Brent Symonette: Illegal immigrant apprehension exercises set to resume
tribune242
THE Department of Immigration will resume illegal immigrant apprehension exercises on September 1 after a grace period for voluntary repatriation ends, said Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Brent Symonette.
In a statement released recently, the minister aimed to clear up the "confusion" over his ministry's repatriation and apprehension policies while maintaining that he has always been consistent in his remarks on the issue.
"There appears to have been some confusion relative to comments I made in an interview with the media on August 25 as to the time frame for the resumption of apprehension exercises of illegal immigrants from the Republic of Haiti or any other country," said Mr Symonette, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister.
"On August 16, I issued a statement noting: 'Persons who are found to be in the Bahamas illegally will be repatriated forthwith'.
"In the interest of allowing illegal immigrants who wished to leave immediately and voluntarily to do so, the government has allowed for a brief period of voluntary repatriation. That period will end on August 31. Apprehension exercises will resume as of September 1, consistent with my statement of August 16 relative to the resumption of such exercises.
Mr Symonette said his August 16 statement reminded the public of the government's long-standing policy with respect to illegal entry into the Bahamas.
"Having regard to the recent heightened infringement of Bahamas immigration law, notice is hereby given that with immediate effect, all illegal immigrants are requested to leave the Bahamas voluntarily.
"All persons who are here illegally are in contravention of the laws of the Bahamas, and are advised to return to their country of origin or be subject to apprehension and deportation.
"I also wish to recall the humanitarian decision of the Bahamas in suspending for a short period both apprehension and repatriation exercises following the devastating earthquake in Haiti in January of this year," said the August 16 statement.
Since a cataclysmic earthquake devastated Haiti's capital city, the Bahamas has resumed repatriation exercises for illegal immigrants from that country.
Over the past six months, 772 Haitian and 183 Jamaican nationals have been repatriated to the Republic of Haiti and Jamaica respectively.
tribune242
A political blog about Bahamian politics in The Bahamas, Bahamian Politicans - and the entire Bahamas political lot. Bahamian Blogger Dennis Dames keeps you updated on the political news and views throughout the islands of The Bahamas without fear or favor. Bahamian Politicians and the Bahamian Political Arena: Updates one Post at a time on Bahamas Politics and Bahamas Politicans; and their local, regional and international policies and perspectives.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Kenyatta Gibson has not been performing - say Nine out of nine Kennedy constituents interviewed
Is Your MP Performing: Kennedy Constituents Displeased With MP
By NIKIA DEVEAUX:
Nine out of nine residents interviewed in the Kennedy constituency recently said their Member of Parliament, Kenyatta Gibson has not been performing.
While the constituents refused to give their names to the Bahama Journal, they minced no words when revealing that Mr. Gibson has made no positive changes in the community since he took his seat as the MP for Kennedy.
Some of the constituents had unique concerns, but whether their cry was that there are no programmes in place to assist the youth or that they need jobs, the nine constituents polled all agreed that Mr. Gibson is "never around."
"Kenyatta Gibson? I’ve never seen him around, and I’ve been living here since 1987. I don’t know if he happens to come around every time I’m not home, but all I can say is that I’ve never seen him in the area," said a man who only wanted to be identified as Mr. Mitchell.
Another constituent added: "Kenyatta? Well actually I don’t even know who he is to be honest. I’ve only heard the name from people around here. But me, I don’t know him. He’s not doing anything around here."
An elderly woman who has been living in the area for decades shared similar sentiments.
"He hasn’t done anything. Not a thing. The last time I saw him was when we put him in the House of Assembly and that was it. Since then I haven’t seen him," she said.
A second elderly woman who referred to herself as ‘Big Mama of Kennedy’ agreed and said she has not seen Mr. Gibson in the area since he became the MP.
While several of the residents simply complained about what Mr. Gibson is failing to do in the constituency, there were others who offered suggestions that they believe could make him a better representative.
"Just come around more often. Show your face and talk with the people; find out what’s going on with your constituents," a man who identified himself as Mr. Smith suggested.
"If you go riding around the area you will see children in the road. There’s nothing for them to do. I feel the MP should come up with some programmes or something for them to occupy their time and keep them from doing negative things," said a concerned constituent.
A young mother of one said the area’s main problem is the lack of jobs. She said Mr. Gibson should be doing what he can to change that.
"All of the young boys around here can’t find a job, and it’s been that way for years. I’m sure there’s some way Kenyatta can help them," she said.
Mr. Gibson resigned from the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) in January 2008.
A year later he crossed the floor to join the Free National Movement (FNM).
In the aftermath, many political pundits and parliamentarians criticised the move, accusing the Kennedy MP of committing "political fraud" and turning his back on his constituents.
While some people said the move played a part in their rating of Mr. Gibson, others said it had no effect.
"It’s a big concern of ours. He changed a whole party and didn’t even come around to explain anything to the constituents. Someone could have come around and said ‘this is what happened and this is why I made my decision’," said an enraged resident who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"We found out about the whole situation from the television. What message does that send to us?"
Her neighbour, however, disagreed and added that as long as an MP has the people in mind his or her party choice should not matter.
"We should be voting for the man or woman we want to represent us. He has the right to choose what party he wants to be with. If I put you there to represent me, just make sure you do that. FNM, PLP or whatever…just represent me," she said.
For some constituents it is too late for Mr. Gibson to regain their trust, but others say there is still time for him to get his act together.
At the end of the day Kennedy constituents said they are ready for a representative – whoever it may be – who will make a change in the area.
August 26th, 2010
jonesbahamas
By NIKIA DEVEAUX:
Nine out of nine residents interviewed in the Kennedy constituency recently said their Member of Parliament, Kenyatta Gibson has not been performing.
While the constituents refused to give their names to the Bahama Journal, they minced no words when revealing that Mr. Gibson has made no positive changes in the community since he took his seat as the MP for Kennedy.
Some of the constituents had unique concerns, but whether their cry was that there are no programmes in place to assist the youth or that they need jobs, the nine constituents polled all agreed that Mr. Gibson is "never around."
