-was seen as more ‘regional-integration friendly’
The previous Barbados administration had sought to host more discussions with the Guyana consulate there about the feelings of Guyanese, Honorary Consul Norman Faria has said.
Owen Arthur
He also acknowledged that even with the new policy it was not compulsory for that government to seek discussion with him on the matter. The recently announced policy which would see all undocumented Caricom nationals living in Barbados for less than eight years prior to 2005 being sent home, has sparked mixed reactions in many circles.
Faria told Stabroek News that during the Owen Arthur Administration, many times the Prime Minister himself called for feedback on the feelings of Guyanese living there. “There are those who would say that his administration was more regional-integration friendly,” he said. Faria also noted that he had invited current Prime Minister David Thompson to a picnic hosted by the consulate but had received a letter in which Thompson said that he would be off the island but extended best wishes to him.
Many Guyanese residing in Barbados who achieved residence status during the Arthur administration recounted better days and more appreciation for them. “I mean the attitude among them was still present because they are very nationalistic people, but to me they treated us better. The government really influenced the way they treated us then,” one woman said. She was convinced that Barbadians are supporting their government’s recently announced policy regarding undocumented persons as many jobs have already been cut and the citizens expect that those available would be just enough for them.
Another woman said it was not that the previous administration was more lenient with Guyanese but that it seemed to be more facilitating. She added that even back then many Guyanese were ill-treated and sent home. “I don’t see any different. During the campaign Thompson had always said he would clean-up Barbados and that is exactly what he is doing and his people support him. Who are we to be upset?” she declared.
A cabinet committee made the recommendations in keeping with the Thompson administration pledge to deal with the contentious migration issue. On May 5 the administration announced that undocumented nationals had up to June 1 to start submitting documentation for consideration. However, undocumented nationals were asked to submit letters from employers, though it remains unclear whether many would take the chance as employers who hired undocumented persons could be charged as this is unlawful.
Thompson said the conditions for regularisation would include:
• submission to immigration of an application for immigrant status together with all supporting documentation on the prescribed form before December 1;
• the applicant’s ability to substantiate the claim that he or she has been residing in Barbados for at least eight years immediately prior to December 31, 2005 – specifically before January 1, 1998;
• the applicant must be currently employed and provide evidence of his or her employment status;
• the spouse or child of an employed applicant residing in Barbados with the applicant is eligible to apply under this new policy;
• the applicant must pass through a security background check, and
• applicants with three or more dependents will be considered, but will not automatically qualify for status.
The prime minister also reaffirmed his government’s commitment to the regional integration process, particularly Article 45 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas which provides for the movement of skilled Caricom nationals within the Caricom Single Market.
Norman Faria would better serve the needs of Guyanese living in Barbados if he focused his time on developing his diplomatic skills with the leaders of Barbados instead of behaving like a partisan politician.
Excellent observation.
Faria is a relic and should be fired by Carolyn Buckets, he spends more time blogging propaganda vs. serving the people for which he is being paid.
He should be paid by freedumb house not the government.
WHAT DIALOG/INPUT, Final decisions made.
SEND THEM HOME GUYANA NEED YOUR LABOUR SKILLS FOR HER DEVELOPMENT the future generation will benefit and remind them of your past treatment if the table should turn.
Samaroo,,,let us kick off this campaign from now so we can fire him the day after 2011 elections…Vote visionless AFC in 2011…Add in you lil meche meche de…
I know Faria well. Biswattie and Thomas,what you should do is ask the reporter to review her notes of the interview with him and put his remarks in context.I was told Faria has repeatedly said, and made this clear to the SN reporter as reflected in his tape of the interview, that he could not speak pro or against any party in Barbados or get involved in party politics in the host country..And yet we have this nonsense of a so called story , trying to milk every last drop to help SN paper recoup the expenses to send the reporter to Barbados.Look at the above: only Faria is quoted (and out of context I am told) as with all the alleged interviewes of eralier articles coming out of the Barbados visit. Typically, a third of it is repetitive padding….
People, Reddy and Faria is the same person. You mean to tell me that Faria is going relate to Reddy every detail of his interview. He has so much venum against SN that he asked the reporter not to interview anyone in the office, the reporter can go downtown and do that. Who he really think he is fooling?
What Guyana needs is a Minister of CARICOM Affairs or an Ambassador to CARICOM to deal with issues which its national are facing throught the region and to negotiate for a better deal for them. This is no time for developing diplomatic skills.
The Guyana government needs to get serious about diplomatic representation in the Region.
