I would probably be the last person to complain about TCI Belongers expressing concerns about any issue of importance in this country; especially when we consider our traditional passive attitude towards most things. However, what troubles me about our concerns for certain issues is our timing to speak out about them and our lacklustre interest in investigating the facts, figures and implications before they have an opportunity to impact our lives.
One such example of our lacklustre attitude to be abreast of important issues is the many pertinent concerns related to labour and immigration. First and foremost, there is a traditional saying which states “Knowledge Is Power”; but I often wonder if enough of us grasp this concept when it comes to being informed. We cannot simply rely on our cultural attitudes, fears and hearsay conversations to form opinions on immigration policy. We need to read the proposed policies, reason its merits and loopholes and then voice our concerns. The impact of Immigration policies on our small country is too severe for us not to be properly informed. We need to pay more attention to the immigration laws and policies as a nation.
When a proposed immigration and labour policy opens the door for foreign labour in this country; it raises a number of questions. Firstly, is the importation of labour denying a belonger a job or delaying an opportunity for a potential job. Secondly, are the labour and employment policies creating an economy which gradually decreases our dependency on expat labour? Thirdly, if we have had a consistent shortage of labour in the last few decades in this country, why are many belongers still calling for the creation of more jobs? Moreover, it is fair to state that the demand and supply of foreign labour in this country has placed a heavy burden on the immigration department to police the movement of people in this country, regulate status and determine who becomes belongers, and how they become belongers. Are we paying attention?
Are we paying attention to impact of granting more belonger status to permanent residences on our franchise? Let us be honest, in a country where the majority of the population is indigenous to that country; the process of naturalization might not be a big issue. However, in a country such as ours, in which the citizens are outnumbered or nearly outnumbered by expats, expanding the franchise recklessly could ‘open pandora’s box’.
Are we paying attention to the fact that although the qualification for citizenship is enshrined in most countries constitution; ours is established in an immigration ordinance subject to the legislature policies or political interest which might not be in the best interest of the country? Should members of parliament have the final say over who should become belongers of this country or should that decision be made by the people through a direct referendum. For example, when the FNM government had proposed amending the Bahamas citizenship law as it relates to the granting of citizenship to the male spouse of Bahamian women, they had to put it to the people of the nation in referendum. Simply put, should citizenship or ‘belonger status’ be governed by an Ordinance (subject to legislative amendments) or should it established as an article in our Constitution? Are we paying attention?
A new immigration law is about to take effect in this country. Did you read the bill before it was past? Did you attend any discussion of the bill or participate in any domino table or family table conversations on its implication? Did you seek to understand your elected representative position on the bill? I am hoping we start paying attention to immigration policies or our country’s policies and laws in general because in the twenty first century, ‘knowledge is not power anymore’; the use of knowledge is power.
On the bright side of things, if indeed the new bill has provisions contrary to our interest, it is a bill and bills can be written and then re-written or repealed.
By: A TCI Patriot
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