Submitted by Lindsay Holder
The following articles were submitted to the local press for publication. To date, three of these articles have been published. There are status statements at the end of those articles that have been published.
Pursuing The Immigration Matter
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Sargeant // July 1, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Can someone explain “The spirit of Caricom”? Or should I ask David Ellis?
————————————————–wait David Ellis does see “Spirits”?
The spirit of Caricom is whatever it’s backers and other regionalist say it is.
I hope to read the speech at some point later .
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Sargeant // July 1, 2009 at 1:49 pm
@Livinginbarbados
Parsing!Parsing!Parsing!
———————————————-difficult as it may be, you must resist the temptation, otherwise you too will be “spinning” in a circle? ha ha ha ha ha lol! tek muh advise. God knows I love to give it.
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@Sargeant
Have you seen any additional responses to Lindsay’s first article aside from George Brathwaite’s hurried attempt?
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I feel like my heart will burst in my chest “They’re not going to import it (ethnic conflict) into Barbados. Let them do it where they;re accustomed doing it. Not in Barbados”. Yuh ratings gone up in my book Thompson. Tell it!! We fought to hard for this country to dash it away just like that. God bless u PM!!
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@Sargeant
I let MUBB decide if the little porkie pie (aka bit of dishonesty) warrants an apology. I for my part do not need one, but if MUBB so determines, I will note that as ‘money in the bank’ in the new world of PDC. -
AH
During the news conference David Ellis asked a question based on “some people said the Immigration policy contravenes “the spirit of Caricom”.
I suppose the spirit of Caricom means different things to different people i.e. to Jagdeo and Gonsalves et al it means open borders in Barbados
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@AH
If Sargeant just sticks to the text and not state something that wasn’t stated (lost count of the straw men now) then he wont spin out control.Time to focus on Canada Day.
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What David meant was the spirit of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas which is, arguably, expressed in Aticle 45…freedom of movement for CARICOM nationals in the single economic space.
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AH
No I haven’t seen any other responses, however if there are some out there I’m sure that they will be brought to BU’s attention.
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Anonymous // July 1, 2009 at 2:35 pm
I feel like my heart will burst in my chest “They’re not going to import it (ethnic conflict) into Barbados. Let them do it where they;re accustomed doing it. Not in Barbados”. Yuh ratings gone up in my book Thompson. Tell it!! WE FOUGHT TO HARD FOR THIS COUNTRY TO DASH IT AWAY JUST LIKE THAT. God bless u PM!!
Anon your Bolded comments brought back memories of a former Bajan Prime Minister, who echoed similar sentiments. Only difference his was self-serving (BLP ) and yours although self-serving is much broader in scope (all BAJANS)
WE HAVE BROUGHT THIS NATION TO FAR, TO FAR, TO NOW TURN IT OVER TO A MAN…….. owen arthur
Given their (BLP) support of illegal immigration, and of allowing the unflux of immigrants we must now deal with, THE WE in Owen Arthurs statement, takes on a even bigger meaning.
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Prime Minister David Thompson had those Journalists in Guyana in his hands.
He totally mesmerized those Guyanese journalists and diffused a lot of that hostility.
Well done. -
Themis // July 1, 2009 at 2:51 pm
What David meant was the spirit of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas which is, arguably, expressed in Aticle 45…freedom of movement for CARICOM nationals in the single economic space.
————————————————–Don’t focus only on the spirit, whatever it is now defined to be. The letter of the document must mean something if not it is useless. Uh mean how do we know that “what David means” is the shared definition of this “sprit” by others? So tell us what the document actually says.
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Hello Folks,
Following is Article 45 as it appears exactly in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.Article 45: Movement of Community Nationals – “Member States commit themselves to the goal of free movement of their nationals within the Community.”
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I suggest you read Article 45 for yourself , AH
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I think the Barbados P.M has put this matter to rest. Some questions from guyanese journalists were so poor that it shows they had the wind knocked out of their sails. Some of their questions were very amateurish. One thing that boyhers me though is when this free movement of CSME citizens starts, what will be the position of a Barbados government , given that if there is a change in parties at some point if the flood gates would open permenently this time.
