Cari-Crisis... again

By Norman Girvan:


“Crisis” is one of those words that is used so much that it has practically lost its meaning. And if there were a competition among regional organisations on which was most often said to be “in crisis”, my bet would be on CARICOM winning by a wide margin.

In the run-up to the half-yearly meetings of CARICOM leaders, we have become accustomed to a flurry of reports, studies, speeches and media commentaries bemoaning the sorry state of the regional movement and promising renewed attention to the dying patient.

Latest in the procession are two reports in the regional media appearing this week, just a fortnight before the March 8-9 “Intersessional meeting” of CARICOM heads of government in Suriname.

Veteran regional columnist Rickey Singh is quoting at length from a letter said to be sent by Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of St Vincent and the Grenadines to newly installed CARICOM Secretary General, Irwin LaRocque. The letter is said to offer a “blunt assessment” of CARICOM.

According to the Prime Minister, "CARICOM's current mode of marking time at an historical moment of overwhelmingly awesome challenges for our region which compelling demands a more profound integration, is mistaken…"; and further that "Minimalism in integration has its attractions but in our regional context, it can be fatal to our people's well-being.”

One must commend Prime Minister Gonsalves for caring sufficiently about CARICOM to take the trouble to craft this letter, and for his candour. But one is hard put to find anything in the extensive passages quoted that hasn‘t been said before.

Neither is there any hint of what specific actions Mr Gonsalves is proposing in order to salvage the regional enterprise.

I also wonder if the prime minister is aiming his guns at the right target. Seems to me he should be addressing his fellow heads of government directly; and with concrete proposals about how to move out of the present malaise. As everyone knows, the way that CARICOM is structured endows the secretary general with very limited authority to act on his own. More of a “secretary” he, than a “general”.

In any case, the expectations that accompanied Secretary General LaRocque‘s appointment six months or so ago, have all but dissipated. Seems to be business as usual!

Prime Minister Gonsalves concedes that he himself took part in a collective decision in 2011 to put the Single Economy “on pause” -- a decision which, ironically, was taken at a Special Retreat hosted by then President Jagdeo of Guyana, which had precisely the opposite objective.

So what reason do we have to believe that the latest letter, sincere though it may be, will make one iota of difference this time around?

The second news item, coming out of Bridgetown on February 22, tells us that a “Project Management Team” has warned that without a “fundamental change”, CARICOM could expire slowly over the next few years as stakeholders begin to vote with their feet…

Well, well. I wonder which planet these gentlemen inhabit. Don‘t they know that stakeholders have been “voting with their feet” for some time? Whatever happened to the Caribbean Business Council, brainchild of former Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur? How active are the Caribbean Chamber of Commerce, the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce, the Caribbean Congress of Labour, the Caribbean Policy Development Centre? These organisations have just about given up on the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).

Don‘t they know that the OECS is prioritising their own union? That three CARICOM countries have joined ALBA, with two more in the queue? That Guyana and Suriname are founding members of the Union of South American States (UNASUR), and looking southwards? That Belize looks as much -- if not more -- to Central America as to the Caribbean? Isn‘t it already “every man for himself”?

I have some other news for the Project Management Team: it’s all been said before.

For instance, here is what the present writer wrote seven years ago:

“The pessimistic scenario is for fragmentation of the Community and eventual abandonment of the CSME as an objective. This could result with loss of momentum in the integration movement due to the difficulties discussed in this paper, the growth of ‘implementation fatigue’ among governments and of ‘implementation cynicism’ in the regional public, waning political support for integration, and increased economic divergence.”

Long before that -- twenty years ago, in fact, there was Time For Action - Report by the Independent West Indian Commission -- -which spoke at length about the “Implementation Deficit” as the Achilles Heel of CARICOM. More recently, one can point to any amount of studies, comments and warnings by regional media commentators, business leaders, academics, statesmen, leaders and former leaders. These have grown in the light of the still incomplete project to complete the CARICOM Single Market -- supposedly inaugurated by the governments in 2006 -- and the frequent missed targets for completing the CARICOM Single Economy, first set for the end of 2008.

