The long awaited Green Paper on Immigration has been made public. Let us have a look. The BU family has been at the forefront of comment around the need for immigration reform. Let us see if our government has been listening to the PEOPLE.
Comprehensive Review Of Immigration Policy And Proposals For Legislative Reform
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162 responses to “Comprehensive Review Of Immigration Policy And Proposals For Legislative Reform”
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Re: The two year thing, how will the authorithies know for certain that a man and woman where cohabiting as husband and wife.
Does the applicant have to produce a child, two years or younger for DNA testing?
If so, is this an attempt to increase the reproductive rate in an aging population?
What if there is no child and one parent claims infertility?
Two years is definitely too short.
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Re: The two year thing, how will the authorities know for certain that a man and woman where cohabiting as husband and wife.
Does the applicant have to produce a child, two years or younger for DNA testing?
If so, is this an attempt to increase the reproductive rate in an aging population?
What if there is no child and one parent claims infertility?
Two years is definitely too short.
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David sorry about the double post.
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General Lee
David is right when he speaks about non nationals with work permit their children will get citizenship.A child born to a person qualifying under the Caricom community Act gets citizenship.
That is any maid,artisan,nurse,construction worker who is here as a skilled person under the CSME arrangement will qualify and have children will be a bajan.
Just so..
Trust me just as we are reading this on this blog,other non nationals are too.
Expect them to come prepared.
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I am not hearing from L. Holder or YB and others. I am not pleased at all! David Thompson, you are not going to get my vote not now or ever!
I remember when one of those questionnaires came to my house I rated you high however sir, you are a disappointment!
A HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT!
NOT MY X………….
My friends aint voting either cause this aint what we vote for! Get the Guyanese to vote for you!
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JC
Glad to know that you have come to realise that stinking mutant David Thompson with the stinking white man poisonous blood in his veins is nothing but a big disappointment.He is a total let down.I am not surprise though because he acts & thinks like the typical white man,that is he is a schemer & a liar.I hope all Black Barbadians boycott the upcoming general elections.JC lets start a campaign of encouraging Black Barbadians to boycott the damn elections.
Stinking,mutant David Thompson with the stinking,poisonous white man’s blood running through your shite infested veins, you are a 1 term Prime Minister.
This shitty paper on immigration serves us right because foolish Black Barbadians including Your Truly went & voted for a non-national mutant like David Thompson to be our leader.
We have a non-national Prime Minister enacting legislation to stop non-nationals from gaining Barbadians citizenship.
Brother Scout I have not seen you posted anything for a while.My brother I am eagerly looking forward to hear from you & my darling Bonny Peppa.
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Mr.Laurie’s article maybe relevant to the GP given that the Barbados government has factored heavily our obligations to Caricom/CSME under the Treaty of Chaguramus.
On The Other Hand – Bye, Caricom & WI cricket
Published on: 10/25/2009.
BY PETER LAURIE
LET ME DECLARE my interest: I’ve longsupported CARICOM and West Indies cricket. But anyone can see the writing on the wall unless they’re wilfully blind.
First, CARICOM.
CARICOM has exhausted itself. Caribbean regionalism is not so much in retreat as it is irrelevant. CARICOM leaders have absolutely no interest in regional integration other than what petty benefits each can gouge out of it. Most of them, except for the cheapskates and freeloaders, are slowly realising that they get out less than they put in. CARICOM is no longer a win-win situation,but a zero-sum game.
In a globalised world economy, we’re all better off fending for ourselves. CARICOM has become a drag on the progress of its member states. Part of the problem is that CARICOM functions at the level of the lowest common denominator. Examples are legion. When it comes to defending the offshore sector or free trade in the Caribbean, we all rally around the worst regulated jurisdiction in the region. Ditto for human rights.
Everybody knows the Secretariat should not be in Georgetown, but nobody will bell the cat. The Regional Negotiating Machinery has been emasculated for purely political reasons. Some member statesdon’t pay their bills and nobody says prunes.
It’s sensible to help the least developed; it’s irresponsible to give them a free ride in perpetuity.
When we get to sit at the table with theAmericans or the Europeans, we end up presentinga laundry list of petty complaints and begging for pittances. How humiliating.
But the tide is turning.
The Caribbean people are far ahead of their political leadership. They have become globalised while the politicians can’t even get regionalised. Investors and skilled workers no longer need the CSME. It’s totally irrelevant. World events have simply overtaken CARICOM. It’s dead. The question is whether anyone will have the decency to bury the corpse.
Regional institutions like the University of the West Indies will soon be able to decide their fate purely on educational and financial grounds without being encumbered by irrelevant objectives. Progress will accelerate in those islands that no longer haveto move at the pace of the slowest. The others will shape up or perish.
Which brings us to cricket.
Watching the (foreign sponsored) Trinidad and Tobago team perform at the Twenty20 championships in India made me realise two things:
One, Test cricket is defunct; there won’t be a Test played anywhere in the world in five years’ time. Twenty20 is the future. The Indian Premier Leagueis the way to go.
