Dear Editor,
Finally, I agree with Peeping Tom; Guyana should refuse to host the Heads of Government Summit in protest at the anti-Guyanese attitude exhibited by the Barbadian government and, yes, some of the locals. Guyana needs to assert itself to correct for blatant violations of Guyanese civil and human rights by other Caricom nations. No, Guyana should not leave Caricom, but Caricom itself as an organ needs a wake-up call.
Caricom never objected to Trinidad and Suriname facilitating the US abduction (rendition) of a Guyanese national in 2006, in violation of international law.
But the primary disappointment is Mr Jagdeo himself who has been a poor advocate of Guyanese rights. The Jagdeo regime must take strong steps to send a firm message to the Caricom community, and this requires more than clichéd statements and going to meetings. It requires, first, a firm sense of nationalism to be practised, beginning with Guyana’s ruling politicians. Nationalism is not something which Freedom House has promoted. PPP figures including Mr Jagdeo seem unwilling to assert the basic civil rights of Guyanese on the Caribbean stage. As one person said recently, it seems as if Mr Jagdeo’s word has no teeth. Further, he should not be expected to protect Guyanese outside Guyana, when he cannot protect Guyanese inside Guyana.
Finally, the issue in Barbados is hardly an immigration one, although the Barbados government will claim this. In the first place, no one said that Barbados cannot protect its sovereignty or jobs for the locals etc. But there is a big difference between deporting an undocumented person, and creating a campaign of public persecution against foreign Caribbean nationals.
Indeed, there is much more involved here and the Jagdeo administration should address these issues bluntly, instead of being evasive by accusing Guyanese of being criminals and having to suffer consequences.
There is fear-mongering in the media, xenophobia, and criminal violence against Guyanese; there is the breach of people’s rights to travel or work or vacation between Caricom nations. There is the meaning of Caricom at stake. By portraying Guyanese as criminals, locals are encouraged to strike out at Guyanese who are at the mercy of local law enforcement officials.
No Caribbean person should ever feel this unsafe in any Caribbean territory, and what is happening is undermining the very idea of a Caribbean community.
Guyanese do not need to travel to Barbados to be criminals; they can do it at home and make greater profits. These people travel to Barbados as they do Canada or US for jobs and a better life – and why not? No one is bound to remain in Guyana or, for that matter, Barbados.
It is recognized that the PPP regime has failed to make Guyana better, but what has the Opposition done in 16 years to send Guyanese to Barbados and elsewhere? The fact of the matter is, however, that Guyanese are not even in Barbados properly and they are treated as suspects at the airport.
This does not reflect an immigration problem but something sinister and larger at work, which has the potential of creating serious problems for Guyana and Barbados, and indeed all of Caricom.
Yours faithfully,
Rakesh Rampertab