I agree, brilliant observation
It is clear that Mr.Faria was not one of the people voting for change and the DLP on January 15 , 2007 . We are happy with the David Thompson administration and they have the support of the majority of bajans . Mr.Faria should advise Jagdeo to put measures in place to help Guyana to develop and stop the guyanese from fleeing their homeland . Owen Arthur is not even the Leader of the Opposition , Mia Mottley is the holder of that office .
wiggins the behaviour of the barbados government don’t surprise me. people think and behave according to their environment. many years ago,bajans used to stowaway on scunners to come to guyana now they are treating guyanese like dirt. don’t worry the tourism will dry up and your people will start coming again for the bg plaintain….small island, small mentality.
john brown, wait till cuba doors are fully open, i think they smell the rat before it’s open.
cuba will drain their tourist industry dry, then they will run for the plantains.
WIGGINS.
WHAT THE CANADIAN GOV SHOULD DO WITH THOSE BAJANS WHO WENT TO CANADA TO PICK APPLE AND NOW WANT RIGHTS THERE???????????????????
WIGGINS.
643.000 CANADIANS LOST THEIR JOBS BETWEEN OCT-08 AND NOW.
bishnuR, the canadian gov’t should send all of them back to barbados, likewise america SEND THEM BACK
Man Owen Arthur use to curse bajans for Guyanese. He wanted them to come and change the demographics of Barbados. Additionally, one realises that the Guyanese are loyal to those who have looked out for them; therefore, although Owen Arthur might have been doing bare crap. We bajans know that they would have put him right back in. It has been proven look the PPP still in power although they have done such an awful job.
They will go home and strengthen the hand of the PPP regardless of the awful job at Governance.
Allyuh stop bashing tThompson and allyuh go home. Da man got to do things fuh he people. Allyuh can cry foul all allyuh want, but the refree aint gonna blow the whistle. SO go home and change yuh government. ALlyuh see how da Govament incompetent.
bajans will continue to bash guyanese because our life style is different from their’s. we are a people with high morals and don’t indulge in ungodly acts. guyanese go home and give them your blessing; any where that ungodly things are being done can’t survive.
What you PPPites have to say about this? This is the crux of the matter with Barbadians accepting the Indian Guyanese; they put the PPP in but yet still running for a better life somewhere else.
Well said Mr John Brown,,,
And so says John Brown from up here in the United States.
John Brown do we all read the same editions of the Stabroek News? The SN reports clearly do not support your claims.
well what can one say, its time to clean up this island. If we look ahead 20 – 25 years down the road, we can see a race division where politics are concern and we can see one day we wake up and have a Guyanese for a prime minister. Do we want that here in Barbados, NO, i don’t think so. It is best to clean up now, which is something that the previous administration should have done long ago, they had 14 years to do it, now this administration is about to clean, they are being critised. GOOD JOB PM THOMPSON thanks, i have grandchildren who want to see Barbados not BarGuydos
4get u and u little rock
So this thing is about Guyanese,ok.Margaret when we start pumping oil i gon see weh allyuh gon run fo job.And remember kick-em -jenny is sleeping but still alive!!!
Sheer xenophobia!!
Margaret, you do have a Guyanese as PM. DT’s roots are from Guyana. Most of you pride are too, check RI RI too.
Whom is man to lay claim on ny piece of land, when ur people came here they met others.
I do encourage all Guyanese to return. After all this place is only one “cane” away from the caves!
my dear margaret b, i would advise you to not to make such comments about waking up to find a guyanese as prime minister of barbados, because these two contries has so much in common that you would be surprise to discover that highly respected bajans, and members of the barbadian govt has guyanese roots,indeed it is a possibility that one day you will wake up to find a prime minister who has a guyanese mother or father as in the case of rihanna whose father is bajan and mother is guyanese, thats how common these two countries are.
Read this Maggie, from the British census records. 5000 y’all move to Guyana in one year! Doan worry, yuh day gine come.
“The principal results of the census of 1871 were given in last year’s report As no general system of registration of births and deaths exists in the Island,(Barbados) and no record of the changes by emigration and immigration, no further information can be furnished regarding the population, excepting the estimate reported from British Guiana, that upwards of 5000 persons had emigrated thither from Barbados during the year 1872. A measure has since been passed to provide for the registration of emigrants, and a “Registration Bill” is again before the House of Assembly.
And de Prime Minister wife is a born Grenadian too.
Margaret as you cleaning up Barbados of all things Guyanese you should send home the name BANKS BEER and Tell your Fisherfolk that the agreement that Jagdeo sign with Owen for them to fish in Guyana waters no longer valid and they not allowed to sell Guyannese fish in Barbados as Thompson cleaning up.
Desi, good research!
OBSERVER – I want you to know that i too have guyanese great grand parents, but i am not going to sit down and let our country go down the drain. why can’t they stop in guyana and build it up? who tell them that we want help?
Desi, i am not saying that we don’t have some form of descendant in guyana, all i am saying is that if the former admin had clip this situation in its early stages, this admin would not be critised for correcting the former admin mistakes. Why can’t they stop in guyana and build it up, make it a better place, it is a very big place and can be upgraded if the same guyanese with their expertise stay home
fazman, sometimes we could do without those bangamarys, when i buy them from the supermarket, they end up in the gabbage – too tainted
Mr. Faria, there’s a new sheriff in town and his name is Thompson and not Arthur …so deal with it. And Thompson not showing up at your picnic…just consider it as a first class snub.