Two, no West Indian team could have performed as well as did the T&T team. Few WI teams are ever picked purely on merit. Insular politics (WICB & WIPA) always intrudes. Not the same with island teams. Moreover, island teams will play with genuine nationalism, not the cheap public sentiment of "all o’ we is one". Let’s hope Trinidad now has the guts and wisdom to break away from West Indies cricket and inspire us all to do the same.
My generation tends to remember the West Indies Federation with nostalgia. Truth is, it was a severely dysfunctional arrangement that was holding back the progress of its constituent units and deserved to be broken up.
The same goes today for CARICOM. In fact, from the time that Haiti became a member of CARICOM, anyone with an ounce of intelligence would have realised that this could never work. We were simply allowing sentiment or some less worthy consideration to rule our better judgment. Don’t even talk aboutThe Bahamas, which has long been given a free rideby being allowed to be a member of the community without being a member of the common market.
The fact is that the people of the Caribbean have outgrown CARICOM.
Let’s move on.
Peter Laurie is a retired diplomat and a commentator on social issues.
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ha ha ask anyone who knows about the boat which Barbados had to pay for in Canada and I thought all of us were Caribbean people …… oh what a laffLOL!
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This is essential reading. Fellow Afro-Bajans please remain vigilant. Your region is in peril.
Commentary: Debating the Syrian/Lebanese control of Antiguans and Barbudans
By Dr Isaac Newton
http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/oped/oped.php?news_id=19141&start=0&category_id=6
Commentary: Debating the Syrian/Lebanese control of Antiguans and Barbudans
Published on Monday, October 5, 2009 Email To Friend Print Version
By Dr Isaac Newton
In September, 2009, I wrote an article entitled: ‘Departing from the wisdom of VC Bird Sr, A Nation in Peril.’ With riveting honesty, it created a bone-chilling debate within Antigua and across the Caribbean. The article was a wake-up call on the complex ways that ethnicity and race intersect with potentially dire consequences for our survival as a small island state. This overlap exposed real and perceived notions of political control and economic domination of a minority over the majority.
Dr Isaac Newton is an international leadership and change management consultant and political adviser who specialises in government and business relations, and sustainable development projects. Dr Newton works extensively in West Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America, and is a graduate of Oakwood College, Harvard, Princeton and Columbia. He has published several books on personal development and written many articles on economics, leadership, political, social, and faith-based issues.
Several responses got my attention. They came from the heart and combined brilliance with moral awakening. But the exchanges I had with Mr Ellorton Jeffers enhanced the importance of constructive debate for the promotion of a healthy democracy. For those who still fear opposing this fraternity of injustice, but are willing to break their terrifying silence behind closed door, I hope for the sake of our grand children, you are encouraged to continue, where we left off. This is what it means to take a stance for the advancement of the public’s welfare:Dear Dr Newton,
I share with “H” this concern (name shall remain anonymous here). We must be very careful that we are not deliberately picking on the Arabs because they are Arabs. We must not come to resemble Idi Amin.
Though I agree their rise and political influence in Antigua are worth careful examination, it should not be conveyed that their ascendancy is the result of avariciousness peculiar only to their race. We must be quick to point out that if the Arabs have gained any undue advantages it is not because they have duped our political leaders. Our leaders, we must remind our readers, are willing accomplices. They have provided and created the opportunities for the Arabs.
I suspect that Antigua’s rising black, economic elite are working to create similar relations with the Antigua government hoping to gain the same advantages that the Arabs allegedly monopolize. If not more. It would not be a surprise if they think that they, more than the Arabs, deserve those advantages because of their national origin. This competition, if encouraged, can create political conditions for the emergence of the Idi Amin type. We do not want that to happen.
The Antigua State is very small but it is a significant purchaser of goods and services. It has properties to sell, contracts to issue and finances to raise for salaries and debt servicing. The State is an economic entity in itself, and as such it will enter into relations with the Arabs and the black, economic elite; and these relations are entered into because there are profits to be made. What determines who get what and how much? I do not know.
But it is safe to say that the one that can affect the political fortunes of the Minister, if not the entire government, will most likely be the beneficiary of government’s largess or business. The Minister and the individual who is soliciting the government understand what is at stake for each other and, therefore, both will recognize the need to act in concert to advance each other’s interest.
The Arabs are not the only parasitic agent. And neither are they the only ones for whom the government acts as a host. There are, the fly by night investors who come to make a quick fortune and then disappear. Then there are those who stay a little longer but never reinvest their profits back into the local economy. This accumulated labor (profits) is sent overseas to be reinvested in the countries from which the investors originated, or some other major capitalist city. Antigua is a place from which wealth is extracted leaving the economy without the means to expand into new areas of economic activity. This has been a fact since the 17th century.
