Journalist Peter Wickham and Barbados Underground Duke It Out Over Immigration
For a guy who relied upon Barbados Free Press and Barbados Underground to publish his stories when the news media censored him during the election, Peter Wickham seems to have a short memory. Once again Wickham’s Nation News article alludes to the blogs but doesn’t mention them by name.
Ho hum… That’s OK Peter. We’ll still be here and willing to publish you the next time The Nation News censors your work…
… because we blogs are committed to freedom, not expediency.
Barbados Underground: Peter Wickham Says It’s All About Racism & Xenophobia
29 Comments
February 21, 2008 at 4:05 pm
I don’t think it is necessarily racism to be concerned about uncontrolled immigration on an island the size of Barbados.
February 21, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Barbadian apprehension of an influx of outsiders is quite natural and well justified. We are a small island with limited space and resources.
Every newcomer, whether they be white Brits buying a villa in Westmoreland, or a gardener from St Lucia, puts more pressure on the nearly 300,000 of us looking for a modest piece of the Rock for ourselves.
Xenophobia is not necessarily racial. There is as much of a threat to our overcrowding from small island blacks as there is from the Indo-Guyanese who come here as artisans in our building boom.
I have long thought that Owen Arthur took over the chairmanship of CSME so that he could control it and put the breaks on it. Limiting immigration to Barbados to professionals and graduates of UWI (not even Caribbean grads from Yale or Oxford are included in this option), and subsequently to skilled tradesmen was grudgingly and cheeseparingly permitted. Even those in media such as journalists have had their work permits revoked if they offended those in power.
There is a case that allowing wealthy retirees, more often than not white, here to spend a fortune on a fancy villa, employ maids, gardeners, lawyers, etc. is helpful to our economy for the very limited time that they reside here. They come in the twilight of their life and in 15 years will have their ashes shipped back to Birmingham or wherever. They will have no children here, and no lasting drain on our island.
This is different from immigrants from other parts of the Caribbean. They come here to stay, have children here, and bring in other members of their family as soon as they can. That is a permanent, and increasing burden on our resources.
The crime that the Indo-Guyanese are reputed to bring with them is a legitimate concern. It is deemed “racial” because they are not of African descent, but if it were African-Guyanese (of which there is half the population of Guyana) who were coming here as labourers, and turned to crime as an easier way of making money, we would feel just as hostile towards them. But then it could not be called “racialism” but Xenophobia, a term which refers to ANY outsider.
Whether or not the CSME has any prospects of being as great as self-serving politicians promise has yet to be proved to the people of Barbados. Being the best run,m if not the most prosperous, CSME member, we have much more to lose than to gain. Can we, and should we, encourage our leaders to go very slowly on the influx of outsiders until we can establish their presence her with a minimum of harmful side effects.
February 21, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Peter Wickham relies heavily on work in the region to make ends meet. Obviously his reason in supporting emigration to Barbados.
However, we cannot compare emigration to England, the USA and Canada by Barbadians. These are 1st world industrial, G7 countries with mass technology bases.
Barbados does not have the resources to “play nanny” to other countries.
One bad year in Tourism and we’re doomed.
IN ADDITION, WE MAY HAVE TO PAY HEAVILY FOR THE MASS CAPITAL FLIGHT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS OPEN ENDED EMIGRATION TO OUR SHORES.
February 21, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Verdict: Reasonable.
Regardless of race, Barbados is a very small island.
We already have Overpopulation Pressure manifestations showing themselves.
We don’t need more people
or more such pressures.
February 21, 2008 at 8:30 pm
deb thomas,
..small island blacks???
who exactly are they..i never knew barbados as a prime destination for OECS countries but I may be wrong.
FYI Besides the BVIs and other British dependencies St.Kitts, Nevis and Grenada are the only islands ’smaller’ than Barbados so I have no idea what you’re talking about.
as for your comment…
This is different from immigrants from other parts of the Caribbean. They come here to stay, have children here, and bring in other members of their family as soon as they can. That is a permanent, and increasing burden on our resources….
i have one word for you..
Rihanna
France (or any other country in the world) would be elated to have her if that what you think of immigrants’ children.
