President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday announced that Chinese nationals resident here legally for seven continuous years and more will be automatically entitled to citizenship.
He made the announcement at a meeting with some 375 Chinese nationals from across the country at the Guyana International Confer-ence Centre, Liliendaal.
“Any Chinese national who has lived here within our laws continuously for seven years, they would automatically get the citizenship,” he said to applause.
“You are welcome in Guyana,” Jagdeo declared noting that there had been recent murmurings in some sections of the society and media about the Chinese presence.
“It seems as though some people have developed some form of xenophobia and I don’t want in Guyana for you to think that this is the official policy of the government of Guyana,” he stated.
According to Jagdeo, Chinese people have been making a valuable contribution to Guyana for some 150 years and he expects those who come after will continue to do so. Jagdeo added that the meeting was called to address several issues with the primary one being that they enjoyed a stay free of harassment or discrimination. He added that many Guyanese had migrated when this country faced difficult years and he thought that Guyanese have a duty to be welcoming to immigrants. That is why, he said, his government would make the process easier for those who come “lawfully.”
Jagdeo also announced that the work permits for Chinese nationals who qualify would be extended from the current one year to three years. He said many immigrants experience difficulties when they go to renew their permits and sometimes are harassed or approached for bribes. It is this, he said, they want to curtail with a three-year permit.
He added that this would also allow them to travel back and forth without having to worry about re-entry. Jagdeo said he has also spoken to Surinamese President Desi Bouterse and they have agreed to streamline the process so that passage through his country is easier since many of them transit through that country to get to Guyana and encounter visa difficulties.
However, Jagdeo stated that those individuals who breach the laws will not be entitled to the same protection.
He added that in making Guyana more welcoming the Chinese should take steps to integrate with the Guyanese culture and learn English though he said the latter was not compulsory. The president also called on them to ensure their businesses reflect Guyana’s integration efforts with people of all races employed within.
“I’ve insisted that any business owned by Guyanese now, that they have to ensure that their employment policies are reflective of what we’re trying to do in this country; that is to build an integrated society.”
According to Jagdeo, he sees the Chinese presence as an opportunity, unlike a few “narrow-minded” people who see it as a threat.
“An opportunity of expanding our diversity, opportunity to grow the contacts we have with China which is a major world power … opportunity to create linkages right around the world,” he said.
The president also said he did not want to hear of anyone being trafficked or working against their will since it is something his government will “fight aggressively.” He added that he was opposed to people being ferried to Guyana as a business. However, he noted that in those instances where labour is being shipped in for a particular skill this would be facilitated once everything is above board.
Jagdeo said the decisions taken were in connection to several recurring problems they noticed Chinese immigrants faced. These included acquiring visas; being denied work permits or approached for bribes; being denied citizenship even though they have been resident for many years; and facing criticisms from some in the business community who fear Chinese “industriousness.”
Government officials and representatives of the Chinese community are to meet to work out the details on implementing the decisions.
Observers have noted that by implementing the policy of citizenship after seven years, President Jagdeo could be setting a precedent for other groups of foreigners particularly the large contingent of Brazilians living here.
It is also being suggested that yesterday’s concessions to the Chinese nationals may stem from the heightened influence of the Chinese government here following its myriad assistance programmes to the country. Why only now these matters are being hammered out has also been raised.
