A lot of people won’t live in Barbados for anything, says President Jagdeo
PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo has assured that Government will do all that it can to assist Guyanese residing in Barbados who are to be deported with resettling here in Guyana, with the possible introduction of a re-settlement plan.

Responding to the issue of the Barbados six month amnesty declaration last month, and which came into effect on June 1, Mr. Jagdeo stated that he has spoken with Prime Minister David Thompson with regard to the manner that was reported to him by Guyana’s Honorary Consul in Barbados, Norman Faria.

Speaking with the media at the CARICOM Secretariat, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, yesterday, he added that the Consul reported instances of Guyanese whose homes are alleged to have been were raided at night and who were also taken off buses and then deported to Guyana.

“Prime Minister Thompson said to me that he didn’t know of any such case, and that is not the intention of his Government, and that he is willing to meet with our Honorary Consul to discuss any case and to investigate any such case”, Mr. Jagdeo said.

The President stated that in his discussions with PM Thompson, it was made clear that the amnesty will target the many undocumented people residing in that Caribbean isle, but had assured of his Government’s commitment to meeting their obligations under the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.

“We have to defend Guyanese, but we also have to show that the standards that we are calling for Barbadians to enforce, these are the same standards that we are prepared to enforce here; and therefore this is a little troublesome matter when it comes to people who are illegal, undocumented in our country. We have had calls to go after the Brazilians who have been in Guyana, but we have taken a different approach…” he emphasised.

He however stated that his Government will not stand by and see Guyanese treated unfairly anywhere without speaking up for them.

“We have to see how we can help people if they want to come back; but right now this matter will be discussed at the Heads of Government meeting,” the Head of State said, adding that at this forum the integration process will have to be looked at in its entirety.

He noted that some of the arguments put forward about the immigrants putting pressure on social security of the countries that they reside in is not really valid to the extent it is being used.

He said Guyanese themselves need to be more cognisant of the fact that they cannot beat down their people and their country and expect other countries to respect them.

“We have to be careful of what we say, because when we run down our own country all the time, then every immigration officer in Barbados thinks that every Guyanese wants to run away; and frankly speaking a lot of people would not live in Barbados for anything” the President said.

“So sometimes we contribute to this, by our own characterisation of ourselves, so that is why we need to be a bit more careful”, he reiterated.

He stressed that Guyanese are a hard working people and they make significant contributions to every society in which they live and work.

The decision by PM Thompson to have deported any illegal immigrant from Guyana, Jamaica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, among other Caribbean nationals, residing illegally in that island if they do not get themselves regularised within the six month period has come in for criticism from a number of quarters.

Failure to comply with the new immigration policy and get their status regularised by November 31 will see many being forcibly removed from the island, the Barbadian Head of State had declared.