DAVIE – As the economic challenges facing the entire globe continues to impact the Caribbean, a number of responses and reactions might very well be expected. The lay off of some workers has already become a reality, especially in the bauxite and hospitality industries. More might very well be in the works sooner than later.
When layoffs come it is not only seniority that comes into play, nationality and immigration status can easily play a role when there is so much inter-island travel especially in the eastern Caribbean. It therefore means that, as is happening in the case of Barbados and others before it, immigration policy is being articulated and enforced, even with amnesties in place.
The complains that are being raised by the Vincentian prime minister, and the call by the Bahamian prime minister for immigration officers in the chain of islands to treat Jamaican travelers better is a sign of how conditions deteriorated with no one seeking to remedy the situation.
It is truly counter-productive for the region to continue to fool itself about a single market and economy, to include the free movement of even some labor, and at the same time create these barriers to travel and work.
Yet, arguments and threats might not be the solution. The very bright minds that occupy the leadership across the Caribbean need to place local politics in its rightful place and make sensible arrangements to deal with the natural human inclination to migrate from one place to another.
Winston Barnes
Host – “Open Mic” WAVS 1170AM
Voice your opinion on “Open Mic” with Winston Barnes daily on WAVS 1170AM or listen on-line www.wavs1170am.com
