Says President Bharrat Jagdeo
President Bharrat Jagdeo’s view of what constitutes deportation is not in sync with that of his Barbadian counterpart, Prime Minister David Thompson.
Responding to questions posed by both local and regional journalists when he exited a caucus of CARICOM Heads at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, Thursday, prior to the official opening of their 30th meeting at the National Cultural Centre, the Guyanese Head of State was adamant that judging from reports of how undocumented Guyanese were being rounded up and sent home from Barbados, in a Gestapo-like manner, that is deportation. His clarification of the issue is premised on a difference in statistics by both countries on the number of Guyanese and the way they have been sent packing by the Barbados authorities.

Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett has claimed that the figures given her by the Immigration Department shows 5, as against four given by Prime Minister Thompson, who also stood by those figures during a news conference he hosted here on Wednesday at Cara Lodge..

Remarking that the figures from Barbados are incorrect, President Jagdeo told the media operatives that the numbers which the Immigration Department has given and what the Barbados Prime Minister is saying, are totally different.

Asked by a Barbados reporter whether Guyana has not done any investigation yet on these reports, President responded, “This is what we have to investigate. People have alleged that this has happened… …. How do we investigate Barbados, Barbados seems not to know.”

Jagdeo said too that despite all the assurances that his government has been getting from the highest political level from time to time, the situation on the ground is substantially different from the rhetoric and assurances that are being given .

Reiterating that all CARICOM nationals should be treated with dignity, and even as he acknowledged that each country has a sovereign right to deal with its immigration policies, the Guyana Head of State said it is the excesses that are of the greatest concern.

He said the ill-treatment of Caribbean nationals can be a great setback to the integration movement. Jagdeo, who even used his own first-hand experience at the hands of Barbados immigration while he served as Minister of Finance and a Director on the board of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) as an example, added “ We can treat people who come to the region sometimes with a little backpack, a slipper and short pants better than we treat our own people who live in the region .

“It really undermines the entire integration process,” he re-stated.

Pressed again for a response from a Barbados reporter on whether it is not his (Jagdeo) responsibility to create the kind of environment in Guyana to stem the migration flow, Jagdeo replied that migration is a fact of life which will see people going to the economic opportunities they can find in any part of the world.

On this note, he spoke of a period when Bajans had found themselves in the same situation as Guyanese find themselves now, flocking to Guyana, and they were not ill-treated.

He spoke also of the country having to endure 30 difficult years without help from CARICOM, a huge debt situation and a run down economy, all factors which caused people to migrate, adding , until now, the country is still reeling from those factors, and is not in a position to generate high-paying jobs.

Despite this, President Jagdeo restated, “But that doesn’t mean than any country has the right to treat our people in a disparaging fashion.”

Jagdeo, who had earlier in the day met with Thompson briefly, was optimistic that he and his counterpart would find the time before the end of the conference to engage in bilaterals.

Told that Thompson has a vision of having a Guyana High Commission established in Bridgetown, , Jagdeo said that suggestion will have to be explored.

Thompson, who spoke of the suggestion at the Wednesday press conference, is of the view that such a facility should be staffed with an appropriate number of professionals, to handle the increasing consular needs of the Guyanese population in Barbados, as well as promote the significant bilateral opportunities in the areas of trade investment , agriculture and tourism that have been discussed by the Foreign Ministries of the two countries.

He feels, too, that there should be a formal mechanism for regular consultation and information exchange between the Chief Immigration Officers and senior personnel of both Guyana and Barbados.

And while not denying that his law enforcement officers have been conducting early morning raids to rid his country of undocumented immigrants, Thompson released the following statistics as his country’s proof that they have not been targeting Caribbean nationals.

According to him, in 2005, a total of 172, 700 CARICOM nationals landed in Barbados, while for 2006 and 2008, the figures were 191, 327 and 170, 670, respectively, of which more that 70 per cent were from Guyana, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.

A total of 572 CARICOM nationals were refused entry on the island in 2005, and in 2008 it was 1,165, representing 0.6 per cent of the overall landed total.

The number deported in 2006 was 209, and in 2008 the number of deportees was 235, said the Prime Minister, who pointed out that unfortunately three quarters of the deportees were Guyanese and Jamaican nationals.

Thompson said too, more that 1000 CARICOM nationals were admitted to Barbados under the Skilled Nationals programme, of which over 40 per cent were from Guyana and 20 per cent each from Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica.

In addition, a total of 5, 381 work permits were issued in 2006, with the figure rising to 6, 730 in 2007, but declining to 5, 608 in 2008.

Of the permits issued in 2008, almost 90 percent were to Guyanese nationals, the Prime Minister pointed out, while noting that of 1, 717 student visas issued by the Barbadian Government in 2008, Guyanese nationals accounted for 721.