The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I’M GUESSING that the average Bahamian is unaware of Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis’ role in CARICOM as chairperson. Davis will head this year’s 44th Regular Meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community or CARICOM in New Providence. The meeting will be held on February 15-17.

Government stakeholders held a two-day Training and Information Sharing Workshop at Police Headquarters on East Street, to address matters such as protocol, security, liaison and transportation.

Understandably, the Progressive Liberal Party is determined to put this nation’s best foot forward in an effort to impress the Caribbean counterparts of Davis, especially Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley.

However, Davis might encounter a massive hurdle in seeking to achieve his goal of impressing CARICOM. That obstacle might be a tentatively planned demonstration rumoured in the press to be carried out by popular activist Lincoln Bain and his Coalition of Independents.

If officials were to grant permission to COI, it is quite possible that Davis, while en route to the meetings with his CARICOM delegation, might be heckled and verbally abused by demonstrators like he was last week.

In a Facebook video that I can only imagine went viral, a demonstrator was heard verbally abusing this nation’s leader in the presence of Royal Bahamas Police Force personnel.

The issue COI has brought to the fore in recent months has been the immigration crisis, which seems to be getting worse as whatever semblance of government Haiti has further deteriorates, particularly since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021.

The Bahamas finds itself in the unfortunate geographical position of being between Florida and Haiti. The other CARICOM states do not share our unique immigration dilemma. There are well documented flourishing Haitian shantytowns in Abaco, New Providence and Grand Bahama. Our resources continue to be stretched to their breaking point, with so many thousands of Haitians looking to defect to the United States.

Obviously the crisis in Haiti is too big for the small Caribbean bloc of nations to solve. First World nations such as the US, Canada, Germany, Great Britain and Australia must step up to the plate.

Meanwhile, I suspect that one of the aims of COI in demonstrating at CARICOM is to embarrass the Davis administration by airing our dirty laundry before its high profile delegates. I cannot think of any other reason.

COI might also be aware of this coming July 4 marking the 40th anniversary of The Bahamas joining CARICOM, which will only make any embarrassing hiccup all the more pronounced.

I cannot imagine the PLP not wanting to address this issue, as the Haitian immigration dilemma has the potential of causing The Bahamas to be subsumed by Haiti within the next two to three generations.

I am also unaware of any other CARICOM member state having to deal with a protest by opposition forces during a meeting. I would hope that, in the event Bain is given the green light to stage his demonstration, his members will conduct themselves in a professional manner.

Embarrassing Davis will not solve an immigration issue that has been plaguing us since the Pindling administration.

KEVIN EVANS

Freeport,

Grand Bahama,

February 9, 2023.