So what‘s new? Well, if the “Project Management Team” is supported by external donors, and has some foreign consultants among them, its report may be taken more seriously. A cynical view might be that “Aid-driven integration” and “colonial mentality” could succeed, where all else has failed. Even so, I wonder if the PMT is being correctly reported in their conclusion that “Hopes for arresting the crisis depend on a willingness on the part of Heads of Government to bite the bullet on the elusive issue of ‘fundamental changes’ in the management structure and operational modalities of the Georgetown-based CARICOM Secretariat.”

I have to ask if this isn‘t putting the cart before the horse. The CARICOM Secretariat is a means to an end, not an end in itself. How can decisions be taken on its structure outside of the context of larger decisions about the course that integration should take over the next 5-10 years; the priorities; the road map; the method of governance of the Community and the degree to which regional organs will be legally endowed with the authority to exercise “collective sovereignty”, in order to solve the recurrent problem of “implementation deficit”?

In reality, the “bullet” that needs to be “bitten” is the necessity to share sovereignty in designated areas of regional action, and to put structures of governance in place to give this practical effect. Anyway you look at it, a revision of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas is inescapable. And possibly a revision of several national constitutions as well.

A tall order, perhaps. But to pin hopes on a reformed secretariat outside of this framework looks to me like a recipe for wasted investment, heightened frustration and continued decline.

So people, as the Suriname meeting approaches, dream of the best, but expect more of the same. Don‘t hold your breath. You might be waiting to exhale for a long time.


February 25, 2012
caribbeannewsnow

Bahamas Blog International

The Bahamas: ...The growing debt and the deficits are a deadly cancer on the Bahamian economy... ...Together they will deliver a mortal blow to The Bahamas' economy if not dealt with... ...We believe that dealing with the deficit is the single most important factor for the future of The Bahamas

The cancer of debt

CFAL Economic view

Last week the Department of Statistics released the latest unemployment numbers.  They were not pretty to say the least.  Given that we are in the “silly” season we expect many political analysts to offer their own opinions as to why the employment numbers are so high.  What we would like to see are some specifics addressing the myriad of issues facing us today (including the high level of unemployment) over the next 36 months.  We can write and pontificate on why the unemployment rate is so high, particularly among the country youth, but will instead today focus on the debt cancer affecting on our national body.

One of the single biggest issues facing us is our national debt.  We are fast approaching the point when we will no longer be able to borrow at favorable rates in the international market.  Although the debt build-up was several years in the making, we still have time to change course and address some of the attendant issues.  We cannot continue to run deficits along with those unfunded liabilities which we never speak about — i.e., civil servant pensions.

We are in urgent need of a plan to address unfunded pensions but also a plan to grow our economy and manage the debt problem.  Debt is not all bad when used appropriately.  It becomes a problem when we stop borrowing for development only and begin to borrow to meet interest payments and recurrent expenditures — i.e., civil servant salaries, etc.

The Bahamas is not alone in this regard.  One by one, the countries of Europe are losing their ability to sell their bonds at an interest rate that is sustainable for their economies.  They have seen their revenue bases eroded and have had to resort to severe and socially disruptive restructuring exercises.  Even with central bank’s interventions to accommodate their spending by printing money together with the assistance of other countries, which tax their citizens to pay for the excesses, the debt burden still remains far too high.

Deficit must be addressed

We believe that dealing with the deficit is the single most important factor for the future of The Bahamas.  Some would argue that crime and education are more important but that would be shortsighted.  Whenever economies are doing well there is a tendency for crime and social ills to decline.  Indeed, unless the country has the financial ability to provide funding to fight crime and provide education, the social condition would only get worse.

We believe that the major focus of this upcoming election should ultimately be about dealing with the deficit and putting the country on a path to achieving a sustainable budget deficit rate; one that is less than the growth rate of our country.  By not dealing with this issue we run the real risk of creating many problems for ourselves including the likelihood of opening ourselves to harsh penalties such as those imposed by international agencies such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF).  Continued economic imbalances could, in the long run, affect the exchange rate and our sacred one to one dollar peg to the U.S. dollar.

