Last Updated: Friday, November 20, 2009 : 5:31 PM
Home / News _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
News
The breadbasket
Published on: 7/10/2009.
During the past weeks, there has been much public discussion about Barbados' immigration policy for CARICOM nationals.
In May, Prime Minister David Thompson declared an amnesty for CARICOM nationals who had overstayed their time, giving them six months to turn themselves in, with a chance of being regularised.
The discourse however, has been mainly about the high influx of Guyanese into Barbados, their alleged ill-treatment by immigration officials and the strain that these illegals put on the island's resources.
Last Sunday, Part 1 of a series looking at the historical journey of Guyana/Barbados relations was published. Part 2 appeared on Wednesday. Today, we bring Part 3
by CHARLES HARDING
GUYANA, with its vast land resources, has always been regarded as the 'breadbasket' of the wider Caribbean, which has obviously led to waves of West Indians, especially Barbadians, moving to Guyana in search of the proverbial "greener pastures" and improved social and economic opportunities.
It is felt in some places that had British Guiana opted to be part of the ill-fated West Indies Federation of 1958-62, that experiment in Caribbean political unity would have survived its numerous challenges, including freedom of movement, which were blamed for its collapse four years after its inauguration.
Although freedom of movement was enshrined in the Federal Constitution, some West Indian governments were concerned that their islands were too small and ill-equipped to handle influxes of citizens from neighbouring countries.
Political commentators promoted British Guiana, its vast 83 000 square miles (a total land area of 33 000 square miles, including areas of arable land in the coastal belt and vast forest tracks in the central areas) as the ideal location for West Indians' settlement, investment and development.
The point must be made that although Barbadians, searching for economic opportunities outside their homeland, had emigrated to such places as the Dutch islands of Aruba and Curacao, the British and United States Virgin Islands, Antigua, Cuba and Panama, they seemed to have had a strong preference for British Guiana in the post-emancipation years.
Employment
Several were employed at the Canadian-owned Demerara Bauxite Company (DEMBA) at Linden (formerly MacKenzie), some 65 miles from Georgetown, up the Demerara River, and at bauxite mines at Ituni and Kwakwani.
The lowest-paid worker at DEMBA earned $10 an hour in 1960.
The American Manganese Mines at Matthews Ridge in the North West District, which started mining in 1960, was producing about 800 tonnes of manganese (iron ore) concentrate per day and employing no fewer than 100 Barbadians at one time in 1964-65, before it closed operations and the area was transformed into an agricultural community in 1969.
Barbadians also held various positions in the then mainly-owned Bookers sugar industry, working at the more than one dozen sugar mills as electrical and mechanical engineers, machinists, wielders, plumbers.
A Bajan was at the centre of almost every activity associated with the reaping of cane and production of sugar.
They served as deacons and priests at the established Anglican, Catholic and Presbyterian churches and held senior offices with other denominations.
They worked as teachers and administrators at church schools - primary and secondary.
They earned swift promotion in the Police Force, and were known for excellent tutelage as instructors at the Police Training School at Eve Leary, Georgetown.
Apart from Forbes Burnham, whose roots are in Barbados, it is also known that one of his regional ministers, Roy Bancroft, brother of a now retired senior officer in the Police Mounted Branch, was born in Barbados.
Cricketers
The late Sir Clyde Walcott, one of the famous cricketing triumvirate of Walcott, Weekes and Worrell, served Guyana as a cricketing coach, and was partly responsible for the discovery and eminence of West Indies Test cricketers Rohan Kanhai, Basil Butcher and Joe Solomon.
While Barbados was exporting teachers, cricketers, racing cyclists, engineers and labourers to Georgetown, Guyana was despatching to this country, sugar boilers, rice, wallaba wood and coals and in later years educators, health care professionals and shopkeepers.
They included sculptor Karl Broodhagen, who came to Barbados in 1928 and taught art to generations of Combermerians from 1948 until his retirement at the age of 86 in 1998.
Insurance executive Cecil DeCaires, broadcaster Dame Olga Lopes-Seale, Senior Medical Officer, Dr Elizabeth Ferdinand; educator, the late Dr Richard Allsopp, and musician Derry Etkins, are all products of Guyana.
DeCaires, who was in the vanguard of Barbados' campaign for the 2007 Cricket World Cup, emigrated to this country in 1961, earned distinction in the insurance industry and served as chairman of Life of Barbados.
He was awarded Barbados' second highest honour, the Companion of Honour in 1995.
