–some pleas and criticisms
AMID THE controversies in some CARICOM jurisdictions over problems facing migrants of the Community and intra-regional movement of skilled labour, the Head of Government with lead responsibility for ‘Labour and free movement’, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerritt, remains deafeningly silent.
Please use photos of PMs Ingraham, Gonsalves and Skerrit

The public silence of the Dominican Prime Minister stands in sharp contrast to the positions and statements of some other Heads of Government, among them the Prime Ministers of Barbados, The Bahamas, St Vincent and the Grenadines,Trinidad and Tobago and the President of Guyana.

However, come next month, when the 30th annual Heads of Government Conference takes place in Georgetown, the leaders can hardly avoid discussing the spreading problems affecting migrants of the Community and related claims of pressures on domestic social services in some jurisdictions, foremost being Barbados, which last Tuesday enforced a six-month amnesty period for illegal migrants to regularise their status, or face deportation,

Norman Girvan, the well known Caribbean scholar and former Secretary General of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) has found it necessary to publicly urge CARICOM governments to “speedily evolve a common humane approach” towards the existing problem involving undocumented nationals of the 15-member Community.

His plea coincided with last Tuesday’s start of Barbados’ six-month amnesty being implemented by the government of Prime Minister David Thompson.

The reality is that following last month’s amnesty announcement by Thompson, an increasing number of CARICOM citizens in Barbados were already being rounded up, some in a most humiliating fashion, by day and by night, and deported, amid claims of being deprived of monies earned and household articles owned at the time of their arrests. Such claims are routinely denied.

“Heartless treatment”
Prior to the implementation of the Barbados approach in dealing, en masse, with an unspecified number of CARICOM nationals suspected of illegal status, the Opposition Leader and former Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Lester Bird, called for an “amnesty policy” to protect “the heartless treatment” to which undocumented Community nationals were being subjected, he said, in his country as well.

The Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, had earlier lost no time in being the first Head of Government of the region to strongly criticise what he views as a myopic and dangerous approach to uprooting claimed undocumented CARICOM nationals. This development, he warned, could “rend asunder” the regional integration movement.

The Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Hubert Ingraham, had a warning of his own. It was directed at personnel of his country’s immigration service for what he condemned as “offensive behaviour” towards Jamaicans on arrival in The Bahamas.

“Far too many Bahamian immigration officers,” Ingraham lamented (as reported in the ‘Jamaica Gleaner’), “greet Jamaican nationals arriving in The Bahamas as if they were known criminals; this is not acceptable; it must stop…”

Ingraham has also denounced what he identified as an informal “pay-to-play” culture of corruption, where immigration officers “look the other way for a price…”

‘Humane amnesty’
Meanwhile, the recently-formed Barbados-based ‘Coalition for a Humane Amnesty’ for non-nationals in member states of CARICOM, has made a specific call to all involved governments to adopt a sober five-year amnesty period for Community nationals, and avoid the current “scapegoating” and hostility that could get out of hand with negative consequences.

The Coalition is an initiative of the Barbadian lawyer and social/political activist, David Comissiong, who heads the Clement Payne Centre.

For her part, the Barbadian visual artist, Annalee Davis, writing passionately last week in the ‘Stabroek News’ of Guyana, on ‘Caribbean Xenophobia: Where will it end?’ noted:

“We must respectfully remind our leaders to adhere to the spirit of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, to be cognizant of the human element within Treaty negotiations, and to be aware of the contributions of the region’s working people and their lived identity…”

Davis, currently engaged in a series of some 41 projects that investigate the impact and anxieties of intra-regional Caribbean immigration, asked: “Where is the commitment of CARICOM leaders to regionalism? Is it in the raids at the bus stand and nightclubs where CARICOM nationals are handcuffed and deported as if they are criminals…?” Tragically, she concluded, our leaders do not see it as their responsibility to nurture regional consciousness, or a sense of “regional belonging…”

In Port-of-Spain, Prime Minister Patrick Manning last Sunday distanced his government from any hostile treatment of undocumented CARICOM nationals, stating that it had a “soft” approach in dealing with the matter.

However ‘soft’ or humane this approach may be, Guyana’s resident Consul in Port-of-Spain, Ernie Ross, went public with claims of exploitation, physical harm and worse being suffered by an increasing number of Guyanese nationals in that country.

The economist, Girvan, currently Professorial Research Fellow at the UWI Institute of International Relations (St. Augustine Campus), maintains that there was an “urgent need” for a comprehensive management system to deal with the problem affecting CARICOM migrants.

