Dear Editor,
On Monday we are supposed to celebrate Caricom Day. Really, what for? Caricom has failed its peoples – every facet of Caricom, from integration, to security, to CSME, to even celebrating Caricom Day, a holiday that, unbelievably, only two territories observe.
This is the West Indian Federation fiasco all over again – the grand idea of forging a brotherhood of nations marred by the insularity of its political leaders.
We spent two years in Barbados in the early eighties trying to set up a business there. The horrors we experienced left us very bitter. We followed the rules but we felt sure that our problem was that we were Guyanese. Our daughter was entitled to a place at Harrison College after surpassing the required marks at Common Entrance. But she was denied a place and all we got was a lame excuse. Imagine this kind of treatment to a Caricom child! This added to our bitterness and we packed up and came back to Guyana.
What is going on at present with Guyanese in Barbados is appalling. Even if they have broken the immigration laws, should they be awakened in the wee hours of the morning? Are they terrorists?
I would like to know if these cases can be taken to the Caribbean Court of Justice. This behaviour does not bode well for Barbados. Given that it is a tourist-oriented country, it is to the detriment of the island when would-be visitors read about this unfortunate situation.
My mantra is still CARI-COM and CARI-GO!
Yours faithfully,
Gloria Lye
‘Caricom’ are the heads of the Caribbean leaders who meet every six months to enjoy the ‘honey and milk’ whilst their citizens suffer.
My great grand father was Bajan. He( Mr. Gibson) came to Guyana years ago and settled in Essequibo, where he raised a family 3 girls and 1 boy, all alive still. His place of residence where he once lived is still there. Despite his funny accent he was never treated bad. Its really ashamed today to see the way the Bajans now treat and talk about Guyanese. I will never visit that Island until those people changed their attitudes towards their own WEST INDIAN Brothers and SISTERS. The irony about this situation is that while in the states we all recognized our oneness and really related to ourself by our nationality. When we are out of this West Indian Region we address ourselves as WEST INDIAN and nothing more. Only when we are away from home we accept our oneness and will defend the other to death but at home we are nothing more than mortal enemies.
I Love Pres. Bharrat Jagdeo speech carried in yesterday Stabroek News. Thumbs up for him….more on this thou.
Pepie non of us are west indians, remember columbus was goin to india and by mistake he ended up in the caribbean and thought he was in india, so he mistakenly named the caribbean the west indies yada yada, guyana on the other hand is in south america not the caribbean so-called he west indies.
Point of correction, Amen-Ra. To his dying day, Columbus believed that he had reached islands off the coast of India, which he referred to as the “Indies”. The name “West Indies” is a later appellation.
Gloria, your angst is understandable. We need Caricom, however, to show the world that we’re not single voiceless dots in the big blue sea but a collective of dots that can squeak at the continents up north. And we need a special holiday to sharpen our squeaks in chorus, that is, Caricom Day.
Yasuman, stop, please stop and you too tkhemraj…..I don’t know what world you folks living in Guyana does not need Caricom.
Guyana has first bring its people together and trade with the rest of the world. Guyana can do that. Their is not one item out their that Guyana can’t trade. From dimond and gold to any metal and herb. Guyana does not need Caricom period. The Caribbean leaders very well knows that.
The Caribbean Islands are all in the eye of the storm….England soon let go of them let see who the will turn to.
Guys, let’s get perspectives right. Caricom is critical for Guyana’s development. Do not get frustrated because successive Guyanese governments since independence have failed to craft a development strategy that can optimally benefit Guyana vis-à-vis Caricom. Do not throw out the baby with the bathwater!
Really? Explain to me in detail how Caricom is critical for Guyana’s development. Sorry, can’t see the nexus at all
Ms Lyle your beef is really against Barbados,and not Caricom.
Every one continues to generalise and demonise Bajans. listen there are bajans with the marks to Harison College that dont get to go. police go into bajans homes de same times so where is de prejudice where is de injustice. i see no problem with a managed migration fa a country de size of Barbados if de great Canada has it why cant we. now i know many Guyanese who dont even admit they from the caribbean they say they are South American keep on bashing BArbados and dont deal with the real issue of fixing the 214970 square kilometres of Guyana so that Barbados’ 431 square kilometres. Many Guyanese have no interest in Barbados they do two things send all there money back to Guyana or use illegal means to secure a Barbados passport to get Canada or the USA. in a few year Bajans will have to get visa to these place watch it. But we disgusting bajans should allow every one to destroy our nation. Our public officials were never black listed from travel to the USA why shud we allow bad practice to step in such as forgery, conterfeiting and other indentity crime foreign to our shore. yall only know of WI brothers and sisters when it suits ya specific situation.
Preach the truth. Every year many many Barbadian students are denied entry to schools for which they have the required marks because of space and numbers. Guyanese coming into Barbados think they are entitled to more or better than Bajans. If my Barbadian born child who has the marks for QC or HC cannot get in because of the lack of places, why should your child?
As for Barbadian passports ask the Bajan men who married non national women, especially Guyanese what did their wives do when they received a Bajan passport and US visa. Most of them went to the US on a visitor’s visa and never returned. One Guyanese woman who is a naturalized Barbadian citizen and holds a passport told me she will NEVER carry a Guyanese passport. she does not want one. Even when she travels to Guyana she does so on the Barbadian passport. She is Indo-Guyanese and the Guyanese immigration accused her of having a fake passport.
Barbados will not celebrate Caricom Day because we already have too many national holidays. If our Government introduces another, the employers will protest.
Guyanese need to make their country better by voting for a proper Government and stop criticizing others.
pepie, is mr. gibson from pomona your relative?
Is this the pepie with hollis?
Celebrating. Why? Did you ask for Caricom or a Caricom day? No.The day to celebrate this bungling and inept organization is forced fed upon you, that is why you are celebrating it.Just abandon your celebrations of this farce.