No one likes to talk about devaluation but we must face a new reality, we can’t afford to put our head in the sand like the ostrich.  Instead, we have to develop a coherent plan to grow our economy.

Unless we seriously attempt to address our problems directly and urgently, we will face tough choices in the future.  Choices, which are not pleasant for any government.

The growing debt and the deficits are a deadly cancer on the economy.  Together they will deliver a mortal blow to the economy if not dealt with.  Putting off treatment as we all know will not make the cancer go away by itself, and the cancer of our debt is clearly growing and malignant.  It will soon overwhelm our national economic body.  The treatment of a cancer is always accompanied by both cost and pain, whether on the personal or the metaphorical national level.

Problem can be fixed

The problem is solvable and indeed there may be many different solutions.  Our difficulty is that we have not yet found the political will to decide on what type of treatment is needed and the will to change our way of doing things and move away from doing only those things which we are comfortable with.  Change is difficult, but we cannot grow without change.

Our solutions must be politically feasible; we have an aging population requiring increasing health service which is growing in cost annually.  Some estimates place the figure as high as 70 percent over the last decade.  This is clearly not sustainable.  We must address this issue as a matter of urgency.  As our population ages, an increased burden is placed on the National Insurance scheme.  Informed opinion suggests that National Insurance in its present construct won’t be able provide for all of us in the future unless fundamental changes are made.  We should add here that National Insurance was never intended to provide 100 percent for us in our retirement.

We also need to address our tax structure.  Why we continue to kick the can down the road is beyond us.  We must deal with this issue now.  It cannot be left for future generations to deal with.  If we continue to ignore those problems, it is our considered view that our economy will become like some of our friends to the south.

If the government decides to raise revenue via tax increases, it may be useful to conduct an exercise to examine the different implications for various tax increases.  Not all tax increases give the desired effect; some can have the reverse effect of further stalling revenue intake rather than increasing it.  We won’t argue how we should spend our tax revenues.  However, we do suggest that we should seek to collect them with as little negative impact as possible.  Taxes have consequences.

Some appropriate level of government spending is required.  We believe, however, that the spending should be targeted with a view towards creating new industries and employment opportunities for our citizens.  Keynes did argue that deficit spending was a good thing in recessions.  But he also assumed that the debt would be paid back in the next growth cycle.  Must government and citizens forget the latter part?

There are some ideas that are fundamental to the growth of the economy, capitalism and free markets as we know them today.  Thomas Hobbes argued that income measures what you contribute to society and spending measures what take away from it.  Adam Smith argued that it is the wealth of nations and not the wealth of governments that matters.  He argued it was more important to grow the economy and not government.

Without economic growth, the average person will be left worse off.  If our population grows by one percent a year and at the same time our gross domestic product fails to grow by one percent, there is less for each person to share.  It follows, therefore, that private sector growth is what is needed for general prosperity.

We should take the opportunity to learn from the crisis.  Our economic structure as it currently stands, cannot be supported or sustained if we are to move forward with minimal pain.  Our structure assumes that our government knows best how to allocate capital, a proposition that has been rejected in both theory and practice over the years.

We should never let a good crisis go to waste.  Our economic structure as it currently stands is just unworkable if we are to move forward with minimal pain.  Our structure assumes government knows best how to allocate capital, a proposition that has been rejected in both theory and practice over the years.

With regards to the problems facing The Bahamas in the next few years, we believe that there is no easy solution.  We are convinced that there are no easy choices.  Nevertheless, we are confident that the choices we eventually make will have both short-term and long-term consequences and we stand a better chance of success if we plan carefully.

 

•CFAL is a sister company of The Nassau Guardian under the AF Holdings Ltd. umbrella.  CFAL provides investment management, research, brokerage and pension services.  For comments, please contact CFAL at: column@cfal.com

Feb 22, 2012

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International

A closer look at The Bahamas’s birth rate... ...The birth rate among Haitian women in The Bahamas has nearly doubled in the past 40 years... ...Births to unwed mothers have practically doubled since 1970, and remain “the largest annual natural increase to the Bahamian population”... ...The number of boys and girls born in The Bahamas has consistently remained almost equal for the past 40 years...

