Source- TURKS AND CAICOS SUN: The Bahamas government has reiterated its position that the country will not be part of the free movement of people as the efforts continue to possible amendments to the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC) that will give a legal basis to the free movement of all Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nationals by the end of this month.
The RTC governs the 15-member regional integration process and regional leaders at their recently concluded summit in Guyana had received a report of the work being done by the Reconstituted Intergovernmental Task Force (IGTF that had been established to facilitate negotiations for revisions to the RTC.
The IGTF is presently focused on an immediate directive given by the regional leaders to propose amendments to the RTC that will give a legal basis to the free movement of all CARICOM nationals.
In a statement, Nassau said it wanted to “remind the Bahamian public that the Bahamas is not a part of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) and therefore the free movement of people does not apply to the Bahamas”.
The CSME allows for the free movement of goods, skills, labour and services across the region and in the past CARICOM leaders have agreed to certain categories of workers, including university graduates, benefiting from the free movement aspect of the regime.
The Free Movement of Skills/Labour entails the right of a CARICOM national to seek work and/or engage in gainful employment in all CARICOM member states with the exception of The Bahamas, Montserrat, and Haiti without the need to obtain a work permit.
“There has been no change in the policy of our treaty arrangements since that time. The comments being circulated attributed to the Prime Minister of Barbados do not apply in any way to the Bahamas,” the Foreign Affairs Minister, Frederick Mitchell said in the statement, without providing details of the statement made by the Barbados government leader.
Antigua and Barbuda has already signalled that it wishes to maintain its use of the current skills regime, which allows it to focus on addressing labour force demand in the local market.
“The policy is pragmatic and realistic to avoid dislocation of the indigenous population, protecting jobs, and avoiding exacerbation of our economic/fiscal challenge,” said Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to CARICOM, Dr Clarence Henry.
Antigua and Barbuda says it currently implements one of the most liberal immigration policies across the region and is considered a forerunner in the integration movement.
Bermuda, the British Overseas Territory, which is seeking full membership of the regional integration movement, said also it is however not contemplating being part of the region’s attempt to allow for the free movement of nationals across member states from March 31, this year.
“It would be incorrect to conclude that full membership means freedom of movement for citizens of other member states to Bermuda,” said Premier David Burt, who was among regional leaders who gathered in Guyana late last month for their 46th regular summit.
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ok,ain’t no body fancy Bahamas so it doesn’t matter
You don’t know what you are talking about. The Bahamas has a problem with the boatloads of refugees from Haiti. When the planes come in from Jamaica, all the gates at the airport are locked. Once most of the house maids were Jamaicans, now maids are brought in from the Philippines
Bahamas is smart, they know that Jamaicans and Haitians create big problems for society: crime, stealing, bad optics. Antigua should follow Bahamas’ lead.
Caricom is showing itself to be a toothless body. With all the grand pronouncements of full free movement throughout the region recently and now each country coming out voicing their nonsupport of the initiative. This clearly shows just how disconnected the leaders are from each other and the obvious lack of foreign policy acumen that exists throughout the region. Caricom really seem to be neither here nor there on anything. Hopeless, toothless, hapless and more or less USELESS.
How are the leaders responsible for this insularity. There is already free movement among the OECS Islands. Caricom did not start with 15 members. So let us move forward with the willing. I guess if they were invited to join the EU they would say thank you massa……..!
Invited to join the EU? That would be a blessing to Antigua but of course it won’t happen. The EU is a well run organization led by mature politicians unlike Antigua which is the complete opposite. Imagine that guy with the square moustache trying his
best to creatively enrich himself and finding all doors blocked. The poor fellow would throw a tantrum and threaten to thump someone in the mouth. No, this organization is for political grownups, it’s not a kindergarten.
Bahamas is only a part of CARICOM for its own benefit. Nothing is reciprocated. They are like that rich relative that only shows up at funerals and family barbecues to show off how much they have.
What’s wrong with being part of Caricom for your own benefit? If The Bahamas finds free movement against the best interests of its people, then commonsense should determine they opt out. Big difference with our leaders who, I am convinced have buckets of sawdust or even cotton wool embedded where their brains should be. Antigua is reaping its harvest of crime with its short sighted policy of ‘ Come one, come all’. Well done The Bahamas, you have leaders with the foresight to see what’s coming down the pipe with free movement. Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind.
