“Anything that impedes the interests of the people of Haiti is of immense concern for the leadership of this region. We are committed as a region to ensuring that the people of Haiti can also realize their full potential… We owe this to the people of Haiti”. Those were the words attributed to the President of Guyana, Dr. Irfaan Ali who is also the current Chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), as he delivered remarks at the opening of the 46th Regular Meeting of the CARICOM Heads of Government.
The President’s statement, however, “reeks of “hypocrisy”, says Guyanese Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Amanza Walton-Desir.
She said that while Ali “waxed lyrical” about the importance of the people of Haiti, his government has not been kind to Haitians in the past.
She said that on June 22, 2021, President Ali, by way executive fiat, revoked the Immigration Order passed in 2019 by then President David Granger and re-imposed a visa requirement on Haitian Nationals.
She noted that President Granger had acted in accordance with the decision of the Heads of Governmnent taken at the 39th CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting in Montego Bay, Jamaica, in July 2018. Those Heads had “recognized that Haitian nationals are entitled to an automatic stay of six months upon arrival in CARICOM member states subject to the rights of CARICOM member states to refuse entry to undesirable persons and to prevent persons from becoming a charge on public funds”.
President Granger in January 2019, had signed an Executive Order allowing Haitian nationals to travel to Guyana without requiring a visa and allowing an automatic six months stay upon arrival in Guyana.
Walton-Desir further noted that President Ali, through his Attorney General Anil Nandlall and his Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn “framed” the issue as one of preventing human trafficking and
smuggling.
“But Guyanese will recall that prior to the order issued by President Ali, 26 Haitian nationals, after being held in State custody in grossly inhumane conditions, were unceremoniously dumped on the streets of Georgetown in the wee hours of the night on December 9, 2020.”
She added that on January 27, 2021, the Chief Justice of Guyana quashed the deportation order secured by the government against those same 26 Haitian nationals. The court found that the Ali government breached the rules of natural justice, as well as constitutional protections enshrined in Article 139, which provides protection of the right to personal liberty, and Article 148, which provides protection of freedom of movement.
Walton-Desir added that it is perhaps the juxtaposition of the treatment of Haitian nationals against the accommodation of Venezuelan (non-CARICOM) nationals that provides “the best evidence of the rank hypocrisy of Ali and his government”.
“It is strange, to say the least, that the Ali administration can readily provide statistical data on Haitian migration patterns but is hard-pressed and delinquent in providing credible information regarding the more than 60,000 Venezuelan migrants who are currently residing here in Guyana, and the thousands more who use Guyana as a jump-off point for onward migration.”
She noted that while the Guyana Government has been most vociferous on the need to be hospitable and accommodating to Venezuelans who are fleeing a profound economic and political crisis in their homeland, the Ali Administration must explain how this is different from what Haitians are facing and fleeing.
Furthermore, she said that President Ali must also explain why his Government has “singled Haitians out for such unfavourable, retrogressive treatment” by revoking the immigration order.
Walton-Desir said that the prevailing situation proves that while there has been important progress in the movement towards regional integration, significant work is still to be done.
“The free movement of Haitians within CARICOM continues to be a challenge. Despite being a full member of CARICOM since 2002 and a signatory to the CSME since 2o06, Haitians still do not qualify for free movement within CARICOM.”
She added, “It remains to be seen whether there will be any positive progress in this direction coming out of the meeting currently underway here in Georgetown”.
As for President Ali, she said that the admonition “dance a yard, before you dance abroad” remains appropriate.
Look at the Haitians: they are useless and criminal.
Why should they be welcomed in Guyana? Because they are black?