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@Adrian
A member of the BU household recorded the press conference. It is currently being checked for quality, will update later.
Prime Minister Thompson did well to communicate the Bridgetown position. Some responses had to be shrouded in diplomatic speak but that’s understandable. Let us see how the academics respond.
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@Livinginbarbados
Ok it wasn’t you who found the article too long but it seems to me that was implicit in your criticism. However turnabout is fair play, I’ll take your word re your friends and withdraw “shallow” I should have said that “they can’t be that uninterested in Barbadian affairs”.
You’re right, time to focus on Canada Day, some friends just dropped in. Time to fire up the BBQ
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Surprise we have not had comment reacting to the news clip carried by VOB of former Prime Minister Kenneth Anthony and his reference to Caricom leaders procrastination over the years to deal with the hard issues. He seemed quite in agreement with Thompson. His position raises the point of Opposition Parties and government reaching consensus on key issues failing which any regional movement will lack continuity. He was quite clear in saying Thompson’s view on managed migration for Barbados was know before the DLP won government.
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@Sargeant
Response taken in the spirit they it was offered. Case closed for me.For my friends, I assure you they are not shallow, and are very interested in Barbadian affairs (some of the Bajan ones have been/are deeply and passionately involved in many and varied aspects of this country’s affairs/development; some of the non-Caribbean ones likewise, but over different time frames and from several different locations over time; some of the Caribbean ones have given a lot of themselves over decades to help build Barbados). They have individuals and free thinking would be all I would dare say.
Enjoy your BBQ.
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lholder // July 1, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Hello Folks,
Following is Article 45 as it appears exactly in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.Article 45: Movement of Community Nationals – “Member States commit themselves to the goal of free movement of their nationals within the Community.”
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Thanks Lindsay:
I had suspected there wasn’t much in the letter of the document for the regionalist to use in this debate, therefore the “spirit” must be made to be whole, and real.
I would say at this time that the “spirit” of the revise treaty is alive and well in Barbados, and that it is manifested in thousands of persons. This is why it must be manage, and made legal not only on the ground in country but in the letter of the treaty also. There are out of status because neither our laws or the treaty ligitimize their presence in Barbados. We are after all still a Nation of laws. Uh mean Owen and Mia say so. -
Bridger825
And the same good book has this to say of strangers
Deuteronomy Chap 14 Verse 21
“Ye shall not eat of anything that dieth itself,thou shall give it unto a stranger that is in thy gates that they may eat it or thou may sell it to an alien”
This is a far cry from treating a stranger as one of your own. -
Did you hear Mr Lester Bird on immigration within Caricom on the CMC news last night? A turn around from some of the statements he had been making in recent times. Poilticians ,like rubber dingies know how to ride the waves.
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Bridger, I can’t see that you are ill-treating a stranger if you give or sell them something to eat that your religion forbids you from eating!
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bridger825 // July 1, 2009 at 4:15 pm
like rubber dingies know how to ride the waves.
David Commissiong, and academics too.
@equity:
Maybe we can say that religion is ill-treating the stranger? Uh mean a person commits murder and then enter an insanity plea. -
I am please that the Prime Minister restated his position on the whole immigration issue.I think he did a fairly decent job.I suspect however that he is in a conciliatory mood and he is being force to relax some of the stringent conditions attached to the amnesty proposal.I have a gut feeling that the pressure is beginning to tell.In that regard we must remind our Prime Minister that he has the support of a vast majority of Barbadians and any retreating on his part will result in a tremendous response from us that he will not appreciate.
The Prime Minister wants to be decent & fair.I understand and I can support your view that you will rather prefer illegal non-nationals to remove themselves from Barbados voluntary than to be forcibly remove by the means of deportation.The implications of a deportation order are far reaching as explained by the Prime Minister,and it is moral on the part of the Prime Minister that he wishes deportation to be last resort of Barbados when requesting individuals to leave Barbados.However,it must be noted that some of those non-nationals are determine to re-enter Barbados by any means necessarily and strong arm tactics are needed to seriously address the situation.
