THE SYSTEM DOES NOT WORK

Dec 06, 2010 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

---

The concessions that were recently offered to Chinese immigrants do not fundamentally address the main concerns of this group. While many will no doubt welcome the seven year citizenship rule, and others will find relief that work permits can now be issued for three years, these announcements do remove the administrative bottlenecks confronting immigrants.
It is one thing for the President of Guyana to indicate that he is addressing concerns about corruption in immigration circles by allowing those Chinese who have been resident for seven years here to qualify for citizenship. It is one thing also for the government as a matter of policy to approve work permits for three years.
But it is quite another thing to ensure that immigrants will actually enjoy these concessions. The main problems that immigrants to Guyana face are not about the rules. Most of them are willing to comply with the rules. The main issue is about the discretion that officials have in deciding who stays and who goes, who gets a work permit, how long that work permit takes to be obtained, who gets citizenship and to what extent political pressure can be brought to bear on this process.
This has always been the problem with immigration controls in Guyana. Quite simply, the system does not work because some pen pushers within the bureaucracy make it quite difficult for the system to work.
The President can therefore say whatever he wants. He can indicate that Chinese will be granted citizenship after seven years of residency. But how is the paperwork going to be efficient when the bureaucracy simply does not work?
In Guyana, if you do not know someone who knows someone that has an inside link, you are likely to wait a long time before your paperwork gets approved. In Guyana, there are officials who can make your life miserable by delaying the processing of your application until such time as you comply with their demands. And complaining is a waste of time because nothing happens. The system is rotten and therefore if the President of Guyana feels that by simply making known what is his government’s policy on work permits and citizenship for Chinese, it is going to make it easier, then he is not really familiar with what is taking place on the ground within his administration. He needs to send his agents undercover to experience what the average immigrant experiences from the bureaucracy.
Mr. President, the immigration system in Guyana does not work. To obtain a work permit, to obtain residency, to gain citizenship is a headache. What is required is limiting the power of officials to make individual decisions. What is required is total revamping of the system. From top to bottom, there should be sweeping changes.
The rules for all immigrants, not just Chinese should be made clear and simple. The forms should be simple. The processing times should be identified. If the authorities fail to meet the deadlines they set, then the immigrant should be free to assume that he or she has been granted the work permit of citizenship.
Anyone coming to Guyana should know beforehand what it will take to obtain a work permit. They should not have to go through all the hassles associated with obtaining permits locally.
Guyana needs immigrants, all kinds of immigrants. In recent years there has been an influx of immigrants from Brazil and China. The Chinese are coming to Guyana in droves to do business. This is causing some resentment because the Chinese sell very cheaply and there are some local businesses whose high margins are not going to be competitive. This is why one must commend the President for standing up to the pressure that is no doubt being brought to bear on his government by those who are worried about the competition from immigrants.
This would be a retrograde step for Guyana to discourage immigration. These immigrants keep a number of businesses afloat. Were there no Brazilians, for example, a number of local businesses would not be doing as well as they are today. The Brazilians are heavy spenders. They are good for the local economy.
Guyana should consider itself fortunate to be able to attract immigrants at this time. It can only bring benefits to Guyana. No immigrant is coming to Guyana to laze around. They are coming here to work. They should be encouraged to do so and the recent announcement by the President may be sweet music to their ears.
However, the immigrants know that when they left that meeting with the President, they still have to exist in a society in which in order to make things move, you have to know someone who knows someone who has a contact within the system. It’s a rotten system that needs changing if Guyana is to reap the benefits of immigration. No announcement by the President is going to fix that.

---

---