ROSE HALL, St James– Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) spokesman on Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Edmund Bartlett has renewed his party’s call for ways to be found to include the Jamaican Diaspora in Parliament, as part of a raft of proposals aimed at increasing the participation of overseas nationals in the growth and development of the country.

“This we believe would be the quintessential and most deserving way of honouring the sterling contribution our brothers and sisters in the diaspora have made to our development over the years. What better way to mainstream the Jamaican Diaspora than giving them a vote?” Bartlett asked.

The Opposition spokesman, who was speaking at the official opening of the 6th Biennial Jamaica diaspora Conference at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa on Sunday night, told the large gathering that for its part the Opposition is proposing a constituent vote for members of the Jamaican Diaspora, where the diaspora would vote as a constituency, and not so much to determine who forms the Government.

He suggested that the approach used by countries like France and Italy are worthy of closer examination and consideration.

Bartlett’s remark came a day after Junior Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Arnaldo Brown, addressing a service at the Lilliput Seventh-day Adventist Church in St James to mark the start of the conference, said the matter of Jamaicans overseas be allowed to vote is not “dead”.

Brown noted, however, that the matter would have to be discussed at length “in order to arrive at the best possible decision to bring those people into the electoral process”.

“It is not a matter that we dismiss as a Government, but it is certainly one that requires further consideration,” said Brown.

The contribution made by overseas nationals to the growth and development of the country through remittances and support to education, health and other areas have long been recognised by successive governments.

Over the last 10 years, for example, overseas nationals have collectively remitted to Jamaica more than US$16 billion, US$2 billion of which was sent during the last two years.

But Bartlett, in his presentation at the conference on Sunday, argued that not enough is being done to demonstrate that members of the Jamaican Diaspora are key stakeholders in the nation’s development, adding that we need to “ascribe to them the value, respect and recognition they deserve”.

There are roughly three million Jamaicans living outside of Jamaica.

Bartlett emphasised that more avenues must be found for more members of the diaspora to contribute to the country’s finances, as he called for the establishment of a Diaspora Bond.

“Diaspora Bonds present opportunities for Jamaicans abroad to invest in well-structured and financially sound instruments and

opens up important windows for making meaningful investments in their beloved country, which unfortunately is not as readily available at this time,” he stressed.

“The importance of such a bond cannot be overemphasised, as it represents a useful way of building national wealth; that is, by setting aside resources in a dedicated income-generating fund, and have those resources subsequently available to us as we fund critical programmes or undertake key capital expenditure with our own money rather than doing

so with borrowed money,”

he added

The Opposition spokesman also cited the need for institutional support in facilitating those giving back to Jamaica as a key area that must be addressed.

“There is nothing more frustrating and counter-productive than bureaucratic red tape and other forms of procedural hindrances. Far too many Jamaicans in the diaspora complain about the inconveniences and utter frustration they suffer in their attempts to give back to Jamaica.

“What sense does it make to frustrate philanthropy as opposed to encouraging and facilitating it? What sense does it make to have contributions in kind sitting at the ports for inordinately long periods, while the bureaucratic red tape and waiver approval process adds to the frustration?” he asked.

He said the Opposition believes that the challenges can be addressed through effective institutional support and, as such, the institutional framework — anchored by competent personnel to more effectively facilitate the contributions of members

of the diaspora — must

be created.

More than 500 members of the diaspora have been registered for the six-day conference, which is being held under the theme ‘Jamaica and the Diaspora: Linking for Growth and Prosperity’.

The conference, which ends on Thursday, is being staged at a cost of $50 million — roughly 50 per cent more than when it was held in Rose Hall, St James, two years ago.