Born in The Bahamas

By Juan McCartney
Guardian Senior Reporter
juan@nasguard.com

Nassau, The Bahamas

An overview of the data collected by the Department of Statistics on births in The Bahamas over the last 40 years shows that women, domestic and foreign-born, are having fewer children.

The data in the births report, collated from 1970 through 2010, shows that with a population of about 170,000 in 1970, there were 4,894 live births recorded.  Juxtapose those numbers against the 5,362 live births recorded among a population of more than 340,000 in 2010, and the downward shift is apparent.

The report also shows that the birth rate fell almost 50 percent, from 28.8 births per 1,000 persons to 15.8 births per 1,000 persons from 1970 through 2010.

The conclusion: Women between the ages of 15 and 49 were having an average of four children during the course of their lives in 1970.  By 2010, women were only having an average of two children.

The data doesn’t indicate why birth rates have dropped so dramatically, but a scrutiny of the numbers does uncover some interesting trends among particular groups of women.

Births by foreign women have dropped in the past four decades, from about 30 percent in 1970 to about 18 percent in 2010.

However, an unavoidable fact – as pointed out by The Nassau Guardian several days ago – is that the birth rate among Haitian women in The Bahamas has nearly doubled in the past 40 years.

“The number of births grew from 7.2 percent in 1970, to an average of 13.7 percent by 2010,” the report noted.  “In contrast, births to women of Jamaican ethnicity declined by some 50 percent.  For females from countries outside the Caribbean, the numbers of births plunged, especially since 2008 to (nearly zero) from 12.1 in 1970.”

The report also points out that births to unwed mothers have practically doubled since 1970, and remain “the largest annual natural increase to the Bahamian population”.

“Births to unwed mothers in The Bahamas escalated in the past 40 years, from 29 percent in 1970 to a high of 62 percent in 2009.  For the period 1990 to 2005, the annual birth trend, though high, leveled at 57 percent,” the report said.  “Four years later, births to single mothers advanced by five percentage points and declined to 59 percent of the national total in 2010.”

Meantime, the birth rate among teenage mothers (ages 10-19) has dropped significantly.

In 1970 the birth rate in this group was 32.4 per 1,000 women. The birth rate in that group now stands at 17.6 per 1,000 women.

“When compared to the annual national totals the proportion of births to teen mothers fluctuated, reaching a high of 21.7 percent in 1980, to a low of 9.7 percent in 2005,” said the report.

“During the last two years, the percentage of births to females under the age of 20 dropped to single digits, indicating some degree of stability in terms of the annual number of births to this group of females.”

Females ages 15-19 had a birth rate of 40.9 in 2010, compared to 38.9 in 1970.

Women ages 20-24 had the highest birthrate in 1970, with a little over 100 births per 1,000 women.  Now that group has a birth rate of 96.7 per 1,000 women and has been eclipsed by women ages 25-29, with a birth rate of 106.3 per 1,000 women.

Women ages 30-34 had a birth rate of 91.7 in 2010, compared to 54.2 in 1970.

Some women are also having children at an older age.  Women ages 35-39 had a birth rate of 49 in 2010, compared to 40.8 in 1970.

However, women ages 40-44 had a birth rate of 13 in 2010, compared to 16.7 in 1970.

Women ages 45-49 were having two children per 1,000 persons 40 years ago, and that rate has now fallen to one child among that age group.

As was the case 40 years ago, most children are still born in New Providence.

“In 1970, 63.3 percent of the nation’s children were born in Nassau.  Between 1970 and 1980, births in New Providence grew by more than seven percentage points, and about 11 percent by 1990.  Thereafter, the proportion of births remained in the low 80 percent range, peaking at 83.9 percent in 2008,” the report found.

“Over the past four decades, the proportion of births which occurred in Grand Bahama decreased by more than four percentage points; from 20.5 to 16 in 2010.

“Forty years ago, the Family Islands accounted for 16 percent of births in the country.  By 2010, these island communities experienced a significant loss of birth occurrences, from 794 births during 1970, to a record low of 17 births in 2010.”