Personally, I do not consider the Arabs the problem. What do they do? They buy and sell. Their economic activity would hardly undermine any serious attempt by Antiguans to develop a national economy that prioritizes the goals of the broad masses of people. Once we have a workers’ State, it could move to legislate out of existence any form of activity that does not fit into the national plan. I would like to think that the Arabs, having lived in Antigua for so long, would see a role for themselves and if they cannot find a role, a role would be outlined for them. It would be the same for the black, economic elite.
The creation of wealth for the few by the many has to end. Now. But to do that, two things have to happen. The political system that legalizes capital flight has to be changed and correspondingly we have to coordinate our economic activities giving a decisive role to those who work. We have to coordinate our activities because each sector must compliment the other and help the realization of the national goal. We will have to do some things differently, therefore, we will have to be creative and find new areas to exploit since there are limitations already placed on our natural resources. The young will have to be educated to find these in the field of art and culture and the exploitation of already existing technologies to harness what is workable in the new economy. We have to think beyond the Arabs.
Yours truly,
Ellorton JeffersDear Mr Jeffers,
I share your alert warning that we should avoid, at all cost, any inkling of ethnic lynching and with it, the lurking dangers of picking on the Arabs on the sheer basis of their ethnicity.
I am sure you realize that my analysis of the Syrian/Lebanese’s rise to unbridled political positioning, and a culture of economic entitlement, stayed clear of ideological content that promotes essentialism.
I focused more on the dramatization of post-colonial thinking, a history of behaving according to the tenets of this belief, leadership myopia tied to self-centeredness, silent participation by the majority, and a lack of devotion to ideals of holistic nation-building, by all of us—a recipe for the disenfranchisement of the majority.
I agree that the interlocking set of social, psychological, historical and leadership failures, did not account for a diverse thinking that exploited our natural resources or progressive views on capitalizing on global trends.
However, the particulars of the Arabs challenge can’t merely be fused into caution that the Black elites are competing for similar political advantages. It also should not merely emphasize the different forms of structural economic disempowerment that exists in Antigua and Barbuda. I grant that these elements are earnest prophetic insights, indeed.
One of the benefits of my perspective is that it highlighted the need to thoroughly expose the complexities of the Syrian/Lebanese dynamics, for purposes of keeping track of how this variable, both color and design of the political and social landscape in Antigua, and how it is becoming socially disruptive.
I think this approach provides a more accurate pathway for integrated and holistic solutions.
It makes good sense to tease out the varied challenges the Arab minority poses to the majority. The fact that these challenges are continuously manifested in practices of socializing poverty and privatizing wealth, serve only to undermine your clarion call for economic empowerment, beyond the Arabs.
Although you admirably pointed out, the need to examine the particulars of Arabs situation, your analysis denied the substantial value of detailing its scope. We cannot risk remaining distant from the plight of the majority. I think progressive thinkers and social activists need more, not less, of this kind of critical questioning and real participating, to create conditions for the common good.
Solace and Peace,
Dr NewtonBut an enthusiastic critic accused me of both betraying VC Bird Sr’s legacy and exhibiting extreme prejudice for pointing out the fact that over half a century in Antigua, Arabs do not intermarry:
1. I am very disappointed by the conclusions to be found in the piece listed above. It seems to suggest that African-descendant Antiguans, whose history of exclusion denied that group access to credit, to establishment positions in government, to fair and equitable treatment in our own birthplace for three centuries, or from 1634 to 1961, that we should practice the same against another ethnic group.
2. Further, to suggest that VC Bird was the progenitor of this discriminatory policy is to debase his memory and his contribution to fairness and justice. I have heard similar sentiments expressed by others; however, I have always concluded that they were mistaken. What VC Bird may have cautioned against is a concentration of both economic and political power in any minority’s hands; the Syndicates Estates’ control was exactly this type of concentration which led to abuse. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. It was not possible to escape the absolute power of Moody-Stewart whose control over government and the sugar industry was stultifying, to say the least. Always, the fear that a small group would exercise absolute control once the British descendants had been defeated, exercised the thinking of the recently liberated. On that basis, VC Bird was relying on a historical experience to forestall an outcome that history had taught him was inimical to the best interests of the majority. That is not the equivalent of locking a group out of politics… (Points 3-9 were deleted for brevity)
10. I cannot share the xenophobia and racist exclusionary practice advocated by the writer. The person I choose to marry is my choice; marriage is not some kind of social experiment. If African descendants found Arab women to be attractive, they would become their spouses. And, if male Arab descendants found African-Antiguan women to be attractive, the same would apply. Love trumps all kinds of barriers.
I hope that unrequited love of democratic ideals will trump this urge to discriminate and exclude when one is sitting in the seat of power.I responded:
…Thanks for taking the time to offer a detailed misreading of my opinion piece. Having had several exchanges with you in the past, I was neither shocked nor amazed that your response falls in the category of an intellectual nightmare—ideas grasping for breath trapped in narrow racial distortions or unable to walk without political leg braces, dedicated to blind party politics and not the merits of intersecting historical, social, economic and political complexities that my article sought to explore.
