IMMIGRANTS rights advocate Louby Georges.
By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS
Tribune Staff Reporter
lmunnings@tribunemedia.net
IMMIGRANTS rights advocate Louby Georges said displacement and homelessness might rise when the government evicts shanty town residents next week. He said there are unanswered questions about how the demolitions will affect people.
Mr Georges, a protection assistant for the International Organisation for Migration, also insisted he supports eradicating shanty towns despite his concerns.
“I do agree that something needs to be done,” he said yesterday. “People should not be living in those conditions.”
“Informal settlements should not be a norm. It must be dealt with.”
He spoke after Minister of Works and Family Island Affairs Clay Sweeting said 162 structures in the Kool Acres and All Saints Way shanty towns will be demolished starting Monday and that only Bahamians in those communities will get housing assistance.
Mr Sweeting suggested the Department of Immigration would deal with those who lack legal status and that work permit sponsors are legally required to care for those they employ.
Mr Georges said: “What happens to those permit holders whom employers have not secured housing for? We don’t necessarily know the number of persons that fall in that category. Maybe the government knows, but I don’t think we know. No such information has been divulged at this time.
“Whether it be for a prolonged period, or a short period, whether it be for a day, whether it be for a week, you know, there are many questions that are still left unanswered that we are not sure can be answered in five days.
“Who knows, whether it’s one day, it’s a week, it’s a month, it’s a year, there is the scary potential of displacement and homelessness happening, and we’re talking about women, children, girls, elderly.”
He also said it is unclear what will happen to permanent resident holders.
“That’s a different kettle of fish,” he said. “Those individuals fall between the citizens and the permit holders. What happens to them as permanent residents? Is social services beholden to them also? I don’t know the answer to that. Are they subjected to the same rules as work permits? I don’t necessarily think so. Are they subjected to being repatriated? I don’t think the immigration laws would say so because they’re not necessarily in breach of any immigration policies or laws.”
Mr Georges said he is uncertain whether Haitian community leaders will help shanty town residents with living accommodations. Many residents in those communities told The Tribune they are unemployed, temporarily employed and have nowhere to go.
Mr Georges said he does not believe Haitian leaders “have the resources to assist hundreds of persons at this time.”
Comments
stillwaters 6 months, 2 weeks ago
So, he's telling his people that neither he nor the Haitian 'leaders' can help them....It's every man for himself?
ted4bz 6 months, 2 weeks ago
He said he agrees “something should be done”. They could have worked this “something” out themselves. But, everything is the government, the government, the government. The people in government are usually those who come to power with very little knowledge and sobriety in matters, with a lot of voting power to make a greater mess out of all of them. Why leave matters to this bunch when you know everything they do will be botched? There was a lot of warning, and a lot of time to work this out. There is no more time, so prepare for disaster. Disaster which is about to negatively affect most of us, in one way or the other; while a few benefits, of course.
JackArawak 6 months, 2 weeks ago
They won’t be homeless, they’ll just relocate to another shanty town, probably Abaco. The government is simply playing “whack a mole” with this issue
bahamianson 6 months, 2 weeks ago
Listen man, do the crime , you worry about the time. You broke the law , now deal with the. Obsecuente.
Observer 6 months, 2 weeks ago
The government of the Commomwealth of The Bahamas is not 'their' landlord with respect to an 'eviction'. The government sets the hygenic housing standard and regulates same. Law breakers will suffer the consequences. A genuine citizen should obey the law and the rules that govern housing of human beings.
One 6 months, 2 weeks ago
The Government is wasting the people's time and money just to showboat for their public image. Instead of demolishing we should enforce the law. lack of enforcement is how these towns happened in the first place. The government failed to enforce the law for so long that more and more people built these places until they became a village. Demolition is a quick but ineffective fix. Destroying these people's lives will leave them no other choice but to try it again somewhere else.
Now that the government knows where the shanty towns are. Enforce the law with a long-term sustainable solution:
With this, the village is contained and the law is being enforced proactively. The people know that the village will no longer grow and they can't renovate. Now use economic tools to influence them to leave on their own. If they're illegal then process them according to the law or give them a path and timeline to become legal taxpayers.
Enforce property tax collection. Make them pay land rent for occupying land they don't own. If they're illegal and the government doesn't want to deport them then collect an income tax to pay for the public services they are benefitting from. Make it more economical for them to work towards following the law and have them work towards leaving the villages and becoming legal immigrants. Many will leave and some won't. But at least the ones who stay are now paying their way (property rent, taxes etc.)
Seems like the only way the government knows how to enforce the law is to first do nothing and then once someone/people have been so obviously breaking the law that it hurts the government's image they show up with clumsy unsophisticated punishment.
It's like we only know how to govern our people like the previous colonists and slave owners, through fear (beat, hang, throw in dungeons, kill and destroy property). Instead of leading with fear the government should lead by example and with integrity.
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