Guyanese living in Barbados may have a say as to who they will want to represent their interests in that country.
This is according to Head of the Presidential Secretariat and Secretary to the Cabinet, Dr Roger Luncheon, in response to a recent query about the appointment of a new Guyana Consul there.
He said several persons have applied to fill the post, but it is felt at Cabinet level that a better option would be to have the Guyanese living on the island have an input in the recruiting process.
However, when a selection is made, approval will have to be sought from the Barbados Government before an official appointment is made.
A void was created with the May 25 death of former consul Mr. Norman Faria, and a replacement has not yet been made.
While on the island to attend Faria’s funeral, Guyana’s High Commissioner to Barbados, Ambassador Elisabeth Harper; and Deputy Chief Immigration Officer , Senior Superintendent of Police Carol Lewis-Primo took the opportunity to address consular issues affecting Guyanese, which included renewing of passports.
Cognisant of the need to have someone on the ground to handle such issues on a permanent basis, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also been putting other interim arrangements in place, such as posting immigration officers there for short stints to help ease the inconvenience suffered by Guyanese living there.
The Guyanese immigrants had expressed concern about having to utilise hard-earned cash to call the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Guyana for information.