Please return to the abiding thematic core of my thesis, which you have hysterically violated and tragically distorted. It is simply this: Fundamentally, I argued that a history of self inflicted social inequality was perpetuated by successive governments. This history is both seeded and realized in the ironies and misapplication of VC Bird Sr’s wisdom of how to maintain a society that discourages any ethnic group from engaging in structural forms of oppression through political and economic modalities, at the same time.
I pointed out that the inequitable empowerment of the Syrian/Lebanese minority had very little to do with entrepreneurial skills but more to do with unfair political patronage. I implied that post colonial tendencies were partly responsible for this.
And I demonstrated that these tendencies were manifested in outright rejection of one’s own/locals, in deference to the belief that foreign things are superior and excellence is imported. I also made clear that this situation is not sustainable and if not corrected soon and radically, it will lead to social upheaval.
Your crude misreading of my article— that I advocated ethnic discrimination, that I debased the fair-practice tradition of the father of the nation, that I promoted racist exclusionary practices— culminates in intellectual dishonesty at its loftiest, and further represents a gallant denial of the critical role that this very ethnicity is playing, in the redefinition of the political and economic landscape, operating right now in Antigua…
The issues that the September article raised (www.caribarena.com, http://www.caribbeannetnews.com, http://www.antiguasunonline.com links to ‘Departing from the wisdom of VC Bird Sr: A Nation in Peril’), penetrated the core of our lives with far reaching inequities that feed ethnic tensions. But to stand wishfully by, while Antiguan and Barbuda becomes stiflingly unequal, is not the future I want your children and my grand children (still unborn) to have. We are heading for the danger zone of a segregated society barricaded behind political divides and economic disempowerment. Our generation is now being tested by cultural challenges that divide us rather than unite us. Yet, I believe we can dream for a better future and make it happen!
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“The Green Paper knocks them for six”
Just skimming thru the much anticipated green paper, it looks like they got it mostly right. Children born to illegal immigrants will not automatically attain citizenship by birth. Sham marriages should also be a thing of the pass with the two year requirement. The two year requirement provides a sufficient deterrent to would be fraudsters without placing undue hardship on legitimate couples. And for all my Panamanian people born to Bajan mothers before 1966, they finally showed you some love.
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There is one crucial aspect of the system that I don’t know if the “Green Paper” addresses.I think that any person that has EVER had illegal presence in Barbados should never get an immigration benefit,even through marriage.I think that should be specified in law that anyone with unlawful presence can never get an immigration document in Barbados.
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As an American born to a Bajan family, I have been told all my life that Barbados is the token as to what Blacks can achieve as a nation. However, I know that this isn’t true, due to the fact that the politics of the Island tells another story.
To all my Bajan Bretheren, Yes I maybe a yankee, but here me out.
I personally do not wish for the face of the Bajan people to change. As a High income nation that is majority Black, Barbados is under immense pressure to signify what people of the African Diaspora can achieve economically and Politically. After much research on the topic of immigration, my heart of course goes out to the Bajan people.
I have taken some time to analyze the “green paper” and am appauled at the lack of process that is required of immigrants in order to gain citizenship. As pointed out by Negroman, the idea that someone can just simply become a citizen by marrying a Bajan for two years is sickening. Not to mention, that it would obviously lead to “charity marraiges” between Bajans and non-nationals. Such laws cannot be allowed to take effect. If anything, I concur that the Bajan gov’t should be more aggressive in terms of bureaucracy, and not fear how CARICOM or other nations in general view them. Bajans abroad respect the rules and regulations of other developed countries, if anything Bajans in Barbados should enjoy that same luxury.
I will make a list of propositions as to what the ‘green paper’ SHOULD have in its contents in terms of immigration:
1) To be eligible for a Bajan citizenship application, one must live in the country for a sum of at least 12 years
2)To enter Barbados as an immigrant, one must have proof of a stable job, and prove that they can sustain themselves economically
3) A person can gain Bajan citizenship through their spouse. However, they will have to be married to them for a total of 8 years, and must take residence in the country (under the same roof of course) for at least 10 years
4)All immigrants are required to submit proof of work annually to the government in order for them to stay in Barbados (i.e. work permits, letters, cheques)
5)All immigrants are required to apply for a work permit every year, hence provide proof of enployment
6) Immigrants are required to pay federal taxes and are expected to provide proof of their tax payments when applying for citizenship
7)Non nationals who commit a violent crime (i.e. rape, murder, the bitter stuff), will be incarcerated and imprisoned for a total of 6 months, then deported from Barbados to their homeland, hence equating to Banishment (never to come back)
8)Immigrants cannot bring their families to Barbados, unless members of the family are also able to prove that they can contribute to the economy
a)documented immigrants cannot sponsor another immigrant (cover for them), each member is expected to go through the process as an individual9)If a child is born to two non-citizens on Bajan soil, then that child is not a citizen of Barbados.