One approach, he feels, would be to evolve a common policy of granting temporary work permits not currently covered by the seven categories approved by CARICOM for skilled and semi-skilled workers for sectors such as construction, agriculture and tourism.

In this context, said Girvan, author of the mandated CARICOM study, ‘Towards a Single Economy and a Single Development Vision’, he considers as “eminently reasonable” the proposal of a regionally agreed five-year amnesty for undocumented Caribbean nationals as proposed and circulated to governments by the Barbados-based ‘Coalition for a Humane Amnesty’.

Let’s see what CARICOM leaders have come up with after their deliberations at the forthcoming July 2-5 summit in Guyana.

World Oceans Day 2009
Theme One Ocean, One Climate, One Future

THE WORLD’S oceans cover more than 70% of the earth’s surface and support a rich web of life. However, it should be emphasized that all is not well in the oceans. Increased pressure from human activities, such as habitat destruction, overfishing, and pollution have combined to threaten the diversity of life in these water bodies. In addition, global warming and climate change are making themselves felt, and the impacts can be detrimental to life in the oceans.

Origin of World Oceans Day
The concept for World Oceans Day was proposed in 1992 by the Canadian government at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, and it had been unofficially celebrated every year since then. However, as of 2009, June 8 has been officially designated ‘World Oceans Day’ by the United Nations.

Why should we celebrate World Oceans Day?
World Oceans Day provides an opportunity to celebrate our oceans and our personal connection to the sea. It is also an excellent opportunity to bring local and global attention to the impacts of climate change on the ocean, what this will mean for the ocean and human life, and simple important actions we can take to help curb this problem.

This year’s theme
The theme for this year’s observance, ‘One Ocean, One Climate, One Future’ focuses on the devastating impact that climate change is having on our oceans. This year, World Oceans Day provides an opportunity to make the connections between a healthy climate and a healthy ocean and our own lives, since climate change and the ocean are inextricably linked, and our society’s future depends on a healthy climate and healthy oceans. The ocean plays a crucial role in maintaining the Earth’s climate, and ocean life is vulnerable to climate change.

Impacts of Climate Change on the Ocean…

Sea Level Rise – People’s homes and livelihoods in coastal communities are seriously threatened, as sea level continues to rise and severe weather events increase in frequency.

Impact on Marine Life: Coral reefs (important food, medicinal, economic, aesthetic and cultural resources) are particularly vulnerable to these changes. Scientists are recording record coral reef die-offs and are worried about the future survival of these treasured ecosystems. Other ocean life and ecosystems are also at risk — invasive species and diseases are spreading into new waters, and marine mammals continue to face decreased food supplies as a result of climate change and other factors. Salmons are very sensitive to changes in temperature, and scientists have seen a drastic decline in the population over the years.

Ocean Circulation – The problems global warming could create on ocean life may be much greater than we have previously imagined. The water in the oceans circulates slowly around the world, driven by a complex system of currents. This circulation provides much of the oxygen we need. As a result of climate change, this process is being affected.

Polar Impacts – Signs of global warming are being observed throughout the ocean realm. The most obvious changes are in the regions near the poles, where the warming has already been, and will continue to be, greatest. Already, polar bears and other organisms living in these regions are struggling to survive.

Seabirds and Invertebrates – Global warming is expected to decrease ocean productivity, which would ultimately affect sea birds, which depend on these organisms.

Benefits of the Ocean

Generates most of the oxygen we breathe

Helps feed us

Regulates our climate and temperature

Cleans the water we drink

Provides inspiration

Provides potential for medicine

Provides jobs

Ways to take Action

Share this information with your friends and family – spreading the word is one of the most important things you can do right now.

Learn – discover the wealth of our diverse ocean creatures and habitats, how our daily actions affect them and how we are interconnected.

Change our ways – remember we are all connected to the oceans whether we are inland or on the coast. Therefore, small modifications in our everyday habits can greatly benefit our oceans.

Cut back on your carbon emissions and celebrate the ocean.

Plan a World Oceans Day event, or participate in one near you.

For far too long, the human population has taken the world’s oceans for granted. This has had dire consequences. Now it is up to each of us to ensure our oceans are conserved and protected for the future!
You can also share your ideas and questions by sending your letters to: Our Environment’, C/o EIT Division. Environmental Protection Agency, 7 Broad and Charles Streets, Charlestown, GEORGETOWN. Or email us at eit.epaguyana@gmail.com with questions and comments.