By AVA TURNQUEST
Tribune Chief Reporter
aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
POLITICIANS across the political divide have failed to address immigration challenges in their respective platforms, according to radio personality and community activist Louby Georges, who says that parties have decided to “play it safe” with the hot-button issue to the detriment of unregularised persons of Haitian descent and their families.
Taking the temperature of attitudes expressed by Bahamians of Haitian descent, Mr Georges told The Tribune that while the community appeared to be leaning against the Progressive Liberal Party, there has been no distinctive policy from the Free National Movement or the Democratic National Alliance that would differentiate political hopefuls from the incumbent party.
“(The Haitian community), they are very much interested,” Mr Georges said. “They’re keeping a keen eye on things just like everybody else but there is a major issue going on right now but nobody is addressing: immigration. (Political parties) They would breeze right over it, but what is your detailed or outlined plan for dealing with issues.
“Before campaigning season, if you asked someone what was the top three issues it would be crime, education or jobs, and immigration. But yet no one is addressing this thing, and the community is wondering what is going on.
“Obviously it’s that before campaign season kicked in high gear everybody was talking about,” he said.
“All the fringe parties, independents, everyone was talking about it. But now we’re in a position where everybody wants to play politics. What has the FNM proposed to them (the Haitian community)? This is the same FNM who said they stand shoulder to shoulder with the PLP over these immigration changes (and) who voted in favour of all of it in the House of Assembly.
“Now where is the FNM’s voice, where is the DNA, what are they saying about these things? They don’t want to say anything because they don’t want to piss off Bahamians. As serious as this issue is, it would appear that everyone has just decided let’s just leave that one alone.”
Parliament is slated to be dissolved on Tuesday; bringing an end to the Progressive Liberal Party’s legislative agenda this term.
Of the bevy of legislation passed this term, the government’s immigration policy was notably one of the most contentious with the fallout in migrant communities following its implementation grabbing international headlines.
Mr Georges was part of the Bahamian delegation of activists that travelled to Washington, DC, to highlight alleged human rights violations resulting from the government’s immigration policy that was implemented in November 2014.
He told The Tribune on Friday that there were still major issues with the policy.
“(The Haitian community) is obviously leaning against the PLP,” he said, “but nobody is really coming out and saying anything. They want to hear what you are going to do in regards to getting people properly documented, and a policy that deals with the turnaround time at the Department of Immigration.
“Then the belonger’s permit, that is a major issue, they want to know what is going to be done in regards to people who apply for citizenship, and while waiting they are asking them to apply for work permits which is $1,000.”
Mr Georges said: “The belonger’s permit was initially for everybody that falls in the being born to immigrant parents category. But then they came back and changed it and it’s still for people born to immigrant parents, but you would have to fall into a certain age category now.”
Mr Georges said that persons over the age of 18 require a work permit, which he argues is expensive and indentures an applicant to a Bahamian employer indefinitely, increasing risks for exploitation in an already vulnerable group.
“If you reach 19 and you applied for citizenship and you’re waiting, the belonger’s permit is not for you,” Mr Georges said.
“They are asking those persons to apply for a work permit, and now to apply they have to find a Bahamian employer who is willing to sign for them.
“Those are the issues surrounding immigration that they are concerned about. Along with certainly children being registered and admitted to schools, some children are getting in, some schools are still doing shit.”
For his part, Mr Georges suggested that the policy be amended to allow qualified applicants to hold permanent residency status while their citizenship application was being processed - which could take more than five years to be completed.
Last week, photos of the naturalisation certificate and voter’s card of a 34-year-old Southern Shores woman were circulated on social media, with many speculating that the citizenship was granted for political expediency as both documents were dated April 4, 2017.
However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration pointed out that the woman was granted citizenship on February 28, 2017, some nine years after she applied.
Mr Georges said: “If someone qualifies for citizenship you would know, at the very least what we should do at that time is give a permanent residency certificate so the only thing these individuals would not be able to do is vote. If you apply and we make a determination that it’s met the requirements and we’re going to accept the application, we say ok pay whatever processing fee and next month pick up your permanent residency certificate, at least something.
“We talk about integration and assimilation but it’s easy for a child to do that who is in school. But as an adult,” he said, “how do I blend in as an adult when I can’t open up a bank account, find a proper job, go off to college or university, when I can’t go to cable to open up an account? You’re telling me to integrate but is the door really open?”
Mr Georges said: “It’s keeping not only the Haitian community back it’s keeping The Bahamas back. These are people who were born here, not people who made a conscious decision to migrate to The Bahamas. We need these people to be contributing to the growth and development of The Bahamas, paying taxes. We need their brain power to present new ideas. The most important resource of every country is its people and we are strategically or intentionally holding back some of our own people,” he added, “it doesn’t benefit the Bahamas.”
Last October, former Attorney General and the PLP’s Fort Charlotte candidate Alfred Sears called for an amnesty period for undocumented migrants that have a “genuine link” to the country, and the regularisation of those living and working in the Bahamas for more than 15 years.
Mr Sears zeroed in on the hot-button issue of immigration as part of a multi-faceted plan for social reform, a part of his leadership challenge platform. The platform did not specify a timeline for the amnesty or eligibility criteria. Mr Sears lost the leadership race to incumbent leader Prime Minister Perry Christie.
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