a)children may only gain citizenship if they have at least 1 parent (or should it be the Father?) that is a citizen.10)Children that are non citizens are not required to go to school (if anything, the families should pay for thier education)
11)Anyone who has/d been deemed as an illegal immigrant are required to leave the country
12) And lastly, to become a citizen, one cannot have a criminal history, whether it be in Barbados or in another country
I would mention that healthcare should not be given to non nationals, but I’m afraid of being labeled an extremist. The proposition that I made should be more than realistic for the government to implement. I any of you agree with me, please, feel free to add on to this proposition. As mentioned before, I maybe American, but I believe that Bajan citizenship should be a well established, respectable/ed, and most of EARNED. Too many times have I seen Bajans here in the states willing to tough out the immigration policies, its time that “WE” do the same.
And to those who may say that I’m a racist and a xenophobe, I implore you to look at the population compared to the size of the nation. Barbados is too damned SMALL for a whole surge of immigrants to take refuge in. You may cry extremist, I refute that it is in the best interest of the people and the nation if we limit the presence of immigrants in order to maintain stability.
**Might I add that the rest of the younger generation should pay heed to this issue. At this rate, if I do not see improvement, I may just take it upon myself and become a politician for the people, and push for stircter immigration laws. Hell, I’ll even run for Prime Minister, and see to it that these laws are implemented!! What say you my Afro Bajan Bretheren?**
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Angry-E- Bajan
I agree with all of your proposals and I also with the proposals Jay outlined in her post directly above yours.Former minister of immigration Maxine McClean & the original members of her team including Antoinette Thompson her then Permanent Secretary suggested a 7 & 5 years periods of marriage by non-nationals to Barbadian partners.I think it was 7 years if a non-national man weds a Barbadian lady & 5 years if it a non-national woman weds a Barbadian man.I suspect those proposals were discarded by our Prime Minister,the inept oversized idiot we have as our minister of immigration Arnie Walters & the present permanent secretary Gilbert Greaves.
I do not think any right thinking Black Barbadian who cares about the future of Barbados and that of our children & grand children could in all honesty support many of the proposals outlined in that nonsense document the green paper on immigration.
The non-national weak,indecisive twerp we unfortunately have as our Prime Minister is too damn weak and is very much dependent on his financial backers to really bring about a comprehensive overhaul of our immigration system that would limit the number of non-nationals gaining Barbadian citizenship.David Thompson needs the Indians money to finance his political campaign.
The demographic shift in the Caribbean is well on its way.In Guyana the Chinese are emerging as a strong business community in that country.There are Chinese restaurants & shops everywhere.A similar thing is occurring with the Spanish type Brazilians.
I overheard a conversation between some Indo-Guyanese & a gentleman who appears to be Spanish type Brazilian at a hotel in Guyana.The conversation was about the future development of Guyana.The Spanish type individual suggested that Guyana should seek to import at least 1 million Chinese,1 million Indians & 1 million Brazilians over a 10 year period I think the man said.This gentleman went on and said some very disgusting things about Black People.I saw him looked at me at the next table in a sheepish way and I looked him straight in his eyes to indicate to him that I have heard every single word he had said about Black People.The point I am making it seems that the Guyana government is embarking on a policy of changing the racial demographics of Guyana by the apparent encouragement of attracting more & more Chinese,Spanish Brazilians & Indians and at the same time reducing the Black Guyanese population by denying them opportunities & killing them.
The new green paper on immigration I suspect is going to give rise to a situation similar to the one I outlined in the previous paragraph.It seems the other ethnic groups in Barbados especially the rat catchers Indians are in total control and are getting all that they ask for from this government.
Mash Up & Buy Back,I am not surprise that the person who murdered that lady in St Peter is a Guyanese.
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Negroman
After all the crime david thompson saw the guyanese committing over the past few years,this easy citizenship garbage is what he comes up with.
I think he should pay attention to what happens to prime minister after they leave office,he might just go down in history as one of the most hated prime ministers Barbados ever had.
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Negroman, don’t say that Thompson is an a**hole because he is foreign born. Remember, I am also a foreign born Bajan (My father is VERY Bajan). If anything, Thompson is an a**hole because he has the devil’s blood coursing through him. I’m currently a college student, and I’ve done some research on how to become prime minister, and to become an MP. If the ‘Green paper’ doesn’t get revised and have more stictness implemented, then I will take it upon myself to move to Barbados and become PM myself. I will become an MP, and see to it that that the proposals that I made will pass!! What do u say Negroman? s it possible? Am I being realistic? LOL, would I get your vote?
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To Angry Yank-e Bajan
I totally agree with ALL your recommendations. Prime Minister Thompson needs to grow a set and replicate the immigration policies of places like Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.