"Kenyatta Gibson? I’ve never seen him around, and I’ve been living here since 1987. I don’t know if he happens to come around every time I’m not home, but all I can say is that I’ve never seen him in the area," said a man who only wanted to be identified as Mr. Mitchell.
Another constituent added: "Kenyatta? Well actually I don’t even know who he is to be honest. I’ve only heard the name from people around here. But me, I don’t know him. He’s not doing anything around here."
An elderly woman who has been living in the area for decades shared similar sentiments.
"He hasn’t done anything. Not a thing. The last time I saw him was when we put him in the House of Assembly and that was it. Since then I haven’t seen him," she said.
A second elderly woman who referred to herself as ‘Big Mama of Kennedy’ agreed and said she has not seen Mr. Gibson in the area since he became the MP.
While several of the residents simply complained about what Mr. Gibson is failing to do in the constituency, there were others who offered suggestions that they believe could make him a better representative.
"Just come around more often. Show your face and talk with the people; find out what’s going on with your constituents," a man who identified himself as Mr. Smith suggested.
"If you go riding around the area you will see children in the road. There’s nothing for them to do. I feel the MP should come up with some programmes or something for them to occupy their time and keep them from doing negative things," said a concerned constituent.
A young mother of one said the area’s main problem is the lack of jobs. She said Mr. Gibson should be doing what he can to change that.
"All of the young boys around here can’t find a job, and it’s been that way for years. I’m sure there’s some way Kenyatta can help them," she said.
Mr. Gibson resigned from the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) in January 2008.
A year later he crossed the floor to join the Free National Movement (FNM).
In the aftermath, many political pundits and parliamentarians criticised the move, accusing the Kennedy MP of committing "political fraud" and turning his back on his constituents.
While some people said the move played a part in their rating of Mr. Gibson, others said it had no effect.
"It’s a big concern of ours. He changed a whole party and didn’t even come around to explain anything to the constituents. Someone could have come around and said ‘this is what happened and this is why I made my decision’," said an enraged resident who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"We found out about the whole situation from the television. What message does that send to us?"
Her neighbour, however, disagreed and added that as long as an MP has the people in mind his or her party choice should not matter.
"We should be voting for the man or woman we want to represent us. He has the right to choose what party he wants to be with. If I put you there to represent me, just make sure you do that. FNM, PLP or whatever…just represent me," she said.
For some constituents it is too late for Mr. Gibson to regain their trust, but others say there is still time for him to get his act together.
At the end of the day Kennedy constituents said they are ready for a representative – whoever it may be – who will make a change in the area.
August 26th, 2010
jonesbahamas
Friday, August 27, 2010
Optimistic that the Attorney General's office will eventually restore the confidence of Bahamians in their judicial system
New hope for the Attorney General's office
tribune242 editorial
OVER THE years there has been agitation -- especially from Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell -- for an all Bahamian judiciary.
Today the judiciary up to the level of the Supreme Court -- with the exception of a foreign magistrate in Abaco and another in Freeport -- is all Bahamian. However, it has never been in a worse state of confusion than it is now. The public has certainly lost confidence in the once honourable judicial system as cases mount, crime grows, and more criminals are returned to the streets because an early trial cannot be guaranteed them.
These are some of the many problems with which John Delaney, QC, the newly appointed Attorney General, is faced and which he eventually will have to solve. He has to track cases that should have been dealt with years ago, but were just allowed to slip under the blotter and get "lost." He has to deal with persons on bail who would probably be behind bars if their cases had been dealt with in a timely manner. However, because of an apparent lack of expert management in the office of the attorney general these persons with criminal records and pending trials are still roaming the streets and creating fear in the community.
In his contribution to the Budget debate in the Senate on June 23, Mr Delaney, after emphasizing that his department "has able and dedicated counsel at various levels for the prosecution of criminal cases, some of whom shoulder a disproportionate load relative to others at their level," pointed to his department's gravest problem. "However," he told senators, "an apparent inadequacy of senior managerial-level direction, control, operational focus and discipline over a number of years have left this department compromised in providing the appropriate level and quality of response needed to meet the demands it has faced and continues to face within the criminal justice system."
To get cases moving the Judicial Legal Service Commission appointed Mrs Vinette Graham Allen, a Jamaican, as Director of Public Prosecutions. Mrs Graham Allen, who has an outstanding record of managing and moving cases efficiently, took up her post this month. She has had senior management experience in Jamaica's Department of Public Prosecutions as its Deputy Director. She was Director of Bermuda's Department of Public Prosecutions, and Director and Principal of Jamaica's Justice Training Institute, where she was responsible for designing, developing, organising, coordinating and conducting training programmes in Justice administration.
She ran into difficulty in Bermuda where Bermudians were agitating for a local rather than a foreigner to head the DPP's department. As we understand it Bermuda has a similar problem to the Bahamas, and probably the efficiency of Mrs Graham Allen rattled too many slow-moving bones into unaccustomed action to get cases moving. Whatever the problem, when Mrs Graham Allen left Bermuda there were only 15 cases left of the 600 she found gathering dust on her arrival. This is just the kind of effort the Bahamas is looking for, and apparently, our Bahamian lawyers in the Attorney General's office also want this type of leadership and are cooperating with her so that cases can start moving through the system more efficiently. This is all the public wants -- there are too many unhealthy rumours about certain cases that have been pushed aside and seemingly forgotten.
It would seem that Mr Delaney's focus will be on current cases first to remove the concern of magistrates and judges over the question of bail. If the Attorney General's office can deal with accused persons without long adjournments, magistrates will no longer have to consider the length of time an accused has to remain in prison awaiting trial. There will then be no reason for magistrates to grant bail in serious cases.
Mr Delaney told the Senate that he was informed that 47 cases were processed for the year 2009 and 24 cases so far for 2010. "Giving the number of pending cases, on the one hand," he observed, "and the constitutional imperative of a fair trial within a reasonable period of time, on the other, the question of bail for persons charged with an offence becomes an issue." He said there were about 130 persons now out on bail for murder related offences.
"The processing of cases and the bail situation must be improved," he told the Senate, "and this government is determined to do all within its power to cause improvement."