February 21, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Jodiperry- I am sorry if you are unfamilar with the term Small Islanders. It includes not only the geographically smaller islands you mentioned, but also St Vincent, St Lucia and Dominica- all the anglophone islands which are “smaller” than Barbados and Trinidad in terms of economic development and opportunity.
So far as Rihanna is concerned, do I understand you to imply that just because one child of an immigrant family to our shores is highly talented and brings credit to us, that we should have an open-door policy to all on the offchance there might be the odd artistic prodigy among them?
If so, that strikes me as being unjustifiably generous at the expense of all Barbadians.
February 22, 2008 at 12:47 am
I do know that ’small islands’ is the condescending name given to the OECS islands by Bajans. I ‘ve heard it many times in reference WI cricketers like Richards, Richardson, Roberts, Ambrose etc. We all know what happened to the team once they left.
However the Bajan insularity and self importance seems to be still alive and kicking.
Are you confusing economic development and opportunity with economy size ?
St. Kitts economy’s GDP growth rate is 6%, pa Antigua’s 4% the same as Barbados. Their economies are smaller yes, but economic development and opportunity are on par with Barbados. And yes both countries are bursting at the seams with Guyanese, Jamaicans and DR immigrants. Some 21,000 in Antigua alone. There’s nothing special about Barbados in this regard. A little vision and planning can go a long way. The isle of manhatten is 22 square miles and holds a population almost 2 million.
I was comparing the contribution of the unwelcomed Guyanese child to Bdos compared to that of the welcomed wealthy white retirees. Priceless.
February 22, 2008 at 5:58 am
deb thomas says:
“Jodiperry- I am sorry if you are unfamilar with the term Small Islanders”
Well deb, I am sorry if you’re unfamiliar with the term “get your facts straight before you open your mouth”.
Because you really ought to know that Rihanna is not the “child of an immigrant family” (as you so charmlessly put it). She was born in Barbados, her dad’s Bajan, her mum is of Guyanese descent.
In any case, I think your analysis of the socio-economic impact of immigration in Bim is flawed and unpersuasive, which in turn means I find (to my dismay) that I’m agreeing with the Gauloise-smoking Sartre-reading Jodiperry on this issue…
February 22, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Jodiperry how old are you and where do you reside? Barbados always a prime attraction for St.Lucians, Vincentians, Dominicans. As a boy I recall lot of these “foreigners” selling fruits and merging into the community. There was a place called Castries because so many St. Lucians lived there.
What Richards, Roberts, Ambrose what! West Indies cricket became world class not only because of them. Bajan cricketers of fifties, sixties and the same era as Richards played much much bigger roles than those three. Small islanders began representing WI after Worrell called for their inclusion. You are distorting the facts.
February 22, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Samizat
You are not agreeing with me but with logic.
I’m more Camus than Satre. I am as Caribbean or even more than you are.
Special One,
Those countries you mentioned are bigger than Barbados. I wont call them small islands if I were you or Deb for that matter.
I was referring to the demise of WI cricket ‘after’ the small islanders left the team not their contribution vis a vis the Bajan cricketers.
‘Small islanders began representing WI after Worrell called for their inclusion’
Players should be picked on merit and not on ‘calls for inclusion’.
Have you any idea what the first WI player to score a century against South Africa (bear in mind he is a wicket keeper) and holds the record for the most dismissals in a match was doing in Antigua for a living while the Bajans cricket elite fostered the embarassment Coutney Brown on us?
Do you know Coutney Brown has more dropped catches in one Test match than this player in his entire Test/One day career?
Bajans should accept their complicity and responsiblity for the demise of WI cricket just as you are taking credit for their glorious past.
We dont have to look much further than the world cup finals to understand where I’m coming from.
February 22, 2008 at 9:45 pm
You Guys are wasting your efforts on trivia.. Small Island, Big Island.. trivial. just understand the intended meaning and not the word Exact. Frankly it’s boreing to read.
As I see it, The Black Guyaneese are not as easily noticable unless you hear them speak whereas the Indian Guyanese are immediately noticible. The White Guyanese? No one really speaks of them.
Race in Not the Problem in Barbados and we should NOT make it an issue. Our Real problems with so many foreigners working in Barbados is as I see is as follows:
> 1)- They have forced the Housing RENT for our own nationals, especially the lower income earners, to Increase by several Muliples.
