The Immigration Debate has abated because of a combination of a stagnant economy, Barbadians loudly voicing dissatisfaction at the open door immigration policy practiced by the former government and a new government whose politics is built on a hybrid ideology of socialism cum populism.
In October 2009 the government disseminated a Green Paper on Immigration which sought to stimulate discussion on these issues which drive our immigration policies and which are critical to both national security and national development. It is anticipated that on conclusion of this extensive dialogue the White Paper will therefore reflect Government’s position on this important issue in addition to the views of the people.
True to its word the government of Barbados facilitated feedback from the public by staging town hall meetings, receiving letters and emails etc. Prime Minister David Thompson promised at the final town hall meeting in March 2010 that in a matter of a few months, a white paper setting out a new immigration policy will be completed. The last time we checked about two weeks ago our parliament had not received any notification the White Paper on Immigration was ready for debate. It is interesting to note because of the illness of David Thompson Fruendel Stuart has been appointed acting Prime Prime Minister, he is on record declaring that Barbados is not ready to become the warehouse for unskilled workers in the Caribbean. He is now in a position to drive the amendment to the Immigration Law to give meat to his pronouncement.
BU has added its two cents to the immigration debate in recent years and our position is well recorded on the blog (Search ‘Immigration’ Keyword). Had we continued to ignore the hole in our immigration infrastructure it would have led to a free for all for people to come and go as they please, the legal and the criminal. We have always been mindful that a solid immigration infrastructure is critical to safeguarding the national security of Barbados. Who wants a system which is so vulnerable that it breeds the opportunity for criminal activity to hijack our number one money earner.
A story in the Antigua Observer (10 July 2010) supports our fear of an unbridled immigration policy in CARICOM.
Guyanese Rosaline Conway and Trinidadian Shaka Yearwood are now doing jail time for larceny and fraud. Twenty-three-year-old Conway was sentenced to two and a half years in jail, yesterday, but will only serve 20 months because Justice Errol Thomas gave her a one-third reduction for pleading guilty to larceny of over $100,000. This is in keeping with the guidelines for sentencing.
Under the Larceny Act the young woman could have been jailed for a maximum of five years. Yearwood, too, pleaded guilty to obtaining the same estimated sum by way of fraud. The 35-year-old man faced a maximum of 14 years in prison for the offence he committed which falls under the Forgery Act. Conway, who admitted to being convicted in Grenada for a similar offence, is said to be four months pregnant.
BU notes we have a Guyanese and a Trinidadian involved in criminal activity in Antigua, we note the Trinidadian has served a prison sentence in Grenada, we also note also that Guyanese Conway is said to be pregnant. Is it reasonable to assume that the non-nationals convicted in Antigua represent the beginnings of a problem which CARICOM is expected to battle as we pursue regional integration at any cost? We noted that the arrest of the two was attributed to the vigilance of the Police.
Here is a another extract from the Antigua Observer story which sums it up:
Conway’s travel documents showed she had travelled about 50 times within an eight-year period to about a dozen countries, with Antigua being the state she frequented most, some 22 times. She also travelled to the United States, Barbados, St Maarten, Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname, St Vincent & The Grenadines and the Dominican Republic.
Yearwood’s passport shows a similar thread, that he travelled about 60 times beginning in November 2000. Of the 12 countries he visited, Yearwood returned to his hometown about a dozen times. He journeyed to almost all the countries Conway did in addition to Canada and Haiti.
The government of Barbados would have suffered distractions of late however the governance of the country must go on at all cost. Yes the focus is on economic matters but our government should not forget the importance of protecting our borders. The quality of our society should not be sacrificed at the altar of CSME.
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