By NICO SCAVELLA
Tribune Staff Reporter
nscavella@tribunemedia.net
FORMER Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette yesterday said the government should delay implementing its new restrictions that will make it compulsory for students of foreigners living in the Bahamas to have a school permit to attend classes until 2016.
Mr Symonette is also a former minister of immigration under the Ingraham administration.
“I would have left it the way the FNM had it. If they wanted to impose these restrictions I would have put September of the next school year, whilst trying to get them into this school year, and then giving them a waiver period so you have time to get this information,” he said at a Rotary Club meeting at the East Villa restaurant yesterday.
“So in other words a child that shows up in September that does not have this information should not be banned from going to school.”
The restrictions were announced by Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell last week and will apply for the fall school semester.
Last week Mr Symonette said making it harder for children of immigrants to get an education could create a slippery slope that results in a myriad of long-term social problems for Bahamians.
Arguing that the policies are intended to target Haitians in particular, Mr Symonette raised concerns about the social implications of potentially restricting education access.
He said that he doubted the new policy is well thought out and questioned how the Department of Immigration will be able to meet the increased demand for processing.
On Tuesday, Amnesty International (AI) Caribbean Campaigner Robin Guittard expressed concerns over the new restrictions, and said they “could violate the Bahamas’ international obligations”.
Mr Guittard said the non-governmental organisation would be seeking formal communication with the government to request clarification on the matter.
Florida lawmaker Daphne Campbell, in a letter to Prime Minister Perry Christie yesterday, called the restrictions a “deeply disturbing” change.
Last week’s announcement was also highlighted as a “tough” policy in the Saturday edition of The New York Times.
However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration has defended the move, stressing it is in accordance with the Immigration Act and a part of the Christie administration’s wider policies.
Deputy Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis has bashed The New York Times and other critics for continuing to “misrepresent what our laws are and to misrepresent how we apply our law”.
Comments
birdiestrachan 9 years, 2 months ago
Now Mr. Symonette has a bleeding heart. This can not be the same man who when poor people were crying because he had quieted their property. called it "small things'. He did manage to put in a dig against the Bahamian children and their parents. when he said the Haitians do better than the Bahamian children and the Haitian parents attend PTA meetings. I am certain there are Bahamian children who do well in school. and their parents do attend PTA meetings. But Mr" Symonette has no concern for them. Mr. Symonette if you do not want the parents to pay the Fees. your pockets are very deep ,you may feel free to pay , and you will be contributing to education in the Bahamas,.
Well_mudda_take_sic 9 years, 2 months ago
This Symonette fella has been an agent of the U.S. government planted amongst us for decades now.
ispeakthetruth 9 years, 2 months ago
Where did this man read that children would be banned from school? I have not read that anywhere, and I have been following this matter quite closely.
I am not surprised that he would continue to ignore the problem and do nothing if he were in position, so let's thank God he is not. He is so out of touch with the lives of the average Bahamian and clearly has no interest to improving this country. For this reason, I think he should have a seat, and be quiet, when it comes to issues that matter to the rest of us.
TheMadHatter 9 years, 2 months ago
Mr. Symonette, we have been delaying since Min. Roker's time. Time's up.
TheMadHatter
TalRussell 9 years, 2 months ago
Comrade Brent you know I advocated ever so strongly for you to enter the leadership race for the red shirts party. On this issue I cannot stand with you. We've had three terms of the red party and now into a term and half of the PLP and hopefully, something tangible is about to go into place to curtail illegal immigration. I'd like ask the former DPM and Immigration Minister to tell the nation, exactly how many of the detainees suddenly released by Papa Hubert and who all had agreed to report to the policeman authorities, ever did report as agreed to as a condition of their release? I think we already know the answer... exactly zero ever reported and Papa couldn't even be bothered to track the illegals down. Truth be told, Papa Hubert never deported a single one of them back to Haiti. Now, Brent can't you see it is Papa who is responsible for their children overcrowding our classrooms and giving Minister Freddy a migraine headache?
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