General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), Norris Witter, has stated that his fellow countrymen have been leaving to endure harsh conditions in other territories like Barbados because they see no hope in Guyana.

As undocumented Guyanese nationals ponder an uncertain future in Barbados, Witter issued a call for government to start taking more responsibility for the welfare of citizens.

In addition to those there illegally, Guyanese who have resided in Barbados legally are now being faced with delays in having their work permits renewed and are also filled with uncertainty as to what their fate would be.

Reports out of Barbados have indicated a sense of “quiet anxiety” among the Guyanese population. Last weekend President Bharrat Jagdeo raised the matter of the treatment of CARICOM nationals by Barbados in particular at a special CARICOM meeting called to address the financial crisis. Jagdeo last week said he would attend the meeting especially since he felt that the rights of his people need to be protected.

This came in the wake of the May 5 announcement by Barbados’ Prime Minister David Thompson that his Cabinet intended to clamp down on undocumented CARICOM nationals.

At a Press conference on Monday, Witter told reporters that he understood that the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) was still a work in progress and the realisation of many of its ideals would take some time.

Touching directly on the predicament of Guyanese who have settled illegally in not only Barbados, Witter said this was the position since Guyana had reached a state of hopelessness. “People are leaving and enduring a lot of things because they see no hope of a good future in Guyana,” he said. He emphasised too that with the economic situation the world over, many countries will begin to follow the pattern Barbados has started and so Guyana would begin to receive an influx very shortly.

Against this background, he urged that it was time for government to stop “the blame game. It is time that the government of this country starts taking responsibility for the welfare of its citizens. Stop blaming the United States and every other country”.

Meanwhile, Witter said the people of Guyana also had a role to play in ensuring that the government addresses their welfare. “And if the government don’t see to it that it is addressed then you need to take the necessary action to ensure this is done,” he urged.

Via Starbroek News, Guyana —
Photo is an unstaged scene in an area of Bartica, Guyana.

Antillean · Bridgetown, Barbados

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