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‘Migration policy coming’ – but voting rights off the table, Jagdeo says
(Kaieteur News) – Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday announced that the government is actively considering the creation of a migration policy to regulate the growing number of non-nationals living and working in Guyana.
Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo
Speaking at his weekly press conference at Freedom House, Jagdeo said the initiative stems from national security concerns and the need to better manage cross-border movement. “We’ve been discussing over several years, the need for a migration policy,” the vice president stated.
Jagdeo reminded of the implementation of the Single Electronic Identification System, which will see every Guyanese receiving an electronic identification card (E-ID), will enhance border control and aid in addressing the migrant issue. On March 10, 2023, the government signed a US$35 million agreement with the German-based company Veridos Identity Solutions to develop the E-ID system in Guyana.
He explained that the electronic system will capture the data of every citizen and non-nationals residing in Guyana through a biometric. “Every person in Guyana will have a card with biometrics, their facial recognition, everything there on it. If you don’t have that card, it will be hard to survive in this country, you can’t be working, because the employers, people who employ you, will face serious penalties,” Jagdeo noted.
The vice president said the E-ID cards will give the government an understanding of everyone who is in Guyana, whether it be Guyana or non-Guyanese.
“We’ll have all of their details. And with the cameras that we are putting in, as we said, we are planning for about another 4000 of those cameras that can recognise people. So once we put in the biometrics there, they can identify anyone, anywhere in the country at any time so we can keep our country safe,” he added.
Further, he said government will have to implement legislation to determine what rights migrants will have. He noted too that the law should define the extent of rights afforded to migrants, including whether they can obtain residency status but not participate in the electoral process.
“We want people to come and work, because we need that, like on construction sites where we have shortages, but they can’t change the nature of our society, and we’ve made it clear that we would have to think about people who come here, and maybe they can have residency, but not voting rights,” he said.
According to Jagdeo, these discussions will likely be addressed through constitutional reform and national consultations. He pointed out that similar models exist in countries like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, where non-nationals contribute to economic development but do not possess full rights as a local.
“How much rights we are prepared to accord to people who come here, given that we want to preserve our country for our people too. So that is a crucial issue,” he added.
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