respect the law of the land. Perhaps the Guyanese Gov’t would like the respect for law in Barbados to descend to the same level as it has in Guyana. A Gov’t where one of the most senior cabinet members was denied a US visa because of suspected illegal activity. A Gov’t that sought to cripple one of its then harshest critics by denying it revenue by prohibiting Gov’t ads; looks like Stabroek got the message and is now toeing the line.

I also notice that in these posts that the International economist and Global traveler who is arguing about interpretation of Statutes and nuance about Lowdown’s most recent article has not seen fit to comment on Ramphal’s assertion about “ethnic cleansing”.

Despite all the rhetoric on this debate, that has been the most devastating critique about Barbados coming from a former senior mandarin.

If the Nation was a newspaper we would see articles about that remark instead of salacious reporting on illegal immigrant being dragged off toilets.

@Proud Bajan
“Jamaica has the highest murder rate in the caribbean and we don’t tell them how to deal with that, but they want to tell us law abiding people how to deal with our problems and insult us and our leaders.” [Barbados and Barbadians could offer advice if they wished. The murder problem and the immigration issues are not birds of a feather. If the Jamaican murder problem had some important element that caused by other Caricom non-nationals and Jamaica sought to deal with them through deportation then I would be surprised if the relevent Caricom governments would remain silent. This has been the pattern with regard to US efforts to expel Caricom nationals associated with crime or other misdeeds, which they seek to deport.]

“Im sure if Jamaica had our problem they would kill them at least we give amnesty and a “free” ride home on airplane.” [Too silly to really warrant a reply. But, follow the case of Jerry Small, a Bajan national on fraud charges in Jamaica, see http://www.caribdaily.com/article/171862/bajan-remanded-on-fraud-charge/.%5D

“Jamaica your country is a lawless island and we also have your people living here just to get away from all the crime and lawlessness.” [Not true. Jamaica has a ridiculously high murder rate, and the crimes are concentrated into two major urban areas. It has its origin in a struggle for political control and has been further fuelled by the use of Jamaica as one of several Caribbean staging points for the drug trade between the USA and south America–the World Bank report on crime in the region is good reading. For what it’s worth–and we all like to use anecdotes–my father, who is 80 and lives most of his life in Jamaica, sandwiching 30 years in England, has never been robbed or attacked. No one in my family, has ever been robbed or attacked since I was born in the mid 1950s. I have a young cousin whose friend was recently murdered. The Jamaicans I know who live here came from many places, including Jamaica, but not to escape crime and lawlessness. Most of them, whether or not they have homes there, return to Jamaica frequently, and send their children there for holidays. That is not the behaviour of people who fled crime and lawlessness. My wife, a non-Jamaican Caricom national worked there over several years and still goes there often on business, and has never had an indicent to report–and she is a great target.]

Incovenient truths?

What were the original nationalities of the persons that started Banks Breweries and Life of Barbados (now merged with Sagicor)?

Who was the first High Commissioner of Barbados to the UK. He was appointed by the Great E.W.Barrow.

@Sargeant
Sir Sridath is a big enough fellow to come to his own defence if he feels the need, and given that he has a home here should be easily contacted for a follow up comment. The remarks that I have read are the following: “‘The knock on the door at night’ is not within our regional culture; still less are intimations of ‘ethnic cleansing’”. He’s right: those things are not part of the Caribbean culture. Do you disagree?

@LIB

You know that this is a false statement. Immigration, Bailiffs, Police routinely raid the homes of potential suspects at the early morning period for the obvious reasons. Nothing new there at all.

Your other comment submitted on 2009/06/28 at 12:44pm:

Despite the numbers given by Prime Minister Thompson yesterday from which you have extrapolated to use your words you still think the responses in the Jamaican editorials and elsewhere in the region are appropriate?

As this issue goes, I am coming to the conclusion that the announcement of an amnesty, etc was a mistake. The government should have just let (encourage) the immigration dept. and the police do their job i.e find the illegal migrants and deport them. Maybe there should be moratorium on renewing/extending or granting new work permits.

Now that Linsay Holder has exposed David Commisiong in his letter to the editor which appeared in the BarbadosAdvocate, what now?

David Comissiong, was that you?