The number of boys and girls born in The Bahamas has consistently remained almost equal for the past 40 years, with the majority number fluctuating slightly between the genders.

Most babies are still being born in August and September, although many children are also born during the months between October and January.

But for all the babies being born, there are still many who don’t make it out of their mothers’ wombs alive – though that number is decreasing.

In 1970 there were 105 stillborn children in the country.  By 2010 that number decreased to 61.

Expressed as a rate, it would mean that in 1970, for every 1,000 live births there were 21.5 stillborn children.

In 2010, for every 1,000 babies born alive, 12.1 died in utero.

 

Ed. Note: This information can be viewed on the Department of Statistics website at http://statistics.bahamas.gov.bs

Feb 20, 2012

thenassauguardian

Bahamas Blog International

The Bahamas: ...The defining outline of the 2012 general election is clear... ...In making their choices of party and leader, voters will assess and compare the records of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and its leader, Perry Christie, from 2002 to 2007 and that of the Free National Movement (FNM) and its leader, Hubert Ingraham, from 2007 to 2012. This comparison and assessment will serve as the basis for who voters believe may best lead the country for the next five years

The so-called silly season

Front Porch

By Simon

The term silly season is often used to describe the lead-up to a general election and the ensuing election campaign.  It is a favorite of some journalists who apply it dismissively in discounting what they view as boilerplate rhetoric from politicians.

Unsurprisingly, the term has a history, obscured by its indiscriminate application by the self-same journalists who wield it to chide and caricature the political class.

Originally, the silly season referred to the period of the late summer when news was scarce.  In response to this slow period, newspapers utilized attention-getting headlines and graphics, and printed exaggerated stories on frivolous and “silly” topics to boost circulation and advertising.

Silly seasons are a human phenomenon and not the provenance of any professional group, be they politicians or members of the press and media personalities.

There is a group of celebrity journalists who work in the print and broadcast media and also play pundit on talk shows.  Some of these media figures look in the mirror and beam: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the best journalist of them all?”

Perhaps more editors, producers and senior journalists may look in that proverbial mirror and ask how they can more comprehensively, intelligently and creatively cover the 2012 election cycle.

Secret

The little secret many journalists won’t admit to publicly is that they enjoy the entertaining elements of politics and general elections as much as their readers and viewers.  Good for them.  Still, they have an obligation to inform and educate the public beyond what is said by the speakers at various political events.

The defining outline of the 2012 general election is clear.  In making their choices of party and leader, voters will assess and compare the records of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and its leader, Perry Christie, from 2002 to 2007 and that of the Free National Movement (FNM) and its leader, Hubert Ingraham, from 2007 to 2012.  This comparison and assessment will serve as the basis for who voters believe may best lead the country for the next five years.

It is essential for journalists to be objective.  In the interest of objectivity many journalists operate under the rubric of “fair and balanced”, an important principle.  Still, it is a principle with a goal in mind, namely to get to the facts.

The misapplication of the notion of fair and balanced has been lampooned by the fictional example of a television anchor promoting a news segment.  The segment includes a politician who believes that the earth is round.  Of course, in the interest of fairness and balance, there will be a politician who believes that the earth is flat.

The veteran and now deceased American political journalist Tim Russert served for 16 years as the moderator of the highly-respected NBC Sunday morning news program, “Meet the Press”.

Russert was legendary for being generally “fair and balanced”.  He was respected by Republicans, Democrats and independents, liberals, moderates and conservatives.

His “Meet the Press” table was a must-stop for those who sought and won the presidential nominations of their respective parties.  Presidential aspirants, powerful Congressional leaders, governors, Cabinet secretaries and business moguls were interrogated by Russert.

Getting through a Russert interview without a major fumble was a badge of honor.  Before going on “Meet the Press”, interviewees did serious preparation, which often included mock interviews and combing through briefing books.

Tim Russert’s method was as simple as it was compelling.  He did his research and held politicians accountable for their words.  The Russert method was simply good journalism.  Perhaps the media can better employ such journalistic methods during this election cycle.

Promises

As a start, one of the dailies may consider making a master list of the promises made by the PLP and the FNM in their election manifestos and speeches from the throne, and see how well or poorly they kept their promises.

