Dear Editor,
This new law that the Dominican Republic is trying to retroactively enforce is proving to be quite interesting. In order to safeguard its citizenry, a new law is being pushed through that will restrict Dominican citizenship to those born in the republic to at least one citizen. Now, while I don't have a problem with the law itself, I must say I do have a problem with how it will be enforced.
Apparently, in an effort to rid itself of "undesirables", the Dominican Republic has decided to enforce the law retroactively, from several decades ago. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I find the principle of retroactive justice completely nonsensical. Yet, I find the howls of protests and condemnations coming from us in Caricom to be very hypocritical, to say the least.
Those foreigners, mostly Haitians, who came to the Dominican Republic decades ago, did so legally. The fact that many of them did not get their citizenship should not be a reason for wanting them out, as some of them were effectively prevented from doing so. In any case, what these Haitians, and others, did so long ago was not a crime. I can understand this law being applied going forward, but not to the past.
Anyway, does all of this sound familiar? Here is why I say that we in Caricom have no moral authority to condemn the Dominican Republic. We are now trying to retroactively seek justice for the so-called crime of slavery from the Europeans. What both the Europeans and the Africans did, centuries ago, was not a crime. Yet, we want to retroactively criminalise the actions of the Europeans and deprive them of the fruits of their hard work.
Clearly, what we are trying to do to the Europeans is exactly the same thing the Dominicans are trying to do to the Haitians. Indeed, it wouldn't surprise me if the Dominican Republic is actually following our example in seeking retroactive justice. I am sure the Dominican Government is amused that the kettle is now calling the burner black!
Of course, I don't think that the retroactive application of this law is right; it clearly will cause more problems than it will solve. However, there is at least one good that will come out of this situation in the Dominican Republic. We now have first-hand experience of how destructive the application of retroactive justice can be right here in our own backyard.
Of all the peoples in the world right now, we in Caricom should keep our mouths shut. Before we demand the Dominican Republic to take the stick out of its eye, maybe we should take the beam out of our own first.
Michael A Dingwall
michael_a_dingwall@hotmail.com
We have no moral authority to condemn Dom Rep
-->
This new law that the Dominican Republic is trying to retroactively enforce is proving to be quite interesting. In order to safeguard its citizenry, a new law is being pushed through that will restrict Dominican citizenship to those born in the republic to at least one citizen. Now, while I don't have a problem with the law itself, I must say I do have a problem with how it will be enforced.
Apparently, in an effort to rid itself of "undesirables", the Dominican Republic has decided to enforce the law retroactively, from several decades ago. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I find the principle of retroactive justice completely nonsensical. Yet, I find the howls of protests and condemnations coming from us in Caricom to be very hypocritical, to say the least.
Those foreigners, mostly Haitians, who came to the Dominican Republic decades ago, did so legally. The fact that many of them did not get their citizenship should not be a reason for wanting them out, as some of them were effectively prevented from doing so. In any case, what these Haitians, and others, did so long ago was not a crime. I can understand this law being applied going forward, but not to the past.
Anyway, does all of this sound familiar? Here is why I say that we in Caricom have no moral authority to condemn the Dominican Republic. We are now trying to retroactively seek justice for the so-called crime of slavery from the Europeans. What both the Europeans and the Africans did, centuries ago, was not a crime. Yet, we want to retroactively criminalise the actions of the Europeans and deprive them of the fruits of their hard work.
Clearly, what we are trying to do to the Europeans is exactly the same thing the Dominicans are trying to do to the Haitians. Indeed, it wouldn't surprise me if the Dominican Republic is actually following our example in seeking retroactive justice. I am sure the Dominican Government is amused that the kettle is now calling the burner black!
Of course, I don't think that the retroactive application of this law is right; it clearly will cause more problems than it will solve. However, there is at least one good that will come out of this situation in the Dominican Republic. We now have first-hand experience of how destructive the application of retroactive justice can be right here in our own backyard.
Of all the peoples in the world right now, we in Caricom should keep our mouths shut. Before we demand the Dominican Republic to take the stick out of its eye, maybe we should take the beam out of our own first.
Michael A Dingwall
michael_a_dingwall@hotmail.com
We have no moral authority to condemn Dom Rep
-->