There is no need to import one million guyanese into guyana, just deport the guyanese ‘in the caribbean’ back to guyana.This would give the caricom sister states breathing space and less pressure on social services. -
@y. paris… So, following your thinking and logic…
It is reasonable to assume that you would be supportive of the USA, and the UK (and Canada et al) deporting everyone who are not able to claim immediate birthright?
(Pack your bags…)
What goes around comes around, as they say….
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To Christopher Hallsell
I support any and all countries who make it their priority to lookout for their local citizens above everyone else. Illegal aliens should not be able to enoy social services that are available for citizens. I don’t blame any country for wanting to and deporting illegals from their countries. In fact this is being done all over the world and barbados and sister caricom countries are no exception! Small islands cannot be expected to bear the brunt of illegal caricom immigration. Why can’t a big country such as Guyana get its house in order so that guyanese don’t have to run here and there. If Jagdeo would provide opporunities in his country, his citizens would stay in guyana and build the country. Barbadians have built Barbados and should be able to enjoy their country. As for me, I am not an illegal alien. I have citizenship in three countries and I am not Barbadian. But as someone born and raised in the “caribbean”. I agree with Barbadians and they must do what is right for Barbados.
I will say it again, CARICOM is a joke and at end the end of the day, each island have to look out for themselves. -
@All Bajans currently living abroad.
Please immediately surrender yourself to your nearest police station.
You are no long welcome….
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I concur with y.paris. The CARICOM deal wentout the window along with the concept of their being a West Indian Federation. The fact of the matter is, West indians aren’t united as united as much as we’d like to be. There is still alot of work to be done in terms of the economies of certain islands. If CARICOM truly wishes to work, then there is a lot of catching up to do in this field. That said, if these nations do not clean up their act, they cannot expect us to babysit their nationals, its completely absurd, and it will cause chaos not only in Barbados, but in the 6 founding nations that are able to sustain themselves.
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To chistopher haisall
kiss my stinking R*** h*** -
The biggest Christmas present government can give Barbados citizens is to ensure that immigration enforcement is on track & NO MORE AMNESTY.You either have a strict immigration policy or you don’t.I have to admit there are some good things in the paper but it also opens the door on quite a few other things.
@Angry Yank-e Bajan
I’m also in the US & been looking at this issue very closely for some time & some of the recommendations you mentioned make sense.The thing is the immigration laws that are there currently would have prevented the immigration mess.The problem is the Government doesn’t seem very willing to not only enforce the immigration laws but seem to be trying to create new avenues of a more open system which could bring mass immigration & the problems associated with it from the rest of the CSME countries.The current system says that only Barbados nationals & permanent residents have access to free health-care & education but the law also requires every person in the country to attend school & hence why we have a lot of non-national & illegal children within Barbados schools also the hospitals cannot turn away someone who has an injury so what happens in Both cases is that Illegal adults do not have the money to pay the school fees & health-care resulting in the system which should have been enforced being compromised while having huge amounts of fees owed currently.
The bottom-line in this mess is why would any Government be so accommodating to people who would run Government institutions into the ground through debt,damage the social welfare of the country through racism & narco- trafficking & promote a lawless chaotic system by not having the laws enforced.Sounds like the wild wild west.
The problems facing the Immigration system are huge.
– ~10% of the total population in Barbados is that of illegal immigrants.Most are made up of Jamaican,Vincentian & Guyanese illegal immigrants.
-Grantley Adams is used as a hub for most of the other Caricom countries.
-Education & Healthcare fees are being unpaid by illegal immigrants according to the Green paper.
-Barbados is a densely populated country already.
-Barbados Immigration laws are NOT being enforced due to a so called “Amnesty”.From since when does the de-facto process by Governments to enforce the laws of the land only accommodate a set of people only.Are Bajans given an amnesty for not paying their taxes that pay for the people in Government to do what the people ask,I think not,maybe that should be proposed next if this keeps up.
-Housing is probably the biggest & varied issue of this entire matter but I don’t think anyone here needs to have an expanded definition of that particular problem.
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The New Zealand just passed an amended Immigration Act. Some learnings maybe?
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@Jay
Then if thats the case, then I will take it upon myself to become MP. Anybody mind briefly explaining how it works? To clarify, I’m asking, if I were to run as a candidate, where do I look for funding? Do I need to further my studies in a law degree? -
Has any of you bloggers seen the kaieteur news or guyanaobservernews.org today? There is a story about 14 year-old young man experiencing hell in custody , genital area soaked with methylated spirits then set alight by police. The title of the story is TORTURE. What in the world is happening in Guyana? Do human rights exists in Guyana? Is Guyana a barbaric, uncivilized country? There is a gruesome, disgusting, awful picture of this young man on the front pages. Do human beings do this type of thing to another? The people of Guyana need to put their racial differences aside and do what is good for the country. Caricom leaders need to speak out against what is going on in that country and tell Jagdeo to get his act together. Do sister caricom states want to be associated with a country that does these things to an individual(s)? I think not!