The period in question for the PLP would be 2002 to 2007 and for the FNM, the period from 2007 to 2012.  The reporting would simply hold each party accountable for their own words.  This would be of considerable service to voters who do not have the time to do such research.

The press may also hold political leaders accountable for their new promises.  For example, Ingraham has promised to expand the National Prescription Drug Benefit.  A newspaper like The Nassau Guardian may ask how much such an expansion would cost.  Similarly, Leader of the Opposition Perry Christie may be asked how he will pay for his promise to double the national budget for education.

This is the kind of good research journalism that is sorely lacking.  Quite often nowadays, many editors and reporters are so caught up in getting the juiciest headlines that they fail to do the important research pieces that are necessary, and sometimes they miss important aspects of a story.

This journal has done work of this nature in reporting on how MPs spent their constituency allowances.  More such work would be welcome and a good way to improve the quality of political journalism in the country.

 

Feb 21, 2012

thenassauguardian

Bahamas Blog International

The modern Caribbean woman -- she is every woman; a phenomenal woman; and a woman of class and stature

Who is the modern Caribbean woman?


By Julie Charles


Although she is born and bred in steep tradition filled with a rich culture and heritage, there is much that the Caribbean woman carries on her platter. Should she be a mother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, modern day professional, and the defender of her culture or is her role one of revolutionising the expectations?

Today’s Caribbean woman has evolved into a superwoman, carrying the burdens of society on her shoulders much like her ancestors did before her but with additional responsibilities. She is a decision maker in government, head of financial institutions, and CEO of mighty conglomerates, yet still she is expected to be wife and mother, friend and counsellor, spiritual guide and all around guru for all that ails the nations.

Can she really fulfil this enormous task? She already has with her, strength and intelligence, mixed with good old fashion common sense. She has forged ahead while her other worldly counterparts are still wondering where to begin.

How does she accomplish so much, yet able to raise a nation? Simply by allowing the wisdom of the mother, grandmother, aunts, and other elders filter through her. She understands fully that she is nothing without her heritage or her ancestors. She infuses what she knows with what she continues to learn and makes her decisions. She then monitors the situation until a better solution can be found and then she implements. She appears fearless when it comes to living and, although fear is necessary to remain alert, she understands that fear is a healthy emotion and uses it wisely.

Can she stand the test of time? Not only can she stand the test but she can pass with flying colours. Why? Because her character is made of strongest steel, her mind is as sharp as the sharpest cutlass, her body is well taken care of and her spirit is the core of who she really is. Her spirit is resilient, no matter the obstacles. It is constantly fed by her beliefs, which were ingrained in her as a child but has carried her through to womanhood. She is indeed invincible, for no matter the situation or circumstance, the modern Caribbean woman does not falter. She may buckle but she does not fall.

Am I only speaking of a professional woman? No, this refers to all Caribbean women, as they are special women found nowhere else in the world. They are all shades of brown and black, they are of many different shapes, they are from many backgrounds but one thing makes them unique and that is they are uniquely Caribbean. Their skin bathed by the warm Caribbean sun, their eyelashes brushed by the Caribbean breeze, and their hearts warmed by the love of their country.

Caribbean women for many years carried the weight of their communities on their shoulders and it was a responsibility that they readily accepted. They were able to shape the society and teach boys how to become men. This mantle has now been passed on to the modern Caribbean woman. She has to fulfil all that is expected of her.

The expectations are:

• She is to raise her children to be meaningful contributing adults
• She is to ensure that her husband is taken care of
• She is to take care of her aging parents and relatives
• She is expected to be a good friend and confidant
• She is expected to excel at her job whatever it may be – from office attendant to prime minister
• She is expect to continue learning no matter the format
• She is expected to volunteer of her time and resources to ensure that her community remains healthy and safe
• Her spiritual life must be healthy so that she can provide guidance to those in need
• She is expected to take care of her health so that she does not inherit those known Caribbean diseases should as hypertension, diabetes, and most recently HIV/AIDS
• Finally, she is expected to have some fun through music and dance. It was embedded in her to enjoy the riddims of the drums and ring out in all Caribbean music.

