Jagdeo should intervene in Barbados immigration ‘fiasco’

May 21, 2009 Letters

Dear Editor,
I am extremely disappointed that Guyana Head of State, Bharrat Jagdeo, has failed to comment on the statement made by Barbados Prime Minister David Thompson, that he will throw out Caribbean undocumented Caribbean nationals who live less than 11 years in the country.
And because of his thunderous silence, Guyanese in the island of flying fish are hopping mad with Jagdeo since most of the undocumented persons who would be kicked out at year end are Guyanese.

His counterpart however, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is very vocal and although not naming Thompson or Barbados, said in Parliament “it is sad to note that in the 21st Century, some responsible persons, including some political leaders, are stoking chauvinistic fires which are latent in our Caribbean societies.
“This has led, here and there to an outpouring of a malignant xenophobia, particularly against Guyanese, Jamaicans, Vincentians, St. Lucians and Grenadians. It must be stopped, if not CARICOM would shortly be rent asunder…”

I admire Comrade Ralph for his outspoken statement and I am at a loss why Jagdeo who is the incoming Chairman of CARICOM has failed to comment on the burning issue especially since hundreds, if not thousands of his countrymen would be affected by Thompson’s announcement.
Reports from Bridgetown state that Guyanese nationals living in Barbados are calling on Jagdeo to speak on their behalf against what they described as atrocities against them by the Barbadian authorities. Some went so far as to describe the Guyanese leader as a “toothless poodle”.

It is very disappointing for Jagdeo to ignore the call by his countrymen who are being harassed by Barbadian Immigration Officials with assistance from the Barbados Police Force. Reports state that the authorities have been raiding the residences of Guyanese at nights under the guise of picking up suspected illegal immigrants especially Indo-Guyanese because they are easily identifiable.
Reports state that the suspects are rounded up and detained at a facility at the Grantley Adams International Airport, sometimes for four days under inhumane conditions.

What is disturbing that these exercises are carried out long before the time Thompson gave to the undocumented persons since he said that they have up to December “to put themselves in order”
Besides Gonsalves the only other leader who has come out against Thompson’s move is his political rival, Mia Mottley, the country’s opposition leader who said that “the structure of Thompson’s statement was unfortunate, as it gave the distinct impression that the Barbados Government is only concerned with the illegal immigrants in Barbados from Caribbean countries, but not those who are in the country from outside of the region, that is from Europe and North America.

Mottley said that Thompson should not forget that 52% of the country’s exports go to CARICOM countries, and 20% of its tourists come from CARICOM countries and made the most important point when she said that Bajans and other nationals have been leaving their countries from time immemorial to seek a better life for themselves and their families and emphasised that Barbadians more than anyone else in the region have benefitted from the ability to leave their shores since Emancipation and find work in the Caribbean countries as policemen, nurses, teachers, preachers and civil servants.

I have said before and will repeat that in the pre-independence era hundreds if not thousands of Bajans lived in the then British Guiana and made a fortune in the gold and diamond fields and sent to their relatives in Barbados, and many of them have off springs in that South American country.

CARICOM Heads are meeting in Port-of-Spain at weekend to discuss the economic situation in the region, but I have no doubt that the issue will be raised at that meeting since CARICOM Secretary General Edwin Carrington said that the May 23 meeting of leaders in Trinidad would be the earliest opportunity to determine “whether we are going in the right direction” Caribbean Net News was first to come out with a Commentary criticising the Barbadian leader for his harsh and unconscionable move followed by the outspoken Vincentian leader since it is understood a large number of hardworking Vincentians would be affected by Thompson’s proposal.
Oscar Ramjeet