6/26/2009

IN AN article appearing in another daily on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009 and titled ‘Misleading Policy’, David Comissiong continued his tirade against the proposed managed migration policy of the current Government of Barbados. He made two particularly interesting statements in the article, and they are as follows:
“This inhumane approach to our Caribbean brothers and sisters may be contrasted with the progressive and constructive policy that was pursued by the previous administration”.
“However, rather than allowing needed migrant workers from Guyana to come to Barbados in an ad hoc manner, we need to put a formal ‘migrant labour programme’ in place and run it properly!”
In response to Mr. Comissiong’s article, I invite readers to guess who made the following comments in 2005.
“With the Owen Arthur styled Caribbean Single Market and Economy, Barbadians are witnessing the opposite of the vision of the ‘founding fathers’ of Caribbean Integration. Rather than over populated Barbados providing the vastly under populated Guyana with skilled and productive workers, the Guyanese labour force is being siphoned off to Barbados in a scheme designed to lower the wages of Barbadian workers and produce more profits for the Barbadian capital class”.
No doubt, you guessed correctly. That person was none other than David Comissiong.

Lindsay Holder

Don’t fellow bloggers realize that what could perhaps be described as the greatest scorn to have so far been dished out to a lead blog on this BU blogsite, could actually be developing on this BU blog at this time??

And what a most disconcerting sight it is for many bloggers to realize that so many commenters are avoiding posting comments under Mr. Hartley Henry’s latest contribution to this blogsite, as if it were being seen that they were attempting to avoid the leper.

That they have decided NOT to furnish comments under Mr. Henry contribution on essentially the SWINE FLU and its effects on the country, is also akin to a situation whereby nobody in Barbados wants to contract the same virus of which he writes about. Never before has the PDC seen such a lead blog so repudiated and shunned by other commenters in all of our time spent posting and reading comments on this blogsite. Up to the time of our starting to write this post, there was just one measly comment under that thread for the two days or so that that thread has been around.

Surely, this kind of rejection must contain serious lessons to be learned by this political nuisance. It has been clear for a while that many persons on this blog are sick, tired and fed up with much of the nonsense and frivolity that he writes and continues to send off to the relevant media – the Barbados Advocate and the BU blog – in this country.

Certainly, we in PDC have been observing on here and elsewhere some very pungent and unsavory talk about the lack of measure and content of his articles. But, gone are the days when his party – the DLP – used to be in the opposition, and he used to write with much passion, coherence and logic about so many issues and problems in the country!! But look how terribly he fallen from his proverbial tommy horse.

Such a rejection of Mr. Henry’s latest dose of inappropriate writing method, could also have much to do with the fact that many persons in Barbados are becoming more and more intolerant of the type of personality he begets, as observed through this style of writing. The way he writes, esp. when he drools about some of his overseas shopping trips; about some type of fruits (mangoes?) he purchased somewhere in Barbados sometime ago; and about his making crass excuses for the massive failures so far of this government to avoid the worse impacts on Barbadians as a result of recessionary conditions, would no doubt very much indicate how arrogant, cocky and how half ignorant a fellow he might be or is. Well, of course, NOT many people in Barbados that we know admire arrogance, cockiness and down right ignorance as coming from others!!

Truth be told though there are so many important issues and problems that are happening in this country that this former reporter cum public relations expert so-called regional political strategist ought to be writing about critically. But, no, it suits him to think that he can write such friviologies, and with that situation scores of Thompson supporters who are now suffering financially and otherwise would still support him, philosophically. Well, huh!!

The one but last lesson – for now – to be learned by this individual is that because so many, many Barbadians are becoming increasingly tired already of this DLP Government and its failures and have rightly been associating him with this government and its failures – does mean he is bound to take some of the heat for these failures. That such an individual – who is so lacking in real political science skills – could have been put to the test in his capacity as some political advisor to this failing government – and can therefore be found to be struggling shows the type of dressed up and puffed up bare-necked political yardfowl he is. What a pity too that DLP supporters on this blog have NOT even come to his rescue but are finding it more important and interesting to comment on other subjects on here!!

Finally, to those who have refused to otherwise comment under Mr. Henry’s thread we say to them to continue to load it to hell on.

PDC

For those who do NOT know the real maze, or mess, that Mr. Commissiong has put himself in over this immigration issue, simply get access to a copy of last Friday’s Weekend Nation Newspaper and one would see the kind of confusion that exists within the PEP camp over this immigration issue.

And take note that some times the Nation Newspaper can – by doing very deliberate and mischievous things – depending on how one looks at it or NOT – be found guilty of helping to foment greater and unnecessary division and controversy within and among certain groups of people in Barbados surrounding these kinds of issues.