It is going to take a long time because there is much to be done, but we are confident that Mr Delaney, with his new DPP, supported by deputy directors, Franklyn Williams and Garvin Gaskin, and their hard working legal staff -- a department of about 22 lawyers -- will eventually restore the confidence of Bahamians in their judicial system.
August 26, 2010
tribune242 editorial
tribune242 editorial
OVER THE years there has been agitation -- especially from Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell -- for an all Bahamian judiciary.
Today the judiciary up to the level of the Supreme Court -- with the exception of a foreign magistrate in Abaco and another in Freeport -- is all Bahamian. However, it has never been in a worse state of confusion than it is now. The public has certainly lost confidence in the once honourable judicial system as cases mount, crime grows, and more criminals are returned to the streets because an early trial cannot be guaranteed them.
These are some of the many problems with which John Delaney, QC, the newly appointed Attorney General, is faced and which he eventually will have to solve. He has to track cases that should have been dealt with years ago, but were just allowed to slip under the blotter and get "lost." He has to deal with persons on bail who would probably be behind bars if their cases had been dealt with in a timely manner. However, because of an apparent lack of expert management in the office of the attorney general these persons with criminal records and pending trials are still roaming the streets and creating fear in the community.
In his contribution to the Budget debate in the Senate on June 23, Mr Delaney, after emphasizing that his department "has able and dedicated counsel at various levels for the prosecution of criminal cases, some of whom shoulder a disproportionate load relative to others at their level," pointed to his department's gravest problem. "However," he told senators, "an apparent inadequacy of senior managerial-level direction, control, operational focus and discipline over a number of years have left this department compromised in providing the appropriate level and quality of response needed to meet the demands it has faced and continues to face within the criminal justice system."
To get cases moving the Judicial Legal Service Commission appointed Mrs Vinette Graham Allen, a Jamaican, as Director of Public Prosecutions. Mrs Graham Allen, who has an outstanding record of managing and moving cases efficiently, took up her post this month. She has had senior management experience in Jamaica's Department of Public Prosecutions as its Deputy Director. She was Director of Bermuda's Department of Public Prosecutions, and Director and Principal of Jamaica's Justice Training Institute, where she was responsible for designing, developing, organising, coordinating and conducting training programmes in Justice administration.
She ran into difficulty in Bermuda where Bermudians were agitating for a local rather than a foreigner to head the DPP's department. As we understand it Bermuda has a similar problem to the Bahamas, and probably the efficiency of Mrs Graham Allen rattled too many slow-moving bones into unaccustomed action to get cases moving. Whatever the problem, when Mrs Graham Allen left Bermuda there were only 15 cases left of the 600 she found gathering dust on her arrival. This is just the kind of effort the Bahamas is looking for, and apparently, our Bahamian lawyers in the Attorney General's office also want this type of leadership and are cooperating with her so that cases can start moving through the system more efficiently. This is all the public wants -- there are too many unhealthy rumours about certain cases that have been pushed aside and seemingly forgotten.
It would seem that Mr Delaney's focus will be on current cases first to remove the concern of magistrates and judges over the question of bail. If the Attorney General's office can deal with accused persons without long adjournments, magistrates will no longer have to consider the length of time an accused has to remain in prison awaiting trial. There will then be no reason for magistrates to grant bail in serious cases.
Mr Delaney told the Senate that he was informed that 47 cases were processed for the year 2009 and 24 cases so far for 2010. "Giving the number of pending cases, on the one hand," he observed, "and the constitutional imperative of a fair trial within a reasonable period of time, on the other, the question of bail for persons charged with an offence becomes an issue." He said there were about 130 persons now out on bail for murder related offences.
"The processing of cases and the bail situation must be improved," he told the Senate, "and this government is determined to do all within its power to cause improvement."
It is going to take a long time because there is much to be done, but we are confident that Mr Delaney, with his new DPP, supported by deputy directors, Franklyn Williams and Garvin Gaskin, and their hard working legal staff -- a department of about 22 lawyers -- will eventually restore the confidence of Bahamians in their judicial system.
August 26, 2010
tribune242 editorial
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Bahamas Immigration Dilemma
The Immigration Dilemma
By JUAN MCCARTNEY
Guardian Senior Reporter
juan@nasguard.com:
Back in the 1980s when the name Loftus Roker, then minister responsible for immigration, was spoken in the Haitian community, it was done so in hushed tones with an underlying sense of impending doom.
Just as many Haitians feared Roker, many Bahamians at the time considered him a savior come to rid The Bahamas of undesirable aliens who"messed up their own country and were now coming to take over ours".
Conversely, there were those Bahamians who viewed Roker's reign at immigration as one of terror.
The Roker style is not in practice today.
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, when asked by a reporter a couple of years ago if the Department of Immigration should conduct raids'Roker-style', replied:"We are not of that ilk."
While there is no denying Roker's zeal and popular appeal at the time, in the end it should be noted that Roker was about as effective as every other minister of immigration The Bahamas has ever seen; which is to say that he was not very effective at all.
Nothing Roker did actually helped stem the tide of illegal Haitian migrants into the country. Illegal Haitian migrants as they have been doing for the past 30 years still flock to our shores today.
Fast-forward to the 21st Century, when just recently, Immigration and Royal Bahamas Defence Force(RBDF)officials(with some help from the United States Coast Guard)apprehended over 500 illegal migrants within several days.
Five-hundred Haitian men, women and children paid what would be considered a vast amount in their home country to cram like sardines into unseaworthy vessels, with little food or water and a high probability of drowning in a summer of record heat, in search of a better way of life.
One would recall the case of an alleged murderer reportedly of Haitian descent, who eluded police several years ago only to be recaptured upon trying to reenter the country at a Family Island port.
When recaptured, the young man reportedly told police that he had been hiding in Haiti, but things were so rough in that country that finding food on a daily basis was never assured. He reportedly told police that he knew that if he were imprisoned in The Bahamas, he would eat every day.
That a man facing the death penalty would reportedly utter such comments, also speaks volumes about our justice system, but immigration policies are the focus at the moment.
The point is that illegal Haitian migrants come here unabated, knowing the chance of being caught is slim and even if they are deported, they could always risk their lives again.