> 2)-Have caused a STRESS on our Foreign Reserves as those foreign workers scrounge around to Buy-Up U.S. Dollar$ to send back home to their families.
> 3)- Have caused LAND price Increases beyond the reach of the majoriety of our citizens and though many will say that it is we Bajans that are selling the land (which is true) How do you refuse 10 million dollars for an Old board house on 30 thousand sq.ft. Land and what hapens to the price of the house opposite & next door?
>4)- As the BLP continued to develop projects over the past 10 years spending away like mad (T’dad style) and in the process compeeting with the Private sector’s demand for Construction workers .. it became inevitable that Foreign workers would be required. With Employment at FULL speed ahead in the Private sector, My opinion is that Government should have HELD-BACK on it’s projects for the slower times and sit back to enjoy the Tax revenue. But NO… They too had to go full speed ahead. Gov’t. should have ONLY Facilitated with Roads, Gas etc…. Infrastructure Only.
>5)- CSME- a wonderful dream. Many have said it before me but so far it is only OUR Dream.
>6)- The Guyanese (Indians, Blacks & Whites), The Chineese, The Europeans, Asians, South Americans, and other Caribbean Nations. The Muslims, Christians, Jews, are all entitled to migrate to any country (B’dos included) providing the country Can and/or are willing to Have them as residents or citizens. We have an immigration department to deal with this.
there is more but this is enough for now.
February 22, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Bob,
‘Small Island, Big Island.. trivial. just understand the intended meaning and not the word Exact. Frankly it’s boreing to read.’
Since BFP and their readers only engage bloggers on the trite and trivial I must ask what exactly is the intended meaning ?
Do Bajans suffer from Napoleon complex on a national level?
February 22, 2008 at 11:06 pm
Jodiperry are you a clown. I suggest you are not from Barbados. Thats not a problem but your puerile bias is showing. You blame Barbados and Courtney Browne for demise of West Indies cricket but poignantly avoid Barbados massive and inestimatable contibution to West Indies rise to world supremacy. Discerning Bajans are all too familiar with your kind.
February 22, 2008 at 11:51 pm
jodiperry..
“Suffer from a Napoleon Complex”… no not really. We do however as Bajans feel that we have done relatively well over the years especially compared some of the other islands. After all, our island has been one of the most developed countries in the world for a very long time and this is so because we are mostly flat lands that were easy take under controll & development. The infrastructure, our road networks, numerous Plantations, Agriculturally well developed lands in Cane & other crops and for many decades. Our Education Systems, Electricity Supply Island wide, our Sea Port & Air-port facilities, our Parliment, the Treaty of Oistains .. and on & on… We have done very well for ourselves over the decades and we are VERY PROUD of our achievements. We regard ourselves as being “out side of the Third world realm”.
The term “Small Islanders” has been around much longer that I have been and while growing up in this island it was everyday talk, it was how certain people from some of the other islands were refered to. I am sorry that it may be offensive to you however the original user in his contribution intended you no disrespect. If I understand him / her well enough the Small Islands that he/she refered to would include Dominica, St. Vincent, Grenada, St. Lucia maybe more.. but these islands in the 40’s, 50’s & 60’s exported much fruit & vegetables that arrived at the warff in bridgetown in small vessels … no real reason. There was no offence intended and Today so many things have changed and much of our words/ expressions still remain the same. So please don’t take it to heart.
February 23, 2008 at 5:43 am
all what you all are saying look at trinidad and guyana they had black populations from the time the indians came they start breeding faster than any body else and if we dont keep them outnow in 25 years we would see what barbados look like and there are very clanish and stick to gether and barbados is a small place so close the door before the horse get out now send them back
February 23, 2008 at 9:04 am
Above poster ”The isle of manhatten is 22 square miles and holds a population almost 2 million”
Let us hope and plan that we never reach that state.
February 23, 2008 at 11:34 am
Special one,
I reiterate.
‘Bajans should accept their complicity and responsiblity for the demise of WI cricket just as you are taking credit for their glorious past.’
In no way that sentence denies Barbados’ inestimable contribution to WI cricket. As a matter of fact I personally believe WI has never recovered from the loss of the Haynes/ Greenidge combo which knows no equal in test cricket.
