Bahamian Prime Minister?
Are Bahamians ready for a HaitianBahamian Prime Minister? I am a Bahamian, a proud and strong Bahamian woman born to two Bahamian parents. As a Bahamian I am territorial when it comes to my country, as I only want the best. I am critical of all that does not seem to mean ‘our country’ well. When I thought about this question, I thought about all that is good in The Bahamas and I thought about all that is appalling. However, as a Bahamian who only wants the best for my country, I personally welcome any candidate that can take us from where we are and continuously move us forward to a better Bahamas. Change can come in many different races, nationalities, creed or gender; it is only until we accept who we are that we can accept others. With that being said, The Bahamas is a country of immigrants and we are all to blame for this. The Haitian-Bahamian problem, or lack of a sensible solution, has been one that has been impacting our progression as ‘Bahamians’ from the 18th century because we seem to blame all that is wrong on them rather than assuming blame. It is a poignant issue, as Bahamians, like myself, are very protective people that are simply fed up with the apparent disrespect of the Bahamian laws by illegal immigrants, mostly Haitians. Because of this issue we tend to take out our frustrations on all Haitians, making it a very uncomfortable situation for Haitians to live in. However, we as Bahamians need to realize that not all Haitian’s are alike, i.e., came here illegally, or do not see ‘our’ country through the same prism. Some in fact love the Bahamas more than they love Haiti, and the Bahamas is the only home they know, but Bahamians have not been the easiest to deal with. Our anger is not only misdirected but erroneous, instead of being irate at persons trying to build themselves a better life; we should instead be mad at every government that came to power and has failed to regulate immigration laws. We should more importantly be upset with ourselves for not demanding more. In 2012, it is safe to say that we do not have a substantial immigration policy to halt the influx of illegal immigrants and it is because of this we are either close to being or outnumbered by undocumented immigrants. A small poll which was conducted online asked Bahamians whether or not they were ready for a Haitian Bahamian Prime Minister. This poll proved that Bahamians are still very much afraid of Haitians “taking over” their country. One person who identified themselves as a Haitian-Bahamian went into detail about being a victim of ‘black on black’ racism and being on the receiving end of hate just because her parents were from Haiti.
Ironically enough a study conducted in 2004 by the International Organization of Migration, in conjunction with researchers from the College of Bahamas, identified that at that time the current estimated size of the Haitian-Bahamian population stood between 80,000 to 400,00 which is more than the entire ‘official’ Bahamian population. This study was done exactly eight years ago, which means that the number has possibly tripled by then; our very fears have come true. Now what? The question remains, “Are we as Bahamians ready for a Haitian Bahamian Prime Minister?” Sadly, the majority of ‘Bahamians’ are not. In this society where anger and some suspicion separate different nationalities from living together as one, it is simply inconceivable at this juncture to believe that any Bahamian will willfully vote for someone who is a known Haitian-Bahamian. Another poll was conducted, asking Haitian-Bahamians if they felt that Bahamians were ready to accept them as more than immigrants, which validated what Bahamians felt, which is that tensions are simply too high. That candidate would need to prove that first and foremost that his allegiance is unequivocally to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and that he has absolutely no interest in allowing the further blatant disregard for The Bahamas’ immigration laws. Martin Luther King once said, “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” In The Bahamas, we do have an immigration problem but we have also been victims of successive governments who failed to properly protect our interests and resolutely address this potentially explosive situation. We cannot be angry at persons that are simply seeking a better way of life for themselves; we must take the blame and hang our heads in shame. If a candidate presents himself as the right person for the job, to lead the Bahamas out of the state it is currently in into a more progressive state, his parentage should not be a cause of concern to us and we should welcome him with open arms. Although, change is inevitable this is a change that I believe we, as Bahamians, are simply not ready for at this time.
Ironically enough a study conducted in 2004 by the International Organization of Migration, in conjunction with researchers from the College of Bahamas, identified that at that time the current estimated size of the Haitian-Bahamian population stood between 80,000 to 400,00 which is more than the entire ‘official’ Bahamian population. This study was done exactly eight years ago, which means that the number has possibly tripled by then; our very fears have come true. Now what? The question remains, “Are we as Bahamians ready for a Haitian Bahamian Prime Minister?” Sadly, the majority of ‘Bahamians’ are not. In this society where anger and some suspicion separate different nationalities from living together as one, it is simply inconceivable at this juncture to believe that any Bahamian will willfully vote for someone who is a known Haitian-Bahamian. Another poll was conducted, asking Haitian-Bahamians if they felt that Bahamians were ready to accept them as more than immigrants, which validated what Bahamians felt, which is that tensions are simply too high. That candidate would need to prove that first and foremost that his allegiance is unequivocally to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and that he has absolutely no interest in allowing the further blatant disregard for The Bahamas’ immigration laws. Martin Luther King once said, “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” In The Bahamas, we do have an immigration problem but we have also been victims of successive governments who failed to properly protect our interests and resolutely address this potentially explosive situation. We cannot be angry at persons that are simply seeking a better way of life for themselves; we must take the blame and hang our heads in shame. If a candidate presents himself as the right person for the job, to lead the Bahamas out of the state it is currently in into a more progressive state, his parentage should not be a cause of concern to us and we should welcome him with open arms. Although, change is inevitable this is a change that I believe we, as Bahamians, are simply not ready for at this time.