Anyhow, we have tried NOT to enter this discussion under this thread for reasons that we have already long stated our position with regard to the immigration affairs of Barbados. Thus, it is for this primary reason that we need NOT have any restatement of it at this stage, and therefore no resulting debate with anybody concerning it or concerning the almost unnecessary stoking of a national debate over the immigration affairs of the country. As well, too, we will never allow this joke DLP Government to indirectly set our immigration policy agenda.

Furthermore, we have tried harder NOT to publicly criticize or expose our friends over at the PEP in regard of some of the open weaknesses that are found within their policy and political strategy affairs, given that it is far better to allow the PEP to grow and develop in this country without many esp unwarranted public criticisms of it than to try to do as much as possible to disable it on its present trajectory.

For, once it is clear and certain that Mr. Commissiong is about helping to make the PEP a viably strong people centered political fighting force in the long run – the truth must be that hordes of people in Barbados must be eventually seen to be in need of the PEP more than ever in the country, mainly because the vast majority of the masses and middle classes must be inspired and guided along the way by at least three new people centered national political organizational entities, into helping to root these two traditional backward parties – the DLP and BLP – out of the parliament of this country.

Having said that, though, the PDC must say that we have been so emboldened by the highlighting of the above contradictions in the various positions that the PEP leader has over time held on some CSME/Immigration matters, that we must tell many bloggers that having accessed a copy of the particular issue of the Weekend Nation Newspaper, to realize that on page 12 of this said Weekend Nation Newspaper there is the PEP column that continues to rail against aspects of this present government’s recent immigration policy, but that on page 13 there is – for reasons best known to the Nation Newspaper – placed a letter to the Editor over the name Neville Roach – who was Mr. Commissiong’s campaign assistant during the last election – that endorses this government’s immigration policy.

So, there you have it evidence of the maze, or mess, Mr. Commissiong and the PEP is in with regard to this said immigration issue. Also, this is clear evidence of some weakness in the consensus building processes and policy formulation and political planning strategies of the PEP, which we hope they will be able to correct as quickly as practicable.

PDC

@Livinginbarbados

Sir Sridath is a big enough fellow to come to his own defence
*************************************
On this and other blogs we are always parsing the words of politicians and would be politicians to get to the hidden meaning.
The “honourable” Knight could have made his point if he had used the word “discrimination” instead of “ethnic cleansing”. A particularly harsh comment on the strength of a few deportations of illegal immigrants from Guyana. I thought that the phrase would have stuck a chord with you; however it appears I was mistaken.

I hope that I can speak for other Bajans in saying that we now have an understanding of Ramphal’s agenda.

I am an avid follower of Bacchanal Calypso tent. Never missed an opening night
For the first time Norman Faria turns up to the tent. He was recognized as te only white man in the crowd. He must have been surprised, in that the Bajan women gave the Guyanese lady who sang the Guyanese song a respectful round of applause.
He came looking for more hostile environment, but Barbadians are the most loving of all Caribbean people. They are always willing to please people.
He can now go and write something positive about Barbados.

Was there ever a doubt that Barbados’ social services were being stressed.I’m getting the impression that we’ll have to stop universal healthcare coverage & education if these problems are not fixed in a timely manner where everyone will have to pay the appropriate fees.

http://www.nationnews.com/news/local/donville-copy-for-web

“ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS in Barbados have started to affect the country’s social services adversely and Government cannot ignore that situation.

Minister of Health Donville Inniss disclosed that public health facilities were under mounting pressure as a result of having to deal with the high number of undocumented immigrants.

However, he told the DAILY NATION that Government would not change its policy of not seeking to know people’s immigrant status before providing them with health care.

“But the reality is that it is a necessary expectation that any large increase with respect to inward migration would place pressure on our hospital, our polyclinics and all our health care facilities,” he said.

Inniss said Barbados’ small size and limited resources militated against having open borders to everybody.

He added the granting of an amnesty was something Government was not under an obligation to do, and people had to comply with the law.

“I find it very strange that the individuals who are calling for us to allow people who are illegal to remain in Barbados are the same ones who would criticise ZR drivers for reckless behaviour and breaking the law; criticise young people for their behaviour and breaking the law.

“Every country has laws that must be respected, and the reaction of these people is that they are condoning illegal activity,” he said.