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The parallels between the UK and Barbados with reference to their immigration policies are remarkably similar:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/minette_marrin/article6898174.ece
Good to see that foreign Bajans are now taking part in this debate
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I’ve read up on some of the requirements to become a Bermudian citzen, and I find it Brilliant!! They not only included the fact that immigrants should annually aubmit proof of work, but they have a category of “Guest Worker”, which makes immigrants specify that they are there to work on a default of 1 year, hence causing the immigrant to choose guest “status”.
Another thing about what is interesting is that it has the “permanent resident” selection as well, meaning that the person is entitled to the job market, but does not have the right to vote, free healthcare (you know, the luxuries that Bajan citizens are entitled TO, the ones that they DESERVE).OH, but here is when I’m sold, You not only have to be married and live with your spouse in the country for a lengthy time, but you also have to pay a hefty fee in order to be considered for the spousal citizenship. And here’s the Jaw Dropper…All the rights you gained in that marriage as a citizen through rhe marriage, gets revoked if the marriage falls apart!! THIS SHOULD DEFINITLEY BE ON THE TABLE. I AM ALSO ADDING THOSE 3 LAWS TO THE PROPOSALS!!!
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To Angry Yank-e Bajan
I think you can make an excellent prime minister of barbados. The island needs individuals who think like you, to preserve Barbados as we know it for future generations. -
@y.paris
I am am grateful for your input. I am seriously thinking about becoming a politician in Barbados. If the current regime doesn’t get it right, then I WILL see to it that this PROBLEM is FIXED to the fullest extent. Bajans, make some noise for your government, tell them that you want stricter laws implemented. Mind you that this isn’t small talk, I WILL stand for the people of Barbados and do what’s right, even if I have to risk my reputation for the Sanctity of the NATION, and most of all, of the BAJAN PEOPLE!!!!!!!! -
Strange enough there has been no discussion about the Green Paper in the mainstream media, none at all. No panel discussions, no expert analysis, no nothing.
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I found a blog issued by a Guyanese native, and read what he had to say about the illiegal immigration of the Guyanese moving into the country:
http://mediaimran.wordpress.com/2009/05/23/guyanese-ignorance-on-bajan-immigrant-issue/
He also implied that Bajan authorities are moving in on ALL forrms of immigrants and are demanding that such treatment should stop. The blogger also wrote that Bajan authorities should only focus on the ILLEGAL immigrants, you would think that he would get it through his thick skull, ALL the immigrants should be treated that way, since they come to our country under the false pretense of them HAVING to be accomodated by Barbados because of CARICOM. I CRY BULLSH*T!!!!!
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To Angry yank-e bajan i am watching your comments with interest what you have said I do agree with you. At first I did not agree with every thing that Negroman had said but after reading his comments and looking at it from his perspective i can see where he is coming from I will have to agree with him,not sure that i would want to use some of the descriptions he has used, but he has every right to use them if he think that they are appropriate.Why do you thing that the main stream media is not commenting about the green paper?well it has me baffled seeing that it is very important that the government should know what the bajan people think of it,I feel that government have taken the view that this is what should be done and that is that , although the government said it was looking for comment from the public, no ministers has made any comments on the green paper as it is proposed if they have I stand to be corrected ..I think the government see the public as mushrooms keep them in the dark and feed them on bulls**t
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Michael
I too am concerned about the lack of attention the media both print and electronic is giving to this green paper.
That is how citizens in a country loose their rights – when they don’t stand up and speak.
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“The revolution will not be televised”
Gill-Scott Heron“Black people, how low can you go?”
Public Enemy -
what yank-e bajan said in the list he made out for citizenship should have been where the government should have started in relationship to the green paper, in stead we have got a green paper that could have been drawn up by some one sitting in the UN with an eye on what would be acceptable to the G20 which include Euorpe,America china and India,also the idea of fingerprinting bajans is tossed in as a good idea with out showing a justified reason for doing so,you know as bajans how we always say it is the law,which mean we should comply,but we never ask who is making the law and is it what we want,I was once told this by an old man ,”The law is for the guidance of the wise and the control of fools”.I wonder under which heading our ministers would place us.
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Wait, then how are we supposed to the government what we want from this paper?? Where’s the outlet in which I can submit my proposal? I can write on the behalf of the Bajan people. I believe some one mentioned that the government is waiting to hear from the public, yet I’m not finding anything in which I can make some noise. WHAT THE HELL KIND OF PARTY DOES THIS TO THEIR OWN PPL??
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Angry Yanke bajan
When you write send a letter to the prime minister,copy it to the minister of immigration arni walters and send a copy to the nation and advocate newspapers.
Check with your local barbados embassy office for the adrresses.
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@ Mash Up & Buy Back
Thank You, I’ll be sure to send the Proposal!!!
