CAYMAN ISLANDS – The outside world has become a complicated place with conflicts, targeted assasinations and renditions of government leaders being the new Caribbean order. In this paradigm, allegiance, nationality of citizens and residents become of paramount concern, somewhat like the new American citizen theory. The USA has always required their President and Vice-President to be a born citizen.
Foreign Citizenship
Crucial and sensitive government posts must be limited to citizens of unquestioned loyalty, perhaps some private sector positions as well, especially in the communications sector.
Recently in Jamaica an aspiring prime minister, born in Jamaica, had to renounce his United Kingdom citizenship by parents, to erase any doubt of his loyalty. Congratulations. Several other members of parliament have had to take the same road.
But foreign citizenship can only be one metric for Caribbean leadership or important government positions. Residence permissions like the so called American Green Card, visas or other foreign government privileges should not only be disclosed, but discarded to avoid any doubt of loyalty in these perilous times.
Caribbean tax havens
Then, there is the no small matter of Caribbean tax havens or other offshore corporate holdings that cast suspicion on the holders and their eligibility to hold high office. In other countries, it is an expedient political trope for former leaders to flee to Dubai and Panama with their assets, some ill gotten, intact.
Caribbean tax havens are beset with problems of unknown loyalty among their government workers and residents, many of whom possess several citizenships or residential permissions for other countries. Convenient.
The wholesale granting of residence and citizenship in these countries that allow multiple positions of patriotism by the grantees may be a commercial expediency, but it can only lead to defective governance and security in times of belligerence by bigger nations. Some born citizens with toes in other ponds are also at risk to their country.
To whom shall I obey?
As colonies, they are not only faced with divided allegiance to the United Kingdom but integral government personnel with split obligations of loyalty. The Cayman Islands government recently confirmed that they do not keep track of the divided citizenship of their employees, especially from nearby besieged Cuba, with a million armed citizens at the ready. An oversight comedy that may end in tragedy.
The Cayman Islands government has 31 American citizens and permanent residents in their employ, as well as 2 Cubans. Some new and born Caymanians have sought and obtained direct British citizenship. Like many Caribbean governments, they do not track risk country citizens or other connections of government employees from Russia, China, Iran and their fellow travellers.
The Premier of the Cayman Islands is like a blind bus driver.
This has nothing to do with solidarity, Cuban medical missions or shortages of workers but simple national security in a time of conflict and divided loyalties.
Jamaica had internment camps during World War 2 to confine foreign citizens in an effort to improve the security of the country. It may not be necessary to go this far, but politicians and key government workers should discard any cloud of suspicion by cancelling other citizenships, residences, foreign privileges and corporate positions in tax havens.
In all of this, can Caribbean governments be only for those with unequivocal loyalty or the anti treason?
As my daughter Vanessa likes to say, pick a side, any side, but be on one team only.