Many Haitians apparently believe they can enter The Bahamas almost at will. This may be because they are aware that like Roker, all immigration ministers in recent memory have subscribed to the policy of'round-up and repatriate'as the solution to the illegal immigration problem.
Round-ups(or apprehension exercises as the politically correct prefer to term them)alone have failed to solve the problem.
They are at best ineffective stopgap measures that have mainly been used as a publicity tool for the government.
But they are better than nothing.
How the administration of Prime Minister Ingraham has flip-flopped and mishandled the illegal Haitian migration issue since that devastating January 12 earthquake in Port-au-Prince would have been amusing to watch had the implications not been so serious.
First the government ceased repatriations and apprehension exercises in light of the earthquake. Then the government, in a move that prompted a firestorm of debate, released more than 100 illegal Haitian migrants from the Carmichael Road Detention Centre and gave the less than 60 former detainees who bothered to show up to register at the Department of Immigration, six months temporary status. To this day, the current status of those immigrants remains unclear.
From there the policy became even more muddled.
About two weeks after Ingraham declared the shift in policy, Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette(the substantive minister responsible for immigration)and the then junior immigration minister Branville McCartney had two different views on what should happen to a group of illegal Haitian migrants that landed in the Coral Harbour area of New Providence since Ingraham's announcement.
Symonette, who was interviewed as he was going into a Cabinet meeting, said the immigrants would"more than likely"be released.
Minutes later McCartney-who was not yet aware of what the senior minister had told reporters-said he planned to stick to the prime minister's previously stated policy of charging the immigrants with illegal landing before the courts.
Not long after that, Prime Minister Ingraham showed up and said that his policy of charging the immigrants still stood.
Ingraham's word of course superseded Symonette's and the immigrants were charged with illegal landing that day.
Little else was heard about illegal Haitian migrants since.
Now, after having done little for the past seven or so months, Symonette admits that there has been an uptick in illegal Haitian migration into The Bahamas and has urged that all illegal migrants turn themselves in to immigration officials to be returned home forthwith.
After Symonette communicated the words in English and Creole, a collective roar of laughter must have risen out of the Haitian community.
Does Symonette really expect Haitians who had come here illegally to all of a sudden do an about-face and volunteer to be returned home?
Surely not, considering that Symonette admits that apprehension exercises were still on hold and Director of Immigration Jack Thompson could up to last week give no firm timeline on when the exercises would resume.
And it is this ever-shifting, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants attitude as it regards Haitian migration since the beginning of the year that has conclusively shown that the current administration has never really had an actual workable plan with definable goals in place to deal with the issue.
And if we are mistaken and Prime Minister Ingraham and the Free National Movement actually have a plan in mind, then it seems that they lack the political will or courage to attempt its implementation.
Either way, this latest incarnation of the Ingraham administration, like all administrations since Independence, has failed the Bahamian people on the immigration front.
Ingraham's bark is worse than his bite
Some people criticize Ingraham for being too direct and gruff at times.
It's what some Bahamians would term as too"no manners".
Despite the'pit bull'persona Ingraham has generated, if you observe him carefully, you would see that at heart he is really a soft touch for those who find themselves particularly disadvantaged.
After Ingraham's 2002 referendum was rejected in spectacular fashion, he vowed that no more referenda would be held under his watch.
That referendum was rejected for numerous reasons: a terrible public awareness campaign; Ingraham's aggressive(and perhaps off-putting)selling of its agenda; an about-face by the Progressive Liberal Party(PLP), which voted for it in Parliament, but while on the campaign trail, advised Bahamians to shoot it down; and then there was the perception by many that the then government was trying to amend too much too fast.
If you watch the House of Assembly as intently as those in our profession do, you would sometimes catch Ingraham on the floor digressing in a retrospective manner about what he tried to do for women, for the tens of thousands of people out there who are technically Haitian but know no other home than The Bahamas.
Ingraham did try his best to bring some sort of major immigration reform, but in the end his best was not good enough and he seems to have still not fully gotten over that defeat.
But if that is the case, it's about time that he does.
The PLP not much better
True to form, the Opposition under the leadership of former Prime Minister Perry Christie has taken no clear position on the immigration issue since it once again became front and center earlier this year.
The Progressive Liberal Party(PLP)has sat idly by twiddling its thumbs in classic fashion, crying about non-consultation, hoping that the FNM will ultimately look so inept that the Bahamian people will give the party another shot at government.
Perhaps the issue is too big for the PLP, which has trouble making up its mind on various issues that have widespread implications--legalizing numbers, the marital rape issue, Baha Mar and Chinese labor to name a few.
The Opposition seems to be more suited to complaining about the landscaping of beaches, the direction of roads and the appointment of foreigners to public office.
Far be it from the PLP to actually propose an alternate immigration plan.
The only person in the Opposition who seems to have any focus on the issue is Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell, who while proposing no new ideas per se, at least has the issue on his radar.
Alas, Mitchell is even more of a soft touch than the prime minister.
Christie meantime has not shown a particularly keen interest in even acknowledging the problem.
Voices within the party that actually propose ideas about the issue such as former chairman Raynard Rigby are often met with derision.
That the PLP has not put the services of people as intelligent as Rigby(of which there are many in the party)to use in crafting a new national platform for the party, makes one wonder what, aside from ratifying candidates and throwing jeers at Cabinet members, has the party been doing for the past three years.
As the PLP learned when it was defeated amidst an economic boom in 2007, the Bahamian electorate is fickle.
The party must propose alternate solutions to the policies of the Ingraham administration if it is to set itself apart and regain the government.
Make the hard choices
Although the world and The Bahamas have made exponential progress in the past 30 years, little has changed since the 1980s regarding illegal migration.
The most notable immigration ministers since Roker have been Golden Gates MP Shane Gibson and Bamboo Town MP Branville McCartney, both of whom resigned in the midst of their respective tenures.
Gibson, who was widely compared to Roker in his aggressive approach, resigned amid the Anna Nicole-Smith scandal.
McCartney reportedly became fed up that Ingraham found his stance toward illegal Haitian migrants too aggressive and flashy.
