(Barbados Nation) Prime Minister David Thompson is disheartened by the responses to his domestic immigration policy coming from regional leaders. Speaking to reporters after opening a play park in Gall Hill, St John, on Monday, he said it had never been his approach to get involved in the internal politics of another country. He was responding to criticism from some regional leaders about his stance on immigration and the amnesty offered to undocumented CARICOM migrants.
“I try to avoid meddling in the internal affairs of other countries. I don’t go and address political parties in other countries, I do not get involved in domestic politics of other countries and that has always been my approach. “I’m disheartened by some of the approaches of my colleagues but they predate me and therefore I am hoping that we can set a different example.
“We will not make the kind of progress we need to make if there is a perception that a country is not able to achieve the goals of its people and where leaders and political parties are not able to deliver on the mandate given to them,” he said.
Thompson, who is expected in Guyana today for the July 2 to 5 CARICOM Heads of Government Summit, reiterated that his immigration stance was known even before he took office. He pointed to the emphasis placed on the subject during the Democratic Labour Party’s (DLP) election campaign.
“Nobody can say that the DLP did not state up front in the last election what our position was in relation to immigration. It was said every night on political platforms.
“This is not new. What we needed to do is to put it in an administrative context. We are not here to regurgitate the policies of the previous administration and we’re not here to change them for the sake of changing them. But where they impact on the rights of our citizens then we’re going to take action.”
Thompson outlined some of the major issues that would be discussed over the next few days. “Barbados has complied with all its obligations under the CSME [CARICOM Single Market and Economy] and it has even been said that we are ahead in terms of the implementation of our obligations. However, there are some things we are concerned about . . . .
“We have concerns about the deadline or objective time-frame for freedom of movement, about the investment code, about the contingent rights which are part of the freedom of movement and we have documented these. We have put something together which sets out what I would consider to be our concerns as a nation about aspects of CARICOM and we are going into conference to put our position,” he said.
