Dear Editor,
The Caribbean diaspora is playing an important role in their respective countries and as a result governments and opposition parties are tapping into them for more support. Jamaica first started to recognize their nationals who live overseas by appointing officers in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to look after the interest of the diaspora and to explore more possibilities of assistance from them. Jamaica has hundreds of thousands in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and other overseas countries, and their remittances to their homeland are in excess of US$2 billion annually, which is more than 25% of the country’s national budget.
The opposition PNM party in Trinidad and Tobago announced last Saturday that it will appoint an international liaison officer, and last month the leader of the opposition APNU/PNCR , David Granger, was in New York whipping up support from the diaspora to his party. These two opposition parties are hopeful that the diaspora can assist them to return to power. Over in Ontario Canada, the governing PPP/C is fully behind the Association of Concerned Guyanese (ACG) which is very vibrant not only in realizing funds for Guyana, but in giving assistance to ensure that the PPP/C remains in government.
Last week elections were held and well-known community worker Victor Yacoob, who is also President of the district Lions Club has been elected as President of the ACG and haspledged to continue to support the efforts of the people of Guyana for the establishment of a society based on peace, democracy, equality, human rights and social justice.
The ACG was established in 1973 by the then opposition PPP “for the restoration of democracy in Guyana and to create international awareness of the unjust situation in Guyana.” It is ironic that the PPP/C has been in power for more than 21 years and the situation is not better.
In fact it is worse in certain areas, especially in respect of corruption by government officials and the failure by the administration to hold local government elections.
Caribbean nationals from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and all the Eastern Caribbean states of Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St Kitts/Nevis, Dominica, and others play an indivisible part in their homelands and send remittances on a regular basis to their relatives and communities.
Yours faithfully,
Oscar Ramjeet