Dame Olga or "Auntie Olga" as she is affectionately known in Guyana and Barbados also holds the Barbados Silver Star and Golden Crown of Merit.
Apart from Broodhagen, DeCaires, Lopes-Seale, Ferdinand, Allsopp and Etkins, Guyanese honoured by the Guyana government in 2002 for outstanding contributions to Barbados were: Nurse Doreen Boyce, hotelier Leena Mansingh, plantation supervisor Karan Persaud, Baker Basdeo Samaroo, lumber executive Rohit Sugrin and community worker Elsie Yong.
Charles Harding, a veteran Caribbean journalist, was born in Barbados of Barbadian and Guyanese parentage. He was a founder member of The Nation Publishing Company Limited.
13 comment found!
History : 7/10/2009
Thanks for the history but how can all of this change what is presently happening in Barbados today. It's true that Guyana was at one time under the British who opened up it's door to immigration and Bajans went there legally. Let's deal with what is happening in Barbados today and the problem is that an influx of Guyanese are entering Barbados illegally and this is putting a strain on the Barbados economy. Therefore something has to be done. I don't understand how people could think that the government should tolerate this kind of intrusion. This spells trouble for Barbados down the road. Barbadians do not dislike the Guyanese people. But reality has to be faced. We cannot let them overrun the island.
The breadbasket : 7/10/2009
How can we compare today's situation with back in the days of Colonial rule? When this country [British Guyana] was flying the Union jack same as we did back then we were all British subjects. Boundaries did not apply. Today everything has changed Guyana seem to think its boundaries extend all the way to Barbados. Not sure where the boundaries are with they next door neighbours, but Barbados there is none we can just ignore any laws and take up residence.
LET'S FACE REALITY : 7/10/2009
reading this article and seeing all the guyanese who have made contributions to Barbados, clearly tells me that we owe Guyana anything. Jus as receptive as they were then, we are now. it is not about any bashing, its about the fact that barbados simply cannot hold the amout of people who want to come on these shores. We cannot accomodate the legal and the illegal. I ask the question, "since the free movement of professionals within caricom, which other country besides Barbados andTrinidad did persons go to? See when you can answer that, then you can se the problem. We need to be realistic here, Jamaica, Guyana And Trinidad are the larger counties in caricom and Barbados sit as one on smaller ones in Caricom. Can you see what is happening here. Remember when these skilled persons coming here they are also coming with family members. There definitely free movement but that movement is towards barbados and we cannot and i repeat that we cannot simply accomodate all these people that want to come here. MR. PRIME MINISTER YOU HAVE MY TOTAL BACKING. YOU ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING SIR. It is not about bashing any one it about real hard fact and and if you check out the consensus on Barbados and all the other countries in caricom you would realise that for square capita Barbados is OVER POPULATED. Before we talk lets get the facts and then blog and yes read the newspaper coming out of Guyana and you would see they never have anything good to say about Barbados.
Enough is enough : 7/10/2009
Barbados simply does not have the absorptive capacity to take on anymore people. The health care, education and other public systems are being heavily taxed and essentially Barbadians will suffer. Too much talk around the issue. The Honorable Prime Minister of Guyana needs to stop the smoke screen and take responsibility for the advancement of his people and his country's economic situation. Some of the governments of the Caribbean have a mendicant disposition and Barbados represents a 'purse' of one kind or another. The Prime Minister of Barbados is supported in his approach to dealing with the immigration policy. Unlawful behaviour can not be entertained and if the leadership of the Caribbean sees a problem with this fundamental issue, we are lost.
Breadbasket : 7/10/2009
I think Bajans should be careful what they wish for, they may get it,they should remember what Bajans faced in the 1960's, I was there for Enoch Powell's "Rivers of Blood" Speech when Bajans were emigrating to England in large numbers to work for London Transport, or is this payback time for what we suffered then.
Barbados-Guyana : 7/10/2009
I am glad that someone, with the knowlegde, has come out and explained the Barbados Guyana connection. We are one family so cut out the Guyanese bashing.
