An insightful article by Noelle Nicolls, published in The Tribune, talks abvout the erratic fear, selfish politics and lackluster leadership that contributes to what is referred to in the Bahamas as the “Haitian problem”.
The author says, “One day, hopefully, Bahamians will wake up and realise, as sure as a man cannot cheat death, no number of raids, repatriations or immigration policies will solve the problems we presently have.”
She says that Bahamian politcial leaders know this but choose to use and abuse illegal Hiatians to “stoke fears and hoodwink the masses.”
Although it is not said in the article, one of the best examples of this was Bran McCartney’s showboating style of conducting high-profile raids to make it look as if he were doing a fabulous job as the man in charge of immigration.
Another example is the editor of the PUNCH, who seems to blame our high crime rates on illegal Haitians, when, in reality, nearly all the murders and violent crime in The Bahamas is committed by Bahamians.
Nicolls’ article quotes former CARICOM Ambassador Leonard Archer who says that the Bahamas desperately needs a new approach to the so-called immigration problem and a new vision of Haiti.
“We have been deporting people to Haiti since the 1970s. Has it helped? Has it worked?” Archer asks rhetorically.
Bahamians need to rise above the malcontent, so our people and the entire world knows, Haiti is more and Haiti deserves more.
The article is very good because it does not just point out the problem, it also suggests solutions.
“Short of Haiti being restored as the light of the world, and probably even after, migration will be a Haitian reality, and the Bahamas, less than 200 miles off the coast, will suffer the consequences.
“All is not lost, for there is a solution to the problem. It requires less money, less resources and fewer headaches, but it is infinitely more difficult than anything we have ever tried before.”