The modern Caribbean woman is a woman who is light years ahead of her time. She is a pepper pot of modern day teachings with old people sayings. She loves fully and is not afraid or ashamed to show it. Her beliefs have been instilled in her as a child and they have not departed but rather, they have gotten stronger with each passing day. She knows that modern technology has its place in her world, but she will never forsake her old teachings and remedies. She is an eclectic mix of the old and the new worlds.

The modern Caribbean woman -- she is every woman; a phenomenal woman; and a woman of class and stature.

February 18, 2012

caribbeannewsnow

Bahamas Blog International

...how Haitian immigration grew into today's social problem in The Bahamas

How and why the Haitian problem grew

tribune24 editorial

Nassau, The Bahamas



WE have always had Haitians in the Bahamas. Like all Bahamians they came by different routes. Peaceful citizens, they were fully embraced by the locals, and many of them made outstanding contributions to their new country.

For example, the first black man to sit in the House of Assembly -- remaining there for 33 years - was Stephen Dillet, a Haitian by birth.

His mother was African, his father a French Army Officer. In Haiti's revolution of 1802, young Stephen and his mother were put on a boat headed for Cuba to find safe haven. However, their boat was captured by a British privateer and taken to Nassau, where the Dillets settled, and Stephen later entered politics. He was also an active Free Mason, having been appointed Deputy Provincial Grand Master in 1857. Another account of his life has him settling in the US where he owned slaves, then coming to Nassau where, in addition to being a member of the House, he was the island's coroner and postmaster.

It is recorded that at one time the historic Balcony House on Market Street --now a museum and believed to be the oldest house in the Bahamas dating back to 1788 -- was his home.
And so, over the years, Haitians settled in the Bahamas, fully participated in the island's activities, were embraced by other Bahamians -- all, at one time or another, themselves immigrants -- and were solidly woven into the Bahamas' human fabric. In those days, no one questioned their identity or their right to be here. Today, however, the story has changed. Bahamians whose tendrils once clung to Mother Haiti are terrified to share their now "shameful" secret with their fellow Bahamians.

Over the years, the situation changed. The PLP came on the scene with the late Sir Lynden Pindling promising that no longer would Bahamians be "hewers of wood and drawers of water". Manual labour was not only demeaning, but abhorrent to Bahamian ears -- "that's Haitian work!" And so Bahamians left the farms. Slowly Haitians started to fill the gaps. This was a different type of Haitian -- they were even unsettling to their Haitian brothers who had quietly settled here and become Bahamians. Haitian-Bahamians feared that the spotlight would also be turned on them. They, like many Bahamians, did not welcome the unskilled who had started to infiltrate the country, and who, as the illegal numbers increased, grew into what is today the "Haitian problem".

On a radio talk show in 2006, Bahamian Paul Cumberbatch, describing himself as a "small farmer" with more than 200 acres of land, had a serious complaint with then PLP Minister Shane Gibson, who at the time headed Immigration. Mr Cumberbatch said he needed 500 Haitians on his farm, and did not agree that any of those already in the Bahamas should be sent back to Haiti. He felt that all those with jobs -- legal or illegal-- should be regularised and only the jobless should be returned to Haiti.

"When Sir Lynden was prime minister," he said, "no minister could do what Shane (Gibson) is doing now." He said when then deputy prime minister Arthur Hanna, who had Immigration in his portfolio, and later when the late Sir Clement Maynard headed Immigration he was given whatever work permits he needed for his Haitians. Those were peaceful days, he said.

And so this is how Haitian immigration grew into today's social problem -- Bahamians refused to work the land -- themselves labelling it as "Haitian work." And PLP politicians pandering to the needs of their supporters by giving them permits to bring in unlimited numbers of unskilled workers to replace Bahamians on the farm. These Haitians, according to Mr Cumberbatch, were landed at the Coral Harbour Defence Force base. Some Bahamians, who were able to get unlimited numbers of permits, developed side businesses by farming out their Haitians to other Bahamians who had no political godfathers -- at a good price, of course.