LIFE CYCLE : 7/10/2009
I SINCERELY BELIEVE THAT WITH THE CURRENT WORLD ECONOMIC DOWNTURN AND MUCH WORSE TO COME THAT GUYANA AGAIN SHALL PROVE WORTHWILE FOR THE REST OF THE CARIBBEAN. GUYANA IS GRAPPLING TO RECOVER FROM FORIEGN DEBTS AND THE DRACONIAN IMF, BUT BETTER GOOD DAYS ARE AHEAD. I AM AFRAID THAT MANY CARIBBEAN PEOPLES SHALL HAVE TO EAT THEIR HARSH WORDS ABOUT GUYANA AND GUYANESE IN THE NEAR FUTURE. PLEASE NOTE: ALL CARIBBEAN ISLANDS ARE 1.WATER SCARCE. 2.INCAPABLE OF PRODUCING ALL THE FOOD THEY NEED. 3. ARE POTENTIAL HURRICANE VICTIMS. 4. ARE POTENTIAL PSUNAMI VICTIMS. GUYANA MAY AND DEFINITELY WILL BECOME USEFUL. BE CAREFUL! THE STONE THE BULIDERS REJECTED WILL BECOME THE CHIEF CORNER STONE. MAY GUYANA BECOME INDEED THE BREAD BASKET OF THE CARIBBEAN. JT
Immigration Policy : 7/10/2009
People (Guyanese or other) who overstay there welcome in any country (being their return date) are being extremely disrespectful to the laws of that country. I would never leave my home and hide out in another country illegally. I totally agree with the prime minister of this country, as Barbados does not posses the resources to accommodate all these people in addition to its own. The last government let this problem multiply in the pass years. I agree that every one should be allowed to seek better opportunities but not at the expense of others, and hence all the Prime Minister requested was to regularize their stay. In addition where do the other PMs get off telling us how Barbados should be run?
Immigration Policy : 7/10/2009
People (Guyanese or other) who overstay there welcome in any country (being the departure date) are being extremely disrespectful to the laws of that country. I would never leave my home and hide out in another country illegally. I totally agree with the prime minister of this country, as Barbados does not posses the resources to accommodate all these people in addition to its own. The last government let this problem multiply in the pass years. I agree that every one should be allowed to seek better opportunities but not at the expense of others, and hence all the Prime Minister requested was to regularize their stay. In addition where do the other PMs get off telling us how Barbados should be run?
Bajans Have Reciprocated Guyanese for Past Assistance : 7/10/2009
How can Guyanese go on and on about how they helped Bajans in Guyana decades ago and now Bajans are rejecting them when it is obvious that Bajans have been welcoming and giving opportunities to Guyanese for decades. Bajans don't owe Guyanese anything anymore.
You would never see nothing good on Barbados in Guyana Newspapers : 7/10/2009
Bajans as usual bashing each other to impress others. While over at Stabroek News the Guyanese getting on real disgusting and dirty-minded towards Barbados. Go and see how much of them, even the ones living in Barbados hate Barbados and Bajans. So all this cross-cultural talk and as usual, it is Bajans doing all the giving, everyone else doing the taking and Bajans kissing everyone tail behind it. Respect people, respect humanity, but that has to go both ways. And too often, Bajans getting the worse and being told to take it and like it. What gine on in Bim could never happen in any other CARICOM country, not even Guyana. They would never stand for open, blatant disrespect and lawlessness from a non-national.
The breadbasket : 7/10/2009
Check that out! Then why all the fuss? We are all related...
u see, : 7/10/2009
'you see why u barbadians shouldn't be so hard and racist on the guyanese 'beacuse they came a long way they and the bajans are all mixed up togather from way way back in the days b4 some fo us was even born,'too each other ;the too countrys is a second home for each other,'it's a kind like trinidad & tobago.'or like america & canada ok-we should not try too put down our own carribean people from just next door just ;45-min too 1hr -45min away- would'nt u all like to visit other carribean islands for your vacation,'would u like the the people from other islands stop u from coming to there island for a holiday,'no that would'nt be right,'then u must be dont like to travel,'stupid racist,'all u have to say is that the bim is too small and we don't too be too over'crowed'ed then we would not have too much food to eat- 'cause in the days to come in the future 'remember 'people will be eating people, 'think it over,people,bye 4 now, A Bajan in toronto,
TODAY'S CARTOONS
11/18/2009
Most Emailed Stories
'Young boy' full of love (11/13/2009)Report: Barbados least corrupt in region (11/18/2009)Pop star flies in family (11/13/2009)$600m resort hits snag(11/13/2009)Experts: Don't cut bonuses(11/19/2009)Tortured teen back home(11/15/2009)Angel in The City(11/15/2009)NOT ALL GLOOM(11/17/2009)BBC to launch FM station in Barbados (11/18/2009)
 |