ONCE again, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago are openly engaged in disruptive talk involving freedom of movement and extended illegal stays of their nationals. 

This time, there’s an ominous warning from National Security Minister, Gary Griffith, that he has had more than enough of thousands of ‘illegals’ –mostly Jamaicans and Guyanese — piling up there, to the detriment of the citizens of the twin-island state.
In that angry mood, the minister had earlier authorised “no entry” into the country of 13 Jamaican citizens. That development had evoked a warning from Jamaica’s Foreign Minister, A.J. Nicholson, that the T&T National Security Minister

should “refrain from continuing to muddy the integration waters…”
Muddying of CARICOM’s “integration waters”? Well, read that to mean refusal to adhere to policies and arrangements consistent with official commitment to freedom of intra-regional movement, an apparent ‘sin’ being committed by more than T&T. This recurring problem often affects more than Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, but with Jamaicans and Guyanese being the worse affected Community nationals in that country, according to official data.
While the so-called ‘war of words’ between officialdom in Kingston and Port-of-Spain continue, there are a few interesting ‘sideshows’ involving Community nationals whose intra-regional ‘free movement’ activities continue to capture media headlines.
Take two most recent examples, as reported in sections of the local media. While the ‘Express’ was yesterday headlining that a Jamaican, Rachel Biesray, had captured the ‘crown’ for this year’s “Miss Divali Nagar”, ‘Newsday’ was reporting on legal action being pursued by a Guyanese-born Muslim, Gerald Perreira.
His proposed move to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) against the Jamaican authorities (Remember the famous Shanique Myrie case?) has to do with his reported denial of entry into that country to participate in the 19th anniversary celebration of the ‘Million Man March’ associated with the well known American militant, Louis Farrakhan.
Unpleasant as it is, particularly for affected freedom-of-movement victims with no prior involvement with immigration authorities at ports of entry, the harsh reality is that amid spreading social and economic problems, even big and developed nations are increasingly resorting to restrictive policies and measures to curb migration.
The latest manifestation of this came last week from Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron, who, in seeking to placate anti-immigration Tories, pledged to have “one last go” (ahead of new elections) to curb the flow of migrants from the European Union (EU).

CURBING MIGRANTS IN UK

This declaration by the British Prime Minister served to remind this columnist that for all their continuing unhelpful public utterances, both the governments of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago are yet to demonstrate their stated commitment to move towards resolution of the identified problems involving the freedom of movement of their nationals.
A classic example is their utter failure to give proof of commitment to implementation of the initiatives so elegantly articulated in a welcome ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ signed last July 1 between the Foreign Ministers of Trinidad and

Tobago (Winston Dookeran) and Jamaica (A. J. Nicholson).
A primary feature of that Memorandum was the provision for the creation of a Joint Commission to “enhance functional cooperation” with the removal of constant irritants that affect normal, desirable mutual cooperation to strengthen relations consistent with shared commitment to advance the policies and programmes of the 15-member Caribbean Community.
If, indeed, a relevant mechanism for mutual cooperation was established under the terms of the Dookeran/Nicholson Memorandum of last July, then not only citizens of their countries need to know of the progress, if any is achieved, but citizens of the Community in general.
Angry talk by Nicholson about Griffith’s “muddying of integration waters”, or the latter’s warning against resort by Jamaica to “lecturing” T&T on how to conduct its affairs, have proven unhelpful.
Perhaps the proposed Joint T&T/Jamaica Commission should be seen to be functioning, instead of perpetuating angry official rhetoric. The current immigration tango between Port-of-Spain and Kingston is most unpleasant.