Mr SWAT, if you were au fair with current affairs in Barbados and the Caribbean, you would have known that PM Thompson was away attending some regional conference on the day of the picnic.Stop spreading misinformation.
yep, new sheriff in de town, so deal wid it
Send the illegals home. Like the trojan horse planted in Troy, you can wake up one morning and realize that the natural and historic demographics of your island has changed. Many of the illegals are supporters of the government in Guyana and responsible for the marginalization and victimization of your African brothers and sisters. Barbadians show solidarity with those oppressed in Guyana. Do not allow your beautiful island to become the rubbish dump for Jagdeo’s garbage.
BORAPORK, that should be in capital letters.Many of the bloggers fail to grasp the situation as you do. You have supported what Margaret Brathwaite said.
The infrastructure in Barbados is way too small to be supporting any kind of immigration. Home drums MUST beat first!!! Thank you Prime Minister David Thompson for protecting Barbadians interest first. KUDOS as well to Maxine McClean!!
Maxine america and canada should deport all bajans legal and illegal.
I agree 10000% wid u
You people need to realise the world is currently in recession and Barbados has not even felt the worst of it yet, which we will in time. Which means we will face layoffs, job losses and a general economic downturn, if our land has an abundance of foreigners in the island then it will make things worst and even more competition for locals for the scarce jobs remaining, which is why the government is moving to clear out all who have overstayed the time. Guyanese should really be pointing the finger at their government and not blame Thompson when in someone’s country you subject yourself to their rules and hence should follow. Also CSME is about the movement of SKILLED workers, unskilled workers have little to add unless they is a specific need within the island e.g during the construction boom.
Eustace I’ve asked this newspaper to publish the CSME document relating to the freedom of movement among Caricom member states. Every Tom, Dick and Harriette, seems to believe that the freedom of movement is open to all and sundry.And this lack of properly educating the people of the Caribbean has led to this mad rush of everybody to dominate certain countries.And the politicians, mostly of whom are now in Opposition,and no wonder, are not making the situation any better. They are throwing straws at a poor people floundering in the ocean.
Eustace & Sanderson thanks for sharing that info. and just to add to it, some of them are not even skill workers, you just have to offer them a job and they become skill workers. I am glad that they are others who share these feelings. KEEP THE GOOD WORK UP PM THOMPSON, LOVE YA
If some of the above comments is anything to go by them we can understand why CARICOM has failed to advance despite agreement after agreemment on this and that and the other.
The Xenophobia exibited by some of these contributors should be a wake up call to all Guyanese in general and in particular our politicians across the spectrum to have a second look at CARICOM and to start looking towards South America where I belive our destiny lies.
i have said it many times, for 28 yrs that so call organisation was muted.
WE DON”T NEED THEM, turn to our neighbours on the mainland, the great SOUTH-AMERICA.
fazman and freespeech,you have the same mentality as the ppp govt, who failed to even recognize the union of caricom when it was created in the 70,s cheddi jagan was not pleased with the wise decision of burnham, eric williams and errol barrow at the time, i want to know from the two of you, how many guyanese speak spanish or portuguese.
Caricom is a waste of time years ago, I am not sure why Guyana still holding on to Caricom…
What utter rubbish. You guys are just talking hot air. How cultural and political relevant are we to the latin americans. When the Brazilians start to march to GT guess we will hear another story like our destiny lies with India.
The point is for all who have eyest to see. the government of Bdos is protecting the interest of its people. I have been saying for a long time now that Indo-guyanese need to put their blind loyalty to the PPP cabal aside and join with the the other guyanese to get rid of this incompetent and corrupt cabal. the PPP of Cheddi Jagan died with him….stop fooling your self and stand up and fight your oppressors. You did it under the dictator Burnham, now do the same under the dictator Jagdeo.
Tiger,Evan -you seem to have an unhealthly fixation with the ppp.Why does everything has to be measured in terms of pnc and ppp -two incompetent organisations and degenerated into race. If you support one or the other that’s your problem but don’t speculate or insunuate as to what my ethnicity or politcal affilitaions are because you don’t know me
you completly missed the point fazman, rean my comments again, i never referred to or enquired about what ethnicity you are my good man, i did say that your mentality is that of the ppp, let it be known that you are the one the mention RACE, NOT ME.
I am totally with you on this Evan Thomas, we and when I say we I mean both indians and afro Guyanese need to stop putting our emotional attachment to the PPP and PHENC.
We need to look at what is best for us as a people and really take a hard look at these comedians and use our voting right to drive change.
The PPP and the PHENC have betrayed us, time for them both to go hold hands in the botanical gardens. (with you also sase)