Former deputy prime minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, has called for the issue regarding a Jamaican national, who claims that she was sexually and verbally abused by Barbadian customs and immigration officials, be taken out of the public domain.
Mottley wants the matter to be resolved without further embarrassment.
She said that Barbados Prime Minister Freundel Stuart 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.
CMC reported that the opposition lawmaker said, “In this way, all parties will be bound to the outcome of the process. The failure to put this kind of process in place that is acceptable as an action before an international human rights body… will only serve to tarnish Barbados’ reputation even if the allegations are not proven.”
Mottley said that all government officials in both countries need to pause and stop talking. She recalled that the late Barbados prime minister, David Thompson, had advocated that there should be no shouting matches across the Caribbean Sea by Caribbean leaders.
She added that Stuart cannot postpone decisive and independent action on this matter any longer, as the welfare of the peoples of both nations is at stake.
“He must abandon the philosophy of not making errors by postponing decisions… as Barbadians we can no longer bury our heads in the sand to the perception that others have of us that Barbadians do not treat their Caribbean brothers and sisters and people of African descent fairly and with respect,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Jamaica Observer reported on Thursday that, ignoring the gathering storm of accusations about their poor treatment of visitors, Barbadian authorities have against allegedly beaten and kicked three more Jamaicans out of that eastern Caribbean island.
The three, Andre davis, Jermaine Blake and Chevine Edwards — partners in the artiste management and music production company, Dajavu Records — said they were physically abused and threatened by Barbadian police and humiliated by that country’s immigration officers after being denied entry.
Edwards told the Observer that the trio arrived in Bridgetown on Sunday, March 20, on Caribbean Airlines flight BW 55, minutes after 9.00 pm. He said they were removed from the immigration line and their passports and cellular phones were confiscated. They were interviewed individually and proved that they had met all the requirements, in terms of accommodation, business contact, cash and limited length of stay, said Edwards.
“There was a cop who asked us if we supply Buju Banton with coke. He also asked us if we didn’t bring any Bob Marley. I asked what he was talking about as I thought he meant a CD (compact disc), but he said he was talking about ganja. And he asked us if we used drug money to fund our label,” he said.
The claim of abuse by the music producers comes just days after Shanique Myrie, a Jamaican national, accused Barbadian officials of finger-raping her twice, spewing venom about Jamaicans and forcing her to endure humiliation.
And the Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association of Jamaica on Wednesday added its voice to the condemnation of the alleged acts of discrimination against Jamaicans by Barbados.
In a release to the media, the association said its members faced less than acceptable treatment from Barbadian customs officials when they visited that country for a meeting of the Caribbean Customs Brokers Association.