The Caribbean has piss poor journalists who I believe are lazy or indifferent to their jobs and who do not take enough time to do proper research and plan effectively for their tasks.
Many of the questions posed were very elementary and not the probing type of questions I thought I would have expected to be asked.The Guyanese journalists were pathetic and David Ellis was lousy as usual.Davis Ellis’s line of questioning was poor and I think he embarrassed VOB & Barbados.Michelle Arthur from CBC was reasonably.
The press conference in my opinion was a bit disappointing,nevertheless I believe Prime Minister David Thompson got his message across and he firmly stated Barbados position on the immigration issue.
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BU Sidebar has been updated with the audio of Prime Minister David Thompson’s press conference in Guyana at the start of the Caricom Heads of Conference.
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I was very disappointed in the press conference for reasons I will not elaborate at this stage.
David ellis was such a jackass.
Imagine asking that question which was pushing the ralph gonsalves and ricky singh view.
What spirit of chagaramous treaty.
Steupse!
I am not going to say anything more right now.
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Great work David,
I agree with Negroman the quality of the questions posed by the journalists was very, very POOR, right down to the idiot who suggested that a plane load were sent back to Guyana what a load of utter rubbish and nonsense.
What was posed as supposely probing questions were made to look super silly.
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Lindsay Holder
Can you tell me what thompson was referring to when he talked about the automatic 6 month visa.
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I am not liking this watered down approach and defensive approach thompson took.
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The shite continues on VOB.
You mean even today after their sister company the Nation newspaper has been printing salacious rumours and lies in the newspaper against bajans,you mean Bajans even to this day are not allowed to speak freely on this guyana issue on VOB’s call in programmes.
A woman just called the programme and started to say why she believe guyanese should blame themselves about what is happening ;and she was cut off.
A man called very irate with that foolish question that dvid ellis asked as a bajan journalist,and they were butting in so much during the man’s contribution that you could barely get the gist of his point.
Mike brown again shutting up bajans from freely giving their views on this immigration issue.
I believe persons of influence in this society who will cause VOB to sit up and listen, must start to publicly take on VOB with how they are prohibiting the free expression of barbadians.
Enough of this crap man!
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MUBB,
The various heads of government of CARICOM countries agreed sometime in 2007, I think, that CARICOM nationals travelling in the region should be automatically granted up to six- month stays in the countries they visit. My understanding is that Guyana has implemented that agreement. I would assume that if that procedure is adhered to, e.g., in Barbados, then it would completely remove the need for individuals who are not on work permits to seek extensions so that they can stay longer.Note that for several Caribbean individuals who visit the U.S.A., immigration authorities there would routinely grant them three months to stay in the country. Also note that in the U.S.A., there are no provisions for short-stay visitors to seek extensions to the initial length of stay granted to them.
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Lindsay Holder
Please help me here.
Why would david thompson even point this out at a time when he is trying to stem the inflow of persons into this country?
Secondly why did he even sign on to this when it seems that most other caricom partners have not?
Would this not negate what he is trying to do with this ‘so-called managed migration?
Will that automatic 6 months mean that any and everyone – whether skilled and unskilled can come in and park themselves here and say they are looking for work.
I REAL,REAL VEX – AND GETTING MORE VEX BY THE MOMENT.
Hell man,what kind of **#&%** sucking up going on here!
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mash up and buy back read all about it, Jay would have touched on this before.
CHIEF IMMIGRATION OFFICERS PREPARE FOR CARIPASS
(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) By the second quarter of 2009 Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nationals should expect to have further hassle free movement at ports of entry within the Caribbean Region, as the CARICOM Travel Card (CARIPASS) will be implemented.
The proposed implementation of CARIPASS was the main focus of discussion at a recent three-day meeting of the Regional Chiefs of Immigration and Comptrollers of Customs met at their Sixth Joint Meeting of CARICOM Standing Committees of Chiefs of Immigration and Comptrollers of Customs held at the Flamboyant Hotel in St. George’s, Grenada, as they sought to fine-tune details for the implementation of this Travel Card.