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All over the world immigration policies are being examined and amended. In Barbados and the Caribbean we have these intellectuals who have become so married to a way of wanting to do things that they have elected to toss pragmatism out the window.
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Here is a draft of the proposal that was sent to Barbados. I sent it to the atillean, cbc.bb, the prime minister’s office, and I left it as a comment on the website of the Barbadian parliament.
Here is the link to view the page: http://www.barbadosparliament.com/viewblog.php?rec_id=18
Lets see if the government will listen.
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@David,I have to say if you think “immigration policies” are the biggest problem then I would have to disagree.CSME is the biggest problem for Barbados in the long run even if we do get the illegal immigration mess under control.The fact that Barbados is signatory due to the BLP has long term ramifications.
A good example is currently what is happening in the EU[which is basically now a country] after the Lisbon Treaty was signed by very unwilling populouses & leaders is this what we can expect for Barbados as well?Remember when the Prime Minister agreed with including domestic workers into CSME for Barbados is this what can be expected of a “Community of Sovereign states”?Check out the following articles to see what I mean concerning not what is currently talking about Lisbon,but the issue that we truly have to prepare for,the erosion of Barbados as a sovereign country.
Skeptic Czech President on EU treaty-http://www.jbs.org/jbs-news-feed/5587-klaus-signs-lisbon-treaty
No referendum for British voters on Lisbon-http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Politics/David-Cameron-On-Lisbon-Treaty-Tory-Leader-To-Announce-British-Sovereignty-Act/Article/200911115433064?lpos=Politics_Top_Stories_Header_2&lid=ARTICLE_15433064_David_Cameron_On_Lisbon_Treaty%3A_Tory_Leader_To_Announce_British_Sovereignty_Act
Ireland says ‘yes’ to New World order.-http://www.newswithviews.com/NWV-News/news168.htm
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does any body here see anything wrong with the pm new electronic id card
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new world order
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Negroman,David & others
Have you noticed how almost every month we are realising that david thompson is walking back from all the big talk he gave us last year about the strict amnesty programme?
Did you hear tonight’s news where david commissong is now pleased that the government has given the undertaking that even though those persons do not qualify for an amnesty according to the rules laid down,YET ARNI WALTERS AND DAVID THOMPSON ARE GOING TO ALLOW ALL THESE PEOPLE TO APPLY AND LOOK AT THEIR CASE SYMPATHETICALLY ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS TO ALLOW THEM TO NOW GET PERMANENT RESISDENCE WHICH ENTITLES THEM TO FREE SCHOOL,FREE MEDICAL TREATMENT,THE RIGHT TO VOTE,AND UNDER THE NEW IMMIGRATION LAWS THE RIGHT TO MARRY AND BRING IN THEIR FAMILIES.
WHAT DID WE DO WHEN WE REMOVED ARTHUR AND PUT IN THOMPSON?
What commissong has done is set up the guyanese and faria and commissong to then highlight the case of these persons who may have children here and then have their application rejected to try and make the government feel guilty and retract on that denial of permission.
This is pure shite.
I now realise why thompson removed maxine mcclean and selected arni walters as the minister of immigration, because it is obvious he could not get maxine mcclean to go along with this shite.
Man I will never vote for thompson or the Dems again EVER.
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Prime Minister Thompson has made certain promises to Barbadians, The CADRES poll has confirmed those expectations and concerns. All we as patriots can do is to continue our advocacy role. The people will have the chance to decide come next general election.
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I am surprised that no reporter in the in the main stream media or (should i say the forth estate) has called the prime minister and ask him for a response to the seemingly about turn he is making with regards to his immigration policy
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To those of you who are standing up to keep Barbados and not willing to give it away lock, stock and barrel I salute you.
Keep your eye on the prize .Don’t blink.
The forefathers of this wonderfulcountry must be turning over in their graves . Why are the politicians in such ahurry to give Bim away so easily.
Continueto keep the Politicians feet to the fire. -
we are still slaves, slave minded ; slavish and would be slaves again and again cant think for we self ,we believe in people more than we self
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Just to give a heads up.The Bahamas doesn’t seem to capitulate to anything immigration wise so far this year they have deported over 5000 individuals.Why can’t Barbados?The Politicians need to stop dragging their damn feets & get to work on deportations,anything less will result in their effective end as a politician.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/news/story/2009/11/091112_thursdaypmbriefs.shtmlBahamas deports thousands
Immigration officials in the Bahamas say they have deported close to 5,000 illegal immigrants so far this year – the majority of them, Haitians.
These repatriations are part of the country’s stepped up campaign to rid the Bahamas of undocumented migrants.
However, deputy director in the department of immigration, Roderick Bowe, says the department does not expect things to get any better anytime soon, as traditionally hundreds more Haitian nationals flock to the Bahamas during the Christmas holiday.
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Jay
You don’t know what we dealing with now here with thompson.
He will come to a sad political ending if he is not careful.
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