Inniss dismissed complaints that authorities were “rounding up” illegal immigrants.

“If you are living in a country illegally and it is the determination of the immigration office that you are to be deported, what are we to do? Give you a phone call and tell you that we are coming for you next Thursday at 2 a.m.? You do not make an appointment with an individual to deport them,” Inniss explained.

He said he did not hear anyone complain when Barbadians were deported from the United States, Britain or Canada after being there illegally or committing other crimes. He added that in many of those cases Barbadians were given their belongings in a plastic bag and sent on their way.

“Our approach has been far more humane. There is not an ounce of inhumanity in what we are doing, and Barbadians who share these views need to get up and speak up about it. It is a vocal minority criticising this policy and it is their right to criticise,” he stated.

He also had advice for regional leaders criticising Barbados’ immigration policy.

“What other Caribbean leaders should do is mind their own business in respect of this matter. They should do like Barbados and fix their economies and get them to the point where their citizens do not feel the need to run away,” he said. “

I want to direct readers attention to an article in today’s Starbroek newspaper where a guyanese woman – a savita boodram (i think is her name) went to Canada on a visitors permit – did not leave the country – went and got married to a mad man -a canadian suffering from schizophrenia.

Obviously this man was asn easy prey.
And like most of these illegal guyanese here in Barbados,especially the indian ones,she went and got 2 children quickly – one is 8 months old (still a baby) and she is pregnant again.

Guess what people,despite her marriage to a canadian,despite her being pregnant and having a young 8 months old baby,the canadian authorities decided that she was an illegal and was put on a plane for deportation.

Luckily her doctor gave a medical report that she should not travel because of a difficuly pregnancy and she was given a reprieve.

Where is basdeo jagdeo,where is shridath ramphal,where is compton bourne,where is ralph gonsalves,norman girvan – and all those who are bashing barbados for inhumane treatment of illegals?

I suppose that is the white people country so they can do as they like.

What this case shows is that being married to a citizen of a country,and even getting children – does not guarantee you the right to stay in that country.

I hope Ms Farmer and the immigration department are reading this.

You obviously have a difficulty reading or understanding, Negroman. The Minister said “…the Government would NOT change its policy of not seeking to know peoples immigrant status before providing them with health care” What did you think that means?

LIB, perhaps by lholder’s “casual observation” (LOL).

@David/Themis
Could be both, perhaps, but my visits to doctors here (not QEH or polyclinic) have never sought any info on my residency status. More grist for the confusion mill.

Barbadians may not have paid attention when people like Pol Pot, Benito Mussolini, Adolph Hitler, Idi Amin, Slobodan Milosevic, Charles Taylor Osama Bin Laden, Chemical Ali were terrorizing and slaughtering innocent people. But since January 15, 2008 (with the help of Clico’s millions) Barbadians would have been monitoring the rise of a Dictator.

They would have seen David Thompson of Barbados and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ali Khamenei of Iran, in action.

For while in his hard-line policy, David Thompson has ban the Opposition from CBC – in Iran, the same is being done to the Opposition.

It is why many would willingly agree that David Thompson most resembles Pol Pot and Hitler. Still there will be little doubt that these men carry: “The Mark of the Beast.”

Pol Pot began by declaring, “This is Year Zero,” (Thompson said, Barbados is for Barbadians) and that society was about to be “purified.” Capitalism, Western culture, city life, religion, and all foreign influences were to be extinguished in favor of an extreme form of peasant Communism. (Thompson is riding Barbados of Guyanese who are being stalked and targeted)

All foreigners were thus expelled, embassies closed, and any foreign economic or medical assistance was refused.

The use of foreign languages was banned.

Newspapers and television stations were shut down, radios and bicycles confiscated, and mail and telephone usage curtailed.

Money was forbidden. All businesses were shuttered, religion banned, education halted, health care eliminated, and parental authority revoked. Thus Cambodia was sealed off from the outside world.

In Barbados, by deporting Caribbean people, while leaving brand-name persons from China and Europe intact – like Hitler and Pol Pot, David Thompson is handpicking people for cruel and inhumane treatment.

However, David Thompson is stopping short of what Idi Amin did – in that to date, there is no massacre, tortured, person being beaten to death buried alive.

Still, the reality is, David Thomson is doing precisely what Hitler, Charles Taylor, Pol Pot and Idi Amin did before. He is singling out people (Indo-Guyanese) for his cruel and inhumane treatment.