The Travel Card which was approved by the Twenty-Ninth CARICOM Conference of Heads of Government in July 2008, is a voluntary regime which will allow eligible CARICOM Nationals and legal residents to clear Immigration using designated electronic gates in Immigration halls. It is expected to support expedited travel throughout participating CARICOM Member States.
The Meeting which was co-chaired by Mr. Jessmon Prince, Chief of Immigration, Grenada and Mr. Terence Leonard, Comptroller of Customs, Saint Lucia also discussed the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding between IMPACS and Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD) and the accompanying standard operational procedures which addressed customer service training for Immigration and Customs Departments.
The outcomes and recommendations from the meeting of regional Chief Immigration and Customs Officers will be presented to the Seventh Meeting of the Council of Ministers responsible for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE) in November 2008.
The following is the Communiqué issued at the Meeting:
CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY IMPLEMENTATION AGENCY FOR CRIME AND SECURITY (IMPACS). COMMUNIQUE
REGIONAL CHIEFS OF IMMIGRATION AND COMPTROLLERS OF CUSTOMS MEET IN GRENADA, 29 SEPTEMBER-01 OCTOBER 2008, ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA
Regional Chiefs of Immigration and Comptrollers of Customs met at their Sixth Joint Meeting of CARICOM Standing Committees of Chiefs of Immigration and Comptrollers of Customs held at the Flamboyant Hotel in St. George’s, Grenada. The Meeting was held over a three day period, from September 29-October 01, 2008, and was co-chaired by Mr. Jessmon Prince, Chief of Immigration, Grenada and Mr. Terence Leonard, Comptroller of Customs, Saint Lucia.
Amongst items discussed was the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding between IMPACS and Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD) and the accompanying standard operational procedures which addressed customer service training to be provided to Immigration and Customs Departments. Issues related to the Advance Passenger Information System and the Advance Cargo Information System were also discussed.
However, the implementation of the CARICOM Travel Card (CARIPASS) as approved at the Twenty-Ninth Conference of Heads of Government Meeting in July 2008 was the main focus of the Agenda. The Travel Card, which is set to become operational in participating states in 2009, is a voluntary regime which would allow eligible CARICOM Nationals and legal residents to clear Immigration using designated electronic gates in Immigration halls. The CARIPASS is expected to support expedited travel throughout participating CARICOM Member States.
During the opening ceremony, Mr. Timothy Antoine, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and feature speaker brought greetings on behalf of the Government of Grenada. Mr. Antoine in his remarks highlighted the need for continued innovation and information and intelligence cooperation in regional security.
Recommendations from this meeting will be presented to the Seventh Meeting of the Council of Ministers responsible for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE) scheduled to convene in November 2008.
In attendance were Chiefs of Immigration and Comptrollers of Customs or their representatives from CARICOM Member States including Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago; as well as representatives from the Associate States Anguilla, Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands Delegates also included Directors and other Senior Officers of the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) and the Joint Regional Communications Centre (JRCC).
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I wonder how David Ellis and Roxanne Gibbs , two negroes, felt when one of the journalists, presumably Indian, asked Thompson about a bias against people of a certain ethnicity. It was like dangling a red rag in front of a bull. Thompson gored her. lol. I can understand Gibbs , a Guyanese, continuing the misleading articles but it is time David Ellis gives up the fight.
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Sargeant // July 1, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Can someone explain “The spirit of Caricom”? Or should I ask David Ellis?
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Just to add more to the explanation what is meant by the term “Spirit of Caricom”. To get a better understanding of the term one should also read Article 46 which states, inter alia:
Member States have agreed, and undertake as a first step towards achieving the goal set out in Article 45, to accord to the following categories of Community nationals the right to seek employment in their jurisdictions:
(a) University graduates;
(b) media workers;
(c) sportspersons;
(d) artistes; and
(e) musicians,recognised as such by the competent authorities of the receiving Member States.
