Hope for our region in Ms Mottley's voice of reason

Friday, April 01, 2011

Given the nature of partisan politics we don't expect that the Barbadian Government will give much thought, if any at all, to the statement issued by Opposition legislator Mia Mottley on the Shanique Myrie case.

In fact, if we are to go by Barbadian senator Harry Husbands' hasty rejection of Ms Myrie's allegation of physical and verbal abuse by Barbadian Immigration officers, we could not be faulted for believing that Bridgetown has already reached a conclusion on this issue.

Add to that the comments by Ms Maxine McClean, Barbados's minister of foreign affairs, that Ms Myrie's complaint that she was subjected to a disgusting cavity search was a lie, and one can well understand the growing public anger and resentment at the Barbadian authorities.

In all of this, however, we find Ms Mottley's statement a calm voice of reason.

"None of our people in Barbados and Jamaica can benefit from the inflaming of national passions on both sides -- nor indeed can our economies," Ms Mottley said as she appealed for a diplomatic resolution of the issue.

"The prime minister of Barbados needs to take control of the issue and put a fair, transparent and independent investigative process in place that is acceptable to all parties and agreed upon by both governments," Ms Mottley added. "In this way, all parties will be bound to the outcome of the process. The failure to put this kind of process in place has already led to the threat of an action before an international human rights body. This will only serve to tarnish Barbados's reputation even if, after years of hearings, the allegations are not proven."

Ms Mottley's reminder to the current Barbados Government that late former Prime Minister David Thompson had advocated that Caribbean leaders do not engage in shouting matches across the Caribbean Sea is most sound. However, we suspect that it will be ignored, despite its relevance.

The fact, though, is that Ms Mottley speaks a truth in her acknowledgement that Barbados has had "challenges in the past with allegations of improper treatment" by that country's authorities.

We recall well the numerous reported incidents in the Barbadian and regional media of gross abuses of the fundamental rights of Caricom nationals who were being arbitrarily detained and removed from Barbados.

Of course, we would not have expected the Barbadian Government to have sat by and allowed that country to be overrun by illegal immigrants. However, it was the manner in which the deportations were being conducted that sparked regional anger.

In fact, the Thompson administration attracted heavy flak from Vincentian Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, Guyanese President Bharrat Jagdeo, St Lucia's Prime Minister Stephen King and ex-Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Lester Bird.

They had taken umbrage to Mr Thompson's assertion that Barbados's right to determine its domestic immigration policy was being questioned.

But it was the reports of inhumane and degrading treatment being meted out to these immigrants, particularly the Guyanese, that had sparked so much irritation.

Ms Mottley's caution therefore, that Barbadians can no longer bury their heads in the sand to the perception that they do not treat their Caribbean brothers and sisters and people of African descent fairly and with respect is most apposite.

It is a perception, as she rightly said, that must be dealt with if this project we call Caricom is to enjoy public confidence and support.

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Hope for our region in Ms Mottley's voice of reason