Since McCartney's departure we are now left with Symonette, who seems to have too much on his plate.
He is the deputy prime minister, the minister of foreign affairs and the minister of immigration.
Tens of thousands of illegal migrants perhaps sit in shanty towns across the country mocking Symonette's recent hollow threat.
Ingraham seems content to leave this issue to the next generation of Bahamians.
Meantime, The Bahamas immigration policy cannot be clearly defined and the Bahamian people remain adrift in a sea of uncertainty, much like the Haitian sloops that depart Port-de-Paix and Cape Haitien, filled with human cargo in search of a better life.
However, the major difference between us and them is that the Haitians at least have some idea of their destination.
8/23/2010
thenassauguardian
By JUAN MCCARTNEY
Guardian Senior Reporter
juan@nasguard.com:
Back in the 1980s when the name Loftus Roker, then minister responsible for immigration, was spoken in the Haitian community, it was done so in hushed tones with an underlying sense of impending doom.
Illegal and legal Haitian migrants, adults and children alike feared Roker. And for good reason.
During Roker's heyday many in the Haitian community referred to him as"Daddy".
And many of those same Haitian migrants were constantly looking over their shoulders, fretting that'Daddy'and his team of eager immigration officers might swoop in at any time or place at schools, at the hospital, at church, in the middle of the night and have them swiftly back on Haitian soil.
Just as many Haitians feared Roker, many Bahamians at the time considered him a savior come to rid The Bahamas of undesirable aliens who"messed up their own country and were now coming to take over ours".
Conversely, there were those Bahamians who viewed Roker's reign at immigration as one of terror.
The Roker style is not in practice today.
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, when asked by a reporter a couple of years ago if the Department of Immigration should conduct raids'Roker-style', replied:"We are not of that ilk."
While there is no denying Roker's zeal and popular appeal at the time, in the end it should be noted that Roker was about as effective as every other minister of immigration The Bahamas has ever seen; which is to say that he was not very effective at all.
Nothing Roker did actually helped stem the tide of illegal Haitian migrants into the country. Illegal Haitian migrants as they have been doing for the past 30 years still flock to our shores today.
Fast-forward to the 21st Century, when just recently, Immigration and Royal Bahamas Defence Force(RBDF)officials(with some help from the United States Coast Guard)apprehended over 500 illegal migrants within several days.
Five-hundred Haitian men, women and children paid what would be considered a vast amount in their home country to cram like sardines into unseaworthy vessels, with little food or water and a high probability of drowning in a summer of record heat, in search of a better way of life.
One would recall the case of an alleged murderer reportedly of Haitian descent, who eluded police several years ago only to be recaptured upon trying to reenter the country at a Family Island port.
When recaptured, the young man reportedly told police that he had been hiding in Haiti, but things were so rough in that country that finding food on a daily basis was never assured. He reportedly told police that he knew that if he were imprisoned in The Bahamas, he would eat every day.
That a man facing the death penalty would reportedly utter such comments, also speaks volumes about our justice system, but immigration policies are the focus at the moment.
The point is that illegal Haitian migrants come here unabated, knowing the chance of being caught is slim and even if they are deported, they could always risk their lives again.
Many Haitians apparently believe they can enter The Bahamas almost at will. This may be because they are aware that like Roker, all immigration ministers in recent memory have subscribed to the policy of'round-up and repatriate'as the solution to the illegal immigration problem.
Round-ups(or apprehension exercises as the politically correct prefer to term them)alone have failed to solve the problem.
They are at best ineffective stopgap measures that have mainly been used as a publicity tool for the government.
But they are better than nothing.
How the administration of Prime Minister Ingraham has flip-flopped and mishandled the illegal Haitian migration issue since that devastating January 12 earthquake in Port-au-Prince would have been amusing to watch had the implications not been so serious.
First the government ceased repatriations and apprehension exercises in light of the earthquake. Then the government, in a move that prompted a firestorm of debate, released more than 100 illegal Haitian migrants from the Carmichael Road Detention Centre and gave the less than 60 former detainees who bothered to show up to register at the Department of Immigration, six months temporary status. To this day, the current status of those immigrants remains unclear.
From there the policy became even more muddled.
About two weeks after Ingraham declared the shift in policy, Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette(the substantive minister responsible for immigration)and the then junior immigration minister Branville McCartney had two different views on what should happen to a group of illegal Haitian migrants that landed in the Coral Harbour area of New Providence since Ingraham's announcement.
Symonette, who was interviewed as he was going into a Cabinet meeting, said the immigrants would"more than likely"be released.
Minutes later McCartney-who was not yet aware of what the senior minister had told reporters-said he planned to stick to the prime minister's previously stated policy of charging the immigrants with illegal landing before the courts.
Not long after that, Prime Minister Ingraham showed up and said that his policy of charging the immigrants still stood.
Ingraham's word of course superseded Symonette's and the immigrants were charged with illegal landing that day.
Little else was heard about illegal Haitian migrants since.
Now, after having done little for the past seven or so months, Symonette admits that there has been an uptick in illegal Haitian migration into The Bahamas and has urged that all illegal migrants turn themselves in to immigration officials to be returned home forthwith.
After Symonette communicated the words in English and Creole, a collective roar of laughter must have risen out of the Haitian community.
Does Symonette really expect Haitians who had come here illegally to all of a sudden do an about-face and volunteer to be returned home?
Surely not, considering that Symonette admits that apprehension exercises were still on hold and Director of Immigration Jack Thompson could up to last week give no firm timeline on when the exercises would resume.
And it is this ever-shifting, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants attitude as it regards Haitian migration since the beginning of the year that has conclusively shown that the current administration has never really had an actual workable plan with definable goals in place to deal with the issue.
And if we are mistaken and Prime Minister Ingraham and the Free National Movement actually have a plan in mind, then it seems that they lack the political will or courage to attempt its implementation.
Either way, this latest incarnation of the Ingraham administration, like all administrations since Independence, has failed the Bahamian people on the immigration front.
Ingraham's bark is worse than his bite
Some people criticize Ingraham for being too direct and gruff at times.