So in other words, the free movement of skilled nationals was just supposed to be a first step towards the free movement of all CARICOM citizens. The next step was to allow for domestic workers and artisans. Eventually it was intended that all CARICOM nationals would be able to move freely throughout the Caribbean. Actually the free movement of all CARICOM nationals was supposed to be implemented at the end of this year.
It seems that Barbados is rethinking the goal outlined in Article 45. So in a way it could be argued that the policy is not within the spirit of CSME as it was originally envisioned.
I actually expect David Thompson to express some reservations at this summit about the timeline for free movement of nationals. He indicated as much in the comments that appeared in the newspaper yesterday.
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Anonjam I have just listen to the PM. What is this “In a way” thing you mentioned. It makes no sense when it is compared to what the PM said.
Barbados is in full compliance with it’s CSME oblications, articles 32,34,36,37,45, 46 of the treaty. We have implimented the 5 catogories and further 4 agreed to in 2007.
Here the PM as it seems you didn’t or couldn’t
The area that has created the most heat but the lease light, is the freedom of movement. This is a fundamental issue, one on which much confusion, and misunderstanding persist. In the circumstances it is important for all of us to understand what the treaty of chagaramous ACTUALY SAYS, and what it means. To be precise, the revise treaty of chagaramous, article 45, provides that member states commit themselves to the goal of free movement. This is therefore an aspiration which the framers implicitly acknowledge would have to be reached through a phased approach, not instantaneously. Article 46 states as they agreed that as a first step to allow 5 categories of skill community nationals to seek employment in their jurisdiction, and those five categories, Uni graduates, media workers, sports persons, artist, and musicians. The article also envisages, the possibility of enlarging as appropriate the categories of persons entitle to move and work freely in the community. And in fact in July 2006, the heads of government agreed to permit trained teachers, and registered nurses, to move under the skilled nationals regime. In July 2007 Heads of government agreed that holders of associate degrees and equivalents as well as artisan possessing Caribbean vocational qualifications will also joined the program. NINE CATAGORIES are therefore now enforced, five enshrined in the revise treaty and four agreed by heads at the 26th and 27th meetings to the conference. BARBADOS IS HONOURING ITS OBLICATION IN ALL NINE CATOGORIES
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I just listened to the press conference. I thought David Thompson was quite good. You have to give jack his jacket, he did well with the questions posed.
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After listening to the Prime Minister I’m actually a bit concerned.I agree with the dedicated Caricom national work permit program because it was actually part my idea,lol.
However,I must strongly disagree with the Prime Minister on the 6 month stay for Caricom nationals.That part of CSME was never implemented into law by the BLP but now that it is as of June 1st,this could pose a significant problem for immigration officers in trying to reduce the illegal immigration numbers.
I am also concerned about this Tribunal that the Prime Minister is talking about since Barbados already sorta has one.It looks almost now like the Prime Minister would be extending Illegal Caricom nationals access to the courts so removals might not be as easy as before.
I am glad however he fully understands the issue as it relates to importing the racial hatred that dwells in Guyana.
It appears that as it relates to policy Caricom nationals,illegal or not,will have expanded rights & access to Barbados !
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Adrian don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that Barbados hasn’t honoured its obligations. I am merely saying that this:
If it was envisioned that all CARICOM nationals would be able to work and travel freely within CARICOM by the end of 2009, it is not totally unfounded to argue that implementing an immigration policy that is seeming intended to oust a certain group of CARICOM nationals from Barbados is inconsistent with the goal outlined in article 45.
I don’t think that David Thompson is against regional integration but his rhetoric does suggest that the administration is questioning the initial vision of CSME (or at least certain aspects of it). If free movement of all nationals will negatively affect Barbados then maybe it should be re-considered.
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Let us now look at the catagory that has cause the greatest public commentary. Unskilled community national. As I have said earlier the revise treaty of chagaramous does not as a matter of law provide for the unrestricted movement community nationals it is describes as a goal for our region. The heads have targeted 2008 as the time frame for moving to full freedom of movement and subsequently the timetable was revise to 2009. In the current economic downturn, It is highly unlikely, that this indicative time frame can still be met. So to be clear unrestricted freedom of movement is not in place in the caribbean community and Barbados is not in breach in any of it’s treaty obligations in removing those persons whose presence in our country is sanction neither by our immigration laws nor by any of the provisions within caricom to which we have agreed.