Today, Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette, now in charge of Immigration, is trying to regularise the status of foreigners, among them Haitians. As for work permits, more than half approved were for unskilled jobs such as handymen and housekeepers. Mr Symonette said that the majority of people who received Bahamian citizenship were born in the Bahamas to foreigners and/or lived here all their lives. Many others were women married to Bahamian men. The Opposition's claim that 10,000 people were awarded citizenship was "grossly exaggerated," he said.

"People keep talking about 10,000 citizenships given by the FNM. That's wrong, wrong, wrong," said Haitian Ambassador Antonio Rodrigue.

"During the year," he said, "we had about 500 renounce -- so where are those 10,000?" Mr Rodrigue wanted to know.

Bahamian voters have to remember that this is "silly season" when lies abound. To qualify as an intelligent and responsible voter, they will have to be smarter than the liars and themselves search for the truth.

February 16, 2012

tribune24 editorial

Bahamas Blog International

The modern Bahamas is a nation created through migration... ...The Amerindians Christopher Columbus met in The Islands 520 years ago are no more... ...Europeans and Africans displaced those people when permanent contact was made between the old and new worlds

Embracing multiculturalism

thenassauguardian editorial

Nassau, The Bahamas

The comments of Haitian President Michel Martelly to Haitian-Bahamians last week have dominated public discourse since Martelly advised Bahamians of Haitian descent to form a voting bloc, and to vote for the party that has their best interests at heart.  His remarks exposed raw emotions on the immigration issue in our country.

The modern Bahamas is a nation created through migration.  The Amerindians Christopher Columbus met here 520 years ago are no more.  Europeans and Africans displaced those people when permanent contact was made between the old and new worlds.

Today’s Bahamas is even more ethnically and culturally dynamic.  People from the Middle East, China and India also call this country home.  They bring their experiences to our cultural mix, expanding The Bahamas.

The Bahamian relationship with the Haitians who migrate here is complicated.  Haitians have come to The Bahamas since the creation of the Republic of Haiti in 1804.  With the collapse of Jean Claude Duvalier’s regime in the mid-1980s, however, those flows increased as Haiti’s poor looked for new lives in new places.

Some Bahamians resent the large number of poor Haitians who have come here looking for a second chance.  Some Haitians are upset at the discriminatory treatment they have received from some Bahamians.

Martelly should not have gotten involved in Bahamian politics while visiting.  Staying out of local politics while on foreign trips is a convention of diplomacy, but his intrusion into Bahamian politics is no excuse for bigotry and xenophobia.

The Government of The Bahamas has as a responsibility carrying out the laws of the country.  It should provide our border protection officers with all the resources needed to prevent people from illegally entering Bahamian territory.  Foreigners who come here illegally should be repatriated in accordance with the law.

But what must be remembered is that those who are given citizenship are Bahamians once that decision is made.  They should be afforded the same rights and privileges as other Bahamians.

We can debate who should be given permanent residence as opposed to citizenship.  Countries have the authority to set residency standards based on the consensus of the times.  However, we should not disparage those given status or argue that they are lesser citizens if citizenship was granted.

In deciding to become part of our community these new Bahamians bring different ideas, languages, traditions, foods and energies to our already multicultural society.  And as a culturally richer community we should work together to solve common problems.

Haitian-Bahamians should not close themselves off and form exclusive political blocs to defend themselves.  Haitian-Bahamians should, like all other Bahamians, examine the various political parties and candidates and determine who is best to advance The Bahamas.

Conversely, ‘native’ Bahamians should not fear the inclusion of new people into our commonwealth.  What should exist is an immigration policy that can reasonably control who comes to The Bahamas.  We should seek to recruit people from around the world – in the numbers we think reasonable – to add skills to our country.  In doing so, we as a nation become stronger.

When governments are unable to police the flow of people to a territory, the established community becomes suspicious.  Hence, it is important for clear immigration policy to exist and resources to be provided to help ensure the policy is enforced.

We hope the passions cool on this issue.  Ethnic rivalry has made many countries unstable and has led to conflict and war.

Feb 15, 2012

thenassauguardian editorial

Bahamas Blog International