It's what some Bahamians would term as too"no manners".
Despite the'pit bull'persona Ingraham has generated, if you observe him carefully, you would see that at heart he is really a soft touch for those who find themselves particularly disadvantaged.
After Ingraham's 2002 referendum was rejected in spectacular fashion, he vowed that no more referenda would be held under his watch.
That referendum was rejected for numerous reasons: a terrible public awareness campaign; Ingraham's aggressive(and perhaps off-putting)selling of its agenda; an about-face by the Progressive Liberal Party(PLP), which voted for it in Parliament, but while on the campaign trail, advised Bahamians to shoot it down; and then there was the perception by many that the then government was trying to amend too much too fast.
If you watch the House of Assembly as intently as those in our profession do, you would sometimes catch Ingraham on the floor digressing in a retrospective manner about what he tried to do for women, for the tens of thousands of people out there who are technically Haitian but know no other home than The Bahamas.
Ingraham did try his best to bring some sort of major immigration reform, but in the end his best was not good enough and he seems to have still not fully gotten over that defeat.
But if that is the case, it's about time that he does.
The PLP not much better
True to form, the Opposition under the leadership of former Prime Minister Perry Christie has taken no clear position on the immigration issue since it once again became front and center earlier this year.
The Progressive Liberal Party(PLP)has sat idly by twiddling its thumbs in classic fashion, crying about non-consultation, hoping that the FNM will ultimately look so inept that the Bahamian people will give the party another shot at government.
Perhaps the issue is too big for the PLP, which has trouble making up its mind on various issues that have widespread implications--legalizing numbers, the marital rape issue, Baha Mar and Chinese labor to name a few.
The Opposition seems to be more suited to complaining about the landscaping of beaches, the direction of roads and the appointment of foreigners to public office.
Far be it from the PLP to actually propose an alternate immigration plan.
The only person in the Opposition who seems to have any focus on the issue is Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell, who while proposing no new ideas per se, at least has the issue on his radar.
Alas, Mitchell is even more of a soft touch than the prime minister.
Christie meantime has not shown a particularly keen interest in even acknowledging the problem.
Voices within the party that actually propose ideas about the issue such as former chairman Raynard Rigby are often met with derision.
That the PLP has not put the services of people as intelligent as Rigby(of which there are many in the party)to use in crafting a new national platform for the party, makes one wonder what, aside from ratifying candidates and throwing jeers at Cabinet members, has the party been doing for the past three years.
As the PLP learned when it was defeated amidst an economic boom in 2007, the Bahamian electorate is fickle.
The party must propose alternate solutions to the policies of the Ingraham administration if it is to set itself apart and regain the government.
Make the hard choices
Although the world and The Bahamas have made exponential progress in the past 30 years, little has changed since the 1980s regarding illegal migration.
The most notable immigration ministers since Roker have been Golden Gates MP Shane Gibson and Bamboo Town MP Branville McCartney, both of whom resigned in the midst of their respective tenures.
Gibson, who was widely compared to Roker in his aggressive approach, resigned amid the Anna Nicole-Smith scandal.
McCartney reportedly became fed up that Ingraham found his stance toward illegal Haitian migrants too aggressive and flashy.
Since McCartney's departure we are now left with Symonette, who seems to have too much on his plate.
He is the deputy prime minister, the minister of foreign affairs and the minister of immigration.
Tens of thousands of illegal migrants perhaps sit in shanty towns across the country mocking Symonette's recent hollow threat.
Ingraham seems content to leave this issue to the next generation of Bahamians.
Meantime, The Bahamas immigration policy cannot be clearly defined and the Bahamian people remain adrift in a sea of uncertainty, much like the Haitian sloops that depart Port-de-Paix and Cape Haitien, filled with human cargo in search of a better life.
However, the major difference between us and them is that the Haitians at least have some idea of their destination.
8/23/2010
thenassauguardian
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Debate and division on 4,920 work permits for Chinese labour for the $2.6 billion Baha Mar Cable Beach resort complex heat up
PLP should be prepared for September 8
tribune242 editorial
SEPTEMBER 8th is D-Day for Baha Mar when parliamentarians will debate and vote on whether to approve 4,920 work permits for Chinese labour to build the $2.6 billion Cable Beach resort complex. The investment is backed by a loan from the Export-Import Bank of China. The resort will be constructed by China State Construction Engineering Corporation and the request for the permits comes from the People's Republic of China.
Legislators are caught on a cleft stick with this one -- a case of be damned if you do, or damned if you don't.
Bahamians have always been against foreign labour to the point that even the unskilled believe that as long as they are Bahamians - regardless of their lack of ability - they should get all jobs. However, today the economic situation is different. The construction business is down, Bahamians are desperate for work.
The question is are they desperate enough to suppress their grumbles and agree to these permits in order to stimulate the economy and find employment for themselves, or are they going to dig their heels in and say: "No."
According to Baha Mar if this project goes ahead it will create 3,300 temporary jobs for Bahamians during construction and 7,000 permanent jobs on completion.
We have always understood that wherever in the world Chinese investors build, they do it with their own labour. Looking at it from the Chinese point of view, their country also has to provide employment for their own people. It is their money which they invest in their citizens to create a project in a foreign land. On completion that project will then benefit the country in which it is located.
Mr Christie believes that the Chinese government -- with better negotiating skills on the part of Mr Ingraham -- could have been talked out of such an unusual request. Little does Mr Christie know. When these permits were first talked of the figures being tossed about were between 5,000 and 6,000 workers. If this is so to get the Chinese -- who we understand are adamant about their Chinese labour policy -- to drop down to 4,920 is a miracle in itself. However, if these permits are eventually agreed, with the exception of a handful of their top executives, everyone of them must return to China on the completion of the contract. This should be non-negotiable.
Mr Christie is agitated because - after many complaints of not being consulted by the Ingraham government -- he is now being asked to join that government in deciding whether these permits should be granted. For once he would rather Mr Ingraham let that bitter cup pass from him. He believes it is a cabinet decision, not his. However, what he must never forget is that if he had been more decisive in dealing with the Baha Mar development before he lost the government in 2007, there would have been no need for this debate. So not only is it incumbent upon Mr Christie and his colleagues to step up to the plate and vote on behalf of their constituents, but the PLP should recognise that what is being requested is unprecedented in Bahamian history. Therefore, voices from all segments of this country must be represented, and the only way to hear from the people is through their "representers."