If I may gloat a little as it demonstrates my understanding of our laws and obligation, I would have said the following today before listening to the PM’s speech.
Adrian Hinds // July 1, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Thanks Lindsay:
I had suspected there wasn’t much in the letter of the document for the regionalist to use in this debate, therefore the “spirit” must be made to be whole, and real.
I would say at this time that the “spirit” of the revise treaty is alive and well in Barbados, and that it is manifested in thousands of persons. This is why it must be manage, and made legal not only on the ground in country but in the letter of the treaty also. There are out of status because neither our laws or the treaty ligitimize their presence in Barbados. We are after all still a Nation of laws. Uh mean Owen and Mia say so.—————————————
I gine start the ball rolling now as it takes others a very long time to catch on. Under whose watch did this massive breaking of our Immigration Laws occurred? Who?
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ha ha ha ha Anon I am not getting you wrong. I have gotten you very right, but you are quite wrong. You have attempted more than a “mere” saying.
I don’t quite know which word discribes the first (2008)and second dates (2009) for full movement. You said “ENVISIONED” the PM said “TARGET”. I would assume at this point that given the significant numbers of Anti-Thompson regional commentators that not being called on this as yet may suggest that he is right and you are not, and would require you to bare the burden of proving your case.
You further said:
it is not totally unfounded to argue that implementing an immigration policy that is seeming intended to oust a certain group of CARICOM nationals from Barbados is inconsistent with the goal outlined in article 45.
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I don’t know if it is unfounded to so do or not. However I think it is silly to argue about an a multi-point “Immigration policy” without defining the said points and the deliberate sequence these point must follow. If you did that you would find that an Amnesty is the first part the new policy, but if you did that you would not have been able to suggest that it “seems to intend” ousting a certain group of people. You would have been force like have been to admit that it affords special treatment to a group of people not afforded to all. The spirit is simply that, a record of an ongoing intent, that should at some point become the LETTER of an agreement. Such ambiguity should never have been allowed into the treaty. -
I was listening to the more important parts yet again & I get the distinct impression that Caricom nationals will have more rights as it pertains to removal.
Current Barbados immigration laws dictate that only Citizens & Permanent residents have access to the courts & why they should keep their status if a crime is committed,but I get the impression that this privilege will now be an access point for Caricom nationals as well thus slowing their deportation process significantly.
The 6 month visa for Caricom nationals that Mr. Thompson is talking about is something that was already enshrined in the ‘Devised’ Treaty of Chaguaramas BUT the BLP Government did not implement that neither did the Antiguan or St. Kitts Government at the time of implementation.All one needs now is to show a Caricom passport in order to be able to stay for said time.
The Immigration Department was also mentioned to become revamped but what that entails isn’t known at this time,one thing is for sure though the Immigration policy will be released publicly sometime this month.
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I have stated from the very begining I have no problems with West Indians who are interested in a shared common goals of integration. I like others got family uh nuff all across the insland chain. But I will not open my arms to people who deceitfully claim caribbean oneness while secretly practising “apanjaat” Love of self dictates that I cannot be so nice.
Jay: I want some more details on this auto 6 month visa. I would assume that such will be at the discression of the interviewing Immigration officer, who will be guided by a set of guidelines including but not limited to letter of invitation, job offer, place of stay, proof of financial sustanance for duration of stay etc.
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@Adrian Hinds,
I have no idea at this particular point how Mr. Thompson has implemented the 6 month stay portion of CSME,but one thing is clear he mentioned it would be available at the airport to Caricom nationals.I don’t really think one can be given an interview knowing the long lines at GAIA but I’m guessing that proof of financial support might have to suffice.
I guess it could work both ways though in that if someone cannot prove they have the financial means they can be returned to their country more easily since amongst the statistics he mentioned there was an increase in people being turned away at GAIA.