However the fact remains that there are powerful elements in in Barbados cricket who are not accountable to anyone but themselves who manipulate and play politics with WI cricket to its detriment.
For instance, in the past one only has to listen to Tony Coziers comments or read his articles to ‘predict’ which player/s will be included/excluded from the WI team.
Has anyone lost their jobs/posts for that World Cup finals fiasco?
Was there a post mortem done to determine why the fans stayed away fromt the stadiums in droves?
Whose brilliant idea was it to impose visa restrictions on half the prospective world cup visitors (6 months before the fact) without having adequate facilities for the visas to be issued?
Discerning ’small islanders’ know too well that all these decisions were made in Barbados, by the Bajan political and cricket savants who never have or will be held accountable for their actions (or lack thereof).
February 23, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Bob,
“Suffer from a Napoleon Complex”… no not really. We do however as Bajans feel that we have done relatively well over the years especially compared some of the other islands”
Barbados has done well compared to ALL the other islands making exceptions for St. Kitts and the Bahamas.
“We regard ourselves as being “out side of the Third world realm”
That should read “outside the so called Third World realm”. When you allow others to define you, you are partly conceding your destiny to them.
You forgot to list Rihanna in BIMs lists of accomplishments. But then you’d have to live in France to appreciate that.
I have no problem with the term small island/ers, just the short sighted ‘can anything good come out of Nazareth’ attitude that comes with it.
We see where it took WI cricket. Lets not take the rest of the region down that road.
February 23, 2008 at 1:30 pm
jodiperry..
I did not forget Rihanna, nor did I forget Sir Garfield Sobers or Prime Minister Errol W. Barrow and though I am proud of all of them and their individual accomplishments, it was individual accomplishments after all and they did make all of Barbados proud too as was the Merry Men and so on and on goes the list, but our topic was the use of the term “Small Islanders” . Please stay on course.
friends of the d.l.p ny…
your comments ar not very friendly, nor do they reflect the thinking of the DLP’s principals. Remmember after all, these Islands were not inhabited by blacks, whites or indians (from India) but they were confiscated from the native Caribs & Arawacks.
February 24, 2008 at 12:38 am
jodiperry,
let’s say Bim is complicit in the demise of wi cricket. let’s say we are xenophobic, and let’s say we use the phrase ’small islanders’ perjoratively. will you (if you are there
) and all the illegals please leave barbados immediately
February 24, 2008 at 12:54 pm
The question is not the origin of persons who immigrate into Barbados, or indeed whether any should be allowed to immigrate at all.
The question is how Barbados authorities, acting on behalf of the people of Barbados, let us not forget that, restrict and prevent criminal elements and those who have a negative impact on our society from immigration.
Any immigrant, much as is stipulated by North America, the society that we are so fast to emulate, must show evidence of the ability to give decent contribution to this society, prior to the permission to enter and stay.
By this, we would follow ‘international standards’ and at the same time restrict those who willfully or by chance inflict harm on our society.
Peace.
February 26, 2008 at 2:10 pm
how did cricket get into the disscuion about immagation in barbados, the little island is over crowed with to much people,every soon that island would sink back into the sea, no one said their could not ,visit but not to live the island is just to small for bajans,and everybody else
February 26, 2008 at 3:47 pm
“Bajans, foreigners, and the paper bag test”
Jodiperry,
How did cricket get into this?…Some Bajans do believe that Guyana, T&T, Jamaica, St Vincent and Dominica make up the entire Caribbean, so of course everybody in the WI is dying to get to St. Lucy. The fact that we have no immigrants from the BVI, USVI, Antigua, St Kitts, Anguilla, or Montserrat et al is but a minor inconvenience (never let the facts get in the way of a good story). You’re dead wrong on Antigua. Antigua has too many uneducated foreigners, and ethnic clashes are inevitable. The last thing Bim needs to do is import a foreign underclass. Bim also faces a problem with the Anglo Saxons who are the largest immigrant group, and they are not mostly retirees. They are actually taking high wage jobs away from Bajans, but you’re right that appears to be their divine right. As for Rhianna and our current PM, Bajans are very selective when it comes to conferring honorary citizenship; you have to pass the brown paper bag test. When my grandfather’s family returned to Bim from Panama almost a hundred years ago, they faced the same hostility because they didn’t pass the brown paper bag test. As for the “small island” thing, if you suffer from an inferiority complex, that’s not my problem, “get over it”. If islands overrun with crime and underdevelopment, are free to strut around in their unmerited “self importance”, why shouldn’t Bajans who have more reasons than most?