We hope that Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell is not going to waste the time of the House by blaming Prime Minister Ingraham for losing the Harrah's Entertainment deal because of a statement he made in the House.
He must remember that the new owners of Harrah's -- as disclosed in a case before the Supreme Court of New York -- had decided to abandon the Baha Mar-Harrah's agreement before Mr Ingraham even spoke in the House.
Mr Mitchell must also be reminded of the January 25, 2006 letter of Sarkis Izmilian, CEO of Baha Mar, to Mr Christie, in which he stated that despite his (Izmilian's) "best efforts these past three odd years the Government of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas (the Christie government) has failed me." Mr Izmilian added that he was at that time considering whether "investing billions of dollars in this country is the right decision."
It must also be remembered that the Christie government was still negotiating with Baha Mar up to two days before the 2007 election, which the PLP lost. Mr Mitchell must also recall that, because of the many rumours spinning around at the time, there was no way that the Ingraham government could sign the Christie government's unfinished agreement without much investigation. He must especially remember the "secret" agreements in the contract about the land deals that the Christie government knew would explode in its face if it came to the floor of the House and the knowledge of the Bahamian people. Therefore, a scheme was devised so that the controversial land transfers would not have to be approved by the House -- certainly not before the 2007 election.
"The country is desperately in need of relief in respect to this dire unemployment situation," Mr Christie told the press after a party meeting over the weekend to decide the position they would take in the September 8th debate. "The question for us is examining in detail what the implications are, the impact on Bahamian labour, and the length of time of the work permits."
This is the issue. When September 8th comes we hope that both sides stay focused. Regardless of whether the Christie Opposition tries to muddy the waters with red herrings, sits mute, or stays away, the position they take will be judged on that momentous day.
August 24, 2010
tribune242 editorial
tribune242 editorial
SEPTEMBER 8th is D-Day for Baha Mar when parliamentarians will debate and vote on whether to approve 4,920 work permits for Chinese labour to build the $2.6 billion Cable Beach resort complex. The investment is backed by a loan from the Export-Import Bank of China. The resort will be constructed by China State Construction Engineering Corporation and the request for the permits comes from the People's Republic of China.
Legislators are caught on a cleft stick with this one -- a case of be damned if you do, or damned if you don't.
Bahamians have always been against foreign labour to the point that even the unskilled believe that as long as they are Bahamians - regardless of their lack of ability - they should get all jobs. However, today the economic situation is different. The construction business is down, Bahamians are desperate for work.
The question is are they desperate enough to suppress their grumbles and agree to these permits in order to stimulate the economy and find employment for themselves, or are they going to dig their heels in and say: "No."
According to Baha Mar if this project goes ahead it will create 3,300 temporary jobs for Bahamians during construction and 7,000 permanent jobs on completion.
We have always understood that wherever in the world Chinese investors build, they do it with their own labour. Looking at it from the Chinese point of view, their country also has to provide employment for their own people. It is their money which they invest in their citizens to create a project in a foreign land. On completion that project will then benefit the country in which it is located.
Mr Christie believes that the Chinese government -- with better negotiating skills on the part of Mr Ingraham -- could have been talked out of such an unusual request. Little does Mr Christie know. When these permits were first talked of the figures being tossed about were between 5,000 and 6,000 workers. If this is so to get the Chinese -- who we understand are adamant about their Chinese labour policy -- to drop down to 4,920 is a miracle in itself. However, if these permits are eventually agreed, with the exception of a handful of their top executives, everyone of them must return to China on the completion of the contract. This should be non-negotiable.
Mr Christie is agitated because - after many complaints of not being consulted by the Ingraham government -- he is now being asked to join that government in deciding whether these permits should be granted. For once he would rather Mr Ingraham let that bitter cup pass from him. He believes it is a cabinet decision, not his. However, what he must never forget is that if he had been more decisive in dealing with the Baha Mar development before he lost the government in 2007, there would have been no need for this debate. So not only is it incumbent upon Mr Christie and his colleagues to step up to the plate and vote on behalf of their constituents, but the PLP should recognise that what is being requested is unprecedented in Bahamian history. Therefore, voices from all segments of this country must be represented, and the only way to hear from the people is through their "representers."
We hope that Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell is not going to waste the time of the House by blaming Prime Minister Ingraham for losing the Harrah's Entertainment deal because of a statement he made in the House.
He must remember that the new owners of Harrah's -- as disclosed in a case before the Supreme Court of New York -- had decided to abandon the Baha Mar-Harrah's agreement before Mr Ingraham even spoke in the House.
Mr Mitchell must also be reminded of the January 25, 2006 letter of Sarkis Izmilian, CEO of Baha Mar, to Mr Christie, in which he stated that despite his (Izmilian's) "best efforts these past three odd years the Government of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas (the Christie government) has failed me." Mr Izmilian added that he was at that time considering whether "investing billions of dollars in this country is the right decision."
It must also be remembered that the Christie government was still negotiating with Baha Mar up to two days before the 2007 election, which the PLP lost. Mr Mitchell must also recall that, because of the many rumours spinning around at the time, there was no way that the Ingraham government could sign the Christie government's unfinished agreement without much investigation. He must especially remember the "secret" agreements in the contract about the land deals that the Christie government knew would explode in its face if it came to the floor of the House and the knowledge of the Bahamian people. Therefore, a scheme was devised so that the controversial land transfers would not have to be approved by the House -- certainly not before the 2007 election.
"The country is desperately in need of relief in respect to this dire unemployment situation," Mr Christie told the press after a party meeting over the weekend to decide the position they would take in the September 8th debate. "The question for us is examining in detail what the implications are, the impact on Bahamian labour, and the length of time of the work permits."
This is the issue. When September 8th comes we hope that both sides stay focused. Regardless of whether the Christie Opposition tries to muddy the waters with red herrings, sits mute, or stays away, the position they take will be judged on that momentous day.