Hopefully the revamp at the Immigration Department still focuses mainly on expanding the Enforcement division significantly or Barbados could have more problems with these Caricom expanded rights,nothing is cheap nowadays.
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Adrian, you are of the view that I am wrong about something and David Thompson is right. I am not certain that I disagreed with David Thompson in relation to anything he said so I am not sure I understood your point.
But let me try to clarify my points, my views and my observations:
(1) I don’t think there is anyone who disputes that the original intention was for all CARICOM nationals to move freely within CARICOM. The implementation was supposed to be in phases and by the end of this year there was supposed to be free movement of all CARICOM nationals. If the initial intention of CSME were to come into being, all the illegal Guyanese in Barbados would be able to legally seek work in Barbados.
See the following link for more:
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20070216/carib/carib1.html(2) I suspect that the David Thompson Administration is of the view that the large number of Guyanese immigrants in Barbados is a strain on Barbados’ resources and to remedy the “problem” he has implemented the current policy. I also suspect that the large number of Guyanese illegal immigrant has caused this administration to reconsider the goal of full free movement of all CARICOM nationals.
The reason I suggested earlier that this policy “seemingly targets” Guyanese nationals is because there seems to be a disproportionately large number of illegal Guyanese immigrants in Barbados compared to any other group. If all the Guyanese illegal immigrants were to leave Barbados tomorrow, I believe the immigration issue would cease to be so high on the administration’s agenda. That being said, I am not suggesting that he has anything against Guyanese themselves, I just think that they happened to be the nationality most interested in residing in Barbados and are therefore targeted by this policy. If Lucians or Antigans were here illegally in such numbers, I believe his policy would have remained the same.
(3) Lastly, I must admit that I am not extremely passionate either way about the immigration issue. I am interested in hearing both sides of the debate and if full free movement is indeed harmful to the Barbadian economy or society then I do believe we should reconsider Article 45.
The only real concern that I am passionate about is what I see as a growing hostility, anger and belligerence towards Guyanese (whether legal or illegal). Many of the anti-Guyanese comments don’t differentiate between legal or illegal. Indo Guyanese are assumed racist unless proven otherwise. Guyana is referred to as a backward ass country. Anyone who expresses concern about the way the immigration policy will be implemented is called unpatriotic or diabolical or some other negative adjective. If anyone expresses any sympathy towards Guyanese they can expect a negative response from some commentators.
So those are my comments on this issue. I know that many will not share these views and I expect that some may even take issue with my observation of an anti-Guyanese sentiment that I have observed in Barbados. But hey, it is just my observation.
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Bajans, we have to wake up to what is happening. Somehow, I think we are not being told everything, the P.M’s hands seems tied. My accessment of the whole matter is that bajans need to let the P.M know how we stand on the whole matter. At the end of the day our birthright will be taken from our offspring. I shutter ti think what Barbados will be in another 15 to 20 years, all the hardwork put in by our ancestors will be taken from our offspring and this would happen because we, the present generation sit back and allow these insular people rob us. I am convinced that the average bajan has gone soft. Rise up bajans and defend your land, show your patriotism. I hope no-one comes to claim anything that belong to me. The more this matter evolves the more I’m beginnung to HATE guyanese.
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Two points resonated from the interview:
1. The fact some Caricom countries are cherry picking how they want to participate in the Caricom institutions. Barbados according to PM Thompson is meeting its obligations under the treaty. 2. In response to Barbados targeting a particular ethnic group he made it clear that behaviours of racial and political tension will NOT be tolerated in Barbados. Implicit in how he answered the question suggests there is a concern on this front.
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David
I’m glad you are recognising this point. Negroman and I were tell the BU family for a while that when these indo-guyanese get here in their numbers,they are going to start the same racial foolishness that is their culture and we were told we are over-reacting. What is happening now? The longer we take to unite in a definitive position on this matter, the harder it will take to rectify the problem. This is only the beginning, these indo-guyanese will soon challenging our very administration and those in authority once you’re black as they do in Guyana. -
The bottomline and this is why a referendum would be nice is as long as we remain committed to Caricom and CSME Barbadians must give up a piece of our Bajaness.
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.