February 26, 2008 at 9:03 pm
samizdat-
I stand corrected as to Rihanna’s parentage, for which I apologise. I carelessly thought “jodiperry” knew what she was talking about when she referred to her as “a child of immigrants” on Feb 21.
But I think the point remains valid that we cannot allow all and sundry to our shores from the Small Islands on the off chance one or two of their offspring may turn out to have supreme talent.
February 27, 2008 at 2:22 am
Ahhh boy, it was only a matter of time before this subject came up on BFP, and it is a very touchy subject. Barbadians are a very proud people and over the years many of us have worked hard towards ensuring a good future for our children and our families and the future development of Barbados as a whole. We know that our brothers and sisters in other islands look at us and say, “you guys are lucky” or “I would like to live in Barbdos.” (I was even told once by a Guyanese national that his daughter asked him to bring back some of the blue water from the ocean and pink beach sand in a bottle. She was 8 at the time.) Don’t get me wrong we undesratnd the draw that Barbados has.
I have the pleasure of travelling from time to time to some of the countries in the Caribbean and rarely do you see Bajans working in agriculture, fishing or construction. ( I must point out that there is nothing wrong with the abovementioned professions, the first two especially are quite honourable as they feed us all)We have an educated workforce (even though recent events with RS and SL make me wonder) and most Bajans who live outside of Bim but within the Caribbean will be working in tourism, banking, accounting etc. Basically this means that our people are not a drain on the economy of the country in which they work and reside because they will have disposable income and will certainly dispose of some at the supermarkets, restaurants etc. They will be legal residents in that country and will have to pay any applicable taxes.
In Barbados we have the Guyanese (and apparently now Africans too), many many of whom are ILLEGAL. They get set up at an address, work for a couple of years, send money for wife or girl and child, get them to Bim, then change address, just in case immigration come knocking and fade into the woodwork. It is estimated that we have 30,000 Guyanese nationals in Barbados (I think it may be closer to 50,000) obviously if the powers that be do not make provision for these additional persons money allocated for health care, potable water, transportation etc may not be enough. Immigration authorities need to come up with a (real) policy to deal with illegal aliens and control the amount that try to enter the country.
It is easy to say open your arms and accept your CARICOM brothers and sisters who have a difficult life in their home country but as pointed out by a blogger above, Barbados is one of the smaller (in sq miles) countries in the Caribbean. We have to draw the line sometime and I believe that time has come.
If we try to please everyone, we will end up pleasing no-one, least of all ourselves.
March 3, 2008 at 11:30 am
Can someone tell share which of the caribbean islands is the top/most sought after permanent residence for:
1) British Citizens
2) Caribbean Professionals
3) US Citizens
or if you could direct me to formal sights where I can obtain this info
Im doing a very wide research for a UWI paper, it would be nice to include the ‘bloggers view point’ – some of the discussion above has been substantive.
March 3, 2008 at 11:40 am
Larro, you’ll probably get a lot of different answers, but here are my suggestions:
1) British Virgin Islands (BVI) and/or Barbados
2) Barbados
3) US Virgin Islands (USVI) and Puerto Rico
December 18, 2008 at 5:21 am
BARBADOS IS NOT BIGGER THAN ST.LUCIA. I LIVE IN CANADA AND MOST BAJANS ARE UNDER-EDUCATED. THERE ARE LOTS OF BAJANS IN ST.LUCIA. MOST OF THE TIME WHEN AN ISLANDER IS DEPORTED FROM THE US OR CANADA, THEIR LAST LANDING BEFORE THEIR HOME TOWN WOULD BARBADOS AND SOME OF THEM DON’T GO BACK BECAUSE THEY ARE ASUME TO FACE THE REALITY.
December 18, 2008 at 7:36 am
Lisa
DONT SHOUT
It is poor manners on the net.
It also makes your comment difficult to read so nobody bothers.