Left to DLP members and supporters, Guyanese would be massacred, hunted in the night and buried alive.

Once DLP members and supports call the Immigration Department for Guyanese living with their communities, as soon as the Immigration bus starches off for the Airport – the possessions of Guyanese are immediately pounced-upon and confiscated by Dems, for whom the deportation of Guyanese has become a lucrative business.

That an Iron-Fist David Thompson is now doing damage control – is only because of people like Prof. Girvan, Dr. Joseph, Rickey Singh, Sir Ronald Saunders and the Opposition BLP – who have said a loud no to cruel and inhumane treatment, which borders on human rights violations.

Notice in all this – people like Pastor Lucille Baird, Pastor Holford, Pastor Durante and other DLP Pastors – are silent.

It is pressure from the most intelligent within our local and regional society – who have the shared values to stand up and say no – that in his Media Statement on Saturday, June 27, 2009 – Mr. Hardliner a.k.a. Prime Minister David Thompson was forced to say that 177 people had their stay extended and that some 71 Guyanese were in that number.

It is clear that like Pol Pot and Hiller did with the Jews – the DLP is targeting Indo-Guyanese.

But while the decent people in our society is saying “yes” to a Guest Worker programme; respect for the laws of Barbados and managed Migration – they are saying a loud “no” to Thompson’s cruel and inhumane treatment of Guyanese, in particular.

Mr. Iron-Fist was forced to say on Saturday that there are 380 applications for renewal of short-term permits and 294 of that number are on behalf of Guyanese.

But, even before Thompson spoke, several Guyanese had already complained that their permits were not being renewed even though they kept checking with the immigration department.

Notice that “Thompson the Terrible” – made absolutely no reference to the number of Guyanese his administration deported, as part of its clampdown – who had merely gone in to the Immigration Department for a renewal, but were ambushed.

Hear Mr. Iron Fist speak on Saturday: “I have no reason to believe that the majority of these applications will not be approved.”

He added that in his opinion, the level of activity by immigration and police during this period “does not in any way represent any hardening of attitude or abrasive action towards Guyanese nationals.”

Do you understand that people are being ambushed in the dead of the night as they sleep you know!

So what nonsense when Guyanese and OECS nationals are being rounded-up and deported for three reasons.
Firstly, they are not philanthropists; Secondly, they are part of a ploy in which the DLP wants to create a distraction tactic – so Barbadians would not focus on the economy, but would incorrectly blame Guyanese ( and not the DLP) for the hardship they (Barbadians) now endure; Thirdly, rounding up Guyanese and OECS nationals and deporting them is the DLP’s idea of a job creation strategy – hence the DLP’s public statement that Barbados is for Barbadians first and Thompson’s threat to the local private sector, not to employ people from CARICOM.

Who says history does not repeat itself: “Pol Pot, Benito Mussolini, Adolph Hitler, Idi Amin, Slobodan Milosevic, Charles Taylor Osama Bin Laden, Chemical Ali, David Thompson of Barbados and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ali Khamenei of Iran.”

The Minister said “…the Government would NOT change its policy of not seeking to know peoples immigrant status before providing them with health care” What did you think that means?

Livinginbarbados
I take it that your status is also in order?

The Ministers statement is not mind boggling or difficult to understand surely????

@WIV
My status is a matter really between me and the government, but thanks for asking.

I have not seen a statement from the Minister; I read a report from a journalist. If what the minister said were broadcast, then I would gladly listen to that and know whether what the reported conveyed was the same.

David has indicated that status may incidently become known but not be sought specifically, and that makes sense.

I think GT girl was more pitied than anything else in the Tent Sunday Night at the Party stand.

I SAY SO !

@WishingInVain

I was wondering the same thing.Pending applications for Skilled certificates do not confer a legal right to stay in Barbados.

The statement also appears quite clear that the Barbados Government seeks to know a person’s status before providing healthcare but does NOT turn away illegal immigrants or appear to report them to the Immigration dept..Therefore,the social service of Healthcare is under threat.

As I’ve said before legally speaking,Only Citizens of Barbados or Legal permanent residents should be accorded the benefit of free healthcare.

I will advise all right thinking barbadians employed as health care workers;nurses,doctors,accounts personnel etc who are in possession of information of illegal persons accessing the health care system,they should inform the enforcement division of the Immigration Department.

Be patriotic and support your prime minister and your country.