August 24, 2010
tribune242 editorial
Obie Wilchcombe: ...the amount of foreign labour needed for the Baha Mar project is "politically toxic"
The PLP 'still want Baha Mar vote to be carried by govt'
tribune242
THE Progressive Liberal Party has reportedly voted in favour of continuing to allow the government to carry the burden of whether or not the Baha Mar labour resolution is passed in the House of Assembly when it is brought before Parliament next month.
According to party sources who spoke to The Tribune yesterday, the PLP met and discussed the matter on Sunday night, and have stuck to their initial position that this vote will have to be carried by the current "FNM government."
On Sunday, PLP leader Perry Christie said the party will of course be directly influenced by the "complete urgency" to do something for the economy of the Bahamas.
"It is an increasing serious state of affairs that exists here. The country is desperately in need of relief in respect to this dire unemployment situation. The question for us in examining in detail the implications of whatever the number of work permits are, the impact on Bahamian labour, and the length of time of the work permits," he said.
Having financially backed the $2.6 billion investment, the People's Republic of China is also requesting some 4,920 work permits for Chinese labour for the construction of the project. These work permits will come before Parliament in the resolution on September 8 to be voted on.
Leader of Opposition Business in the House of Assembly, Obie Wilchcombe, has already described the amount of foreign labour needed for the project as "politically toxic" - adding that the government is requiring Parliament to vote on the matter to avoid taking the brunt of what is expected to be massive public criticism in the near future.
August 24, 2010
tribune242
tribune242
THE Progressive Liberal Party has reportedly voted in favour of continuing to allow the government to carry the burden of whether or not the Baha Mar labour resolution is passed in the House of Assembly when it is brought before Parliament next month.
According to party sources who spoke to The Tribune yesterday, the PLP met and discussed the matter on Sunday night, and have stuck to their initial position that this vote will have to be carried by the current "FNM government."
On Sunday, PLP leader Perry Christie said the party will of course be directly influenced by the "complete urgency" to do something for the economy of the Bahamas.
"It is an increasing serious state of affairs that exists here. The country is desperately in need of relief in respect to this dire unemployment situation. The question for us in examining in detail the implications of whatever the number of work permits are, the impact on Bahamian labour, and the length of time of the work permits," he said.
Having financially backed the $2.6 billion investment, the People's Republic of China is also requesting some 4,920 work permits for Chinese labour for the construction of the project. These work permits will come before Parliament in the resolution on September 8 to be voted on.
Leader of Opposition Business in the House of Assembly, Obie Wilchcombe, has already described the amount of foreign labour needed for the project as "politically toxic" - adding that the government is requiring Parliament to vote on the matter to avoid taking the brunt of what is expected to be massive public criticism in the near future.
August 24, 2010
tribune242
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Bishop Simeon Hall: The Bahamian people, by and large, have bought into the lie that only lawyers are best suited to sit in Parliament
Bishop Simeon Hall speaks out against electing lawyers to Parliament
By TANEKA THOMPSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
tthompson@tribunemedia.net:
BAHAMIAN voters should throw their support behind "ordinary" members of society instead of continuously electing lawyers to the halls of Parliament, said Bishop Simeon Hall.
The senior pastor of New Covenant Baptist Church reasoned that lawyers - many of whom profit from the "present culture of criminality" - cannot be expected to solve the crime problem or change the systems in place which have led to this "national nightmare."
He added that men and women who have proven themselves successful in community building and business would make better political candidates. While several lawyers are the architects of the nation's foundation, and have an indispensable role in nation building, Parliament needs more contractors, successful entrepreneurs, farmers and community builders to take the Bahamas to the "promised land," said the religious leader.
"It is time for the country's electorate to help in reducing the number of lawyers we have in our Parliament and allow more persons from the ordinary walks of our society to participate in our national debate," said Mr Hall in a statement released yesterday.
"There exists an urgent and immediate need for ordinary persons to represent the common masses. It cannot be expected that this national nightmare of crime will be (remedied) by the wisdom of one group. While lawyers, in the main, do not cause crime, they are the major beneficiaries of the present culture of criminality and this cannot be expected to do what is needed to change things."
"The Bahamian people, by and large, have bought into the lie that only lawyers are best suited to sit in Parliament," said Mr Hall as he called all political parties to choose ordinary persons with a reputation of community leadership for their election tickets.
The country needs fresh ideas and new perspectives in the national dialogue, he added, "if we are to change the status quo which sees ordinary persons on the edge of desperation".
August 23, 2010
tribune242
By TANEKA THOMPSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
tthompson@tribunemedia.net:
BAHAMIAN voters should throw their support behind "ordinary" members of society instead of continuously electing lawyers to the halls of Parliament, said Bishop Simeon Hall.
The senior pastor of New Covenant Baptist Church reasoned that lawyers - many of whom profit from the "present culture of criminality" - cannot be expected to solve the crime problem or change the systems in place which have led to this "national nightmare."
He added that men and women who have proven themselves successful in community building and business would make better political candidates. While several lawyers are the architects of the nation's foundation, and have an indispensable role in nation building, Parliament needs more contractors, successful entrepreneurs, farmers and community builders to take the Bahamas to the "promised land," said the religious leader.
"It is time for the country's electorate to help in reducing the number of lawyers we have in our Parliament and allow more persons from the ordinary walks of our society to participate in our national debate," said Mr Hall in a statement released yesterday.
"There exists an urgent and immediate need for ordinary persons to represent the common masses. It cannot be expected that this national nightmare of crime will be (remedied) by the wisdom of one group. While lawyers, in the main, do not cause crime, they are the major beneficiaries of the present culture of criminality and this cannot be expected to do what is needed to change things."
"The Bahamian people, by and large, have bought into the lie that only lawyers are best suited to sit in Parliament," said Mr Hall as he called all political parties to choose ordinary persons with a reputation of community leadership for their election tickets.
The country needs fresh ideas and new perspectives in the national dialogue, he added, "if we are to change the status quo which sees ordinary persons on the edge of desperation".
August 23, 2010
tribune242
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