How did one of our Caribbean luminaries put it…Cari com and Cari gorne!
Let’s not this issue divide us as a people with the same origins. Each country within CARICOM has its own peculiarities of circumstance and some countries are bigger than others in terms of size. And yet we are one people and the majority of our ancestors were forcibly brought here centuries ago. That journey was worse than the holocaust and it was purely for economic purposes. So it is what it is. No reason to disparage each other my peoples.
All and I mean ALL are welcomed to come to Guyana. Especially those Antiguan\Guyanese or Antiguanese who now call Antigua and Barbuda home.
Guyana wants you!
Unless we have become a unitary state; such as the Philippines: it is an untenable persuasion to even imagine the free movement of the region’s people without convenient constraints. When viewed from the prism of our being marooned and abandon on these Islands: we have not become a monolithic people; but rather, an open village within natural boundaries of water defined. Thus, one’s house might be bigger than another, or, even more eloquently adorn-but still in occupancy of the same space, with limited exclusion of movements. The uniqueness of our integration aspirations, has more to do with economic needs; rather than the benefits of transitional mobility: even for the transients with anchor feasibility and assimilation in the host’s country. Except for the augmentation of the “neo-indigenous” populations-whose presence is now being overwhelmed by repatriated peoples of Europeans and Chinese descent: the demographic component of these sovereign entities experience no adverse diversification through the years of their marooned emancipation and abandonment: thus allowing for the retention of cultural significance not to be diminish by the out flooding from one island to the other for economic drainage and, impacting on an already overburdened and wanting public infrastructure and facilities. Economically: Let each sovereign state be astutely fundamental in acumen and planning, for destiny of pulling themselves up-by-their-boot-straps: for the benefit of their neo-indigenous population according to the will of their people.
I’ve met Haitians,Jamaicans, Trini, Guyanize who have never heard of Antigua or the little Gem across the bay called Montserrat, so go figure. Ask any small islander where these big islands are located,and they don’t have to even blink before telling you about their size and locations.
Back in the day, you would be laughed at for coming from a small island. You would be called, backwards, small minded, and other names. So why would small island nations want these so-called bigger Islanders coming to their shores, are they not considered the smarter ones? So let these wiser than all stay in their islands and continue to build. Just my opinion.
Just some irony for y’all. Funny how life work out sometimes.
Your last paragraph could also be put this way: What goes around comes around. The late former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Alexander Bustamante, declared he did not want to integrate with paupers, meaning the smaller islands. Here we are now, overrun by bottom of the barrel, semi illiterates and criminals from guess where? It is a strange world. Indeed.
This reminds me of the famous West Indian Federation established in 1958 which collapsed four years later in 1962. This Federation back then consisted of ten of the current Caricom Member States which included Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts -Nevis -Anguilla, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago.
Jamaica was the largest member in the Federation who was the first to withdraw amid differences in policies and taxes, carrying the burden of the other smaller islands and the giving up of sovereign power to one government which includes Prime minister of all the other Islands who was Sir Grantley Adams (Permier) and one Governor General who was appointed by Britain.
Shortly after, former Premier of Trinidad and Tobago then Dr. Eric William’s also withdrew from the Federation making his famous quote when Jamaica first pulled out from the ten member state Federation “One from ten leaves nought.”
The tables have now turned whereby the smaller islands like Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas and Bermuda are now refusing citizens of the larger islands like Jamaica and Guyana on a larger scale to flood the smaller islands to make a better living in the name of Caribbean Single Market & Economy and the free movement of all caricom nationals at the end March.
That’s why as a Jamaican i dont like no over seas ppl criminal come from every country but a just jamaican y’all pick on Jamaicans are dominant in any field any where we go an that a is every bodys problem WE STAND OUT
Joke of the day ” Jamaicans are dominant in any field where we go.” Yes, they dominate the prison population of Caribbean people in countries such as UK and US. Their lawlessness and criminality are well documented worldwide. The murder capital of the Caribbean is where? Sure enough, Jamaicans dominate criminality wherever they settle in large numbers and that really is everybody’s problem. You stand out all right.
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