Dear Editor,
There was recently published a letter to the editor, written by Lipton Matthews, claiming among other things that:
1) Jamaicans are not unaware of the benefits of Caricom;
2) Jamaica has been a devoted member of Caricom, whereas other states have repeatedly breached the treaty;
3) Most Caricom states have not amended their law to allow a wider variety of skilled nationals to work in those countries without a work permit.
I’m not sure what Matthews’ experience is, but those three claims are in some instances incorrect and in others far too broad to be accurate.
A simple random poll of a given set of Jamaicans on the street will likely prove that, in truth, the majority of Jamaicans are not aware of the benefits of Caricom and are likely unaware of what Caricom is about and its limitations. I’ve encountered a number of Jamaicans who are eligible for freedom of movement through a skills certificate but who have never heard of that certificate in the first place and have no clue how to go about getting one.
As for Jamaica having supposedly never breached the Caricom treaty, it was reported in this very newspaper in January 2006 that Guyana claimed that Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Grenada and Jamaica had all breached the common external tariff in relation to rice.
The claim that most other states have not amended their law to cover the wider variety of skilled nationals is incorrect. Antigua, Grenada, Guyana, Barbados, and Trinidad all amended their equivalent skilled nationals Act, over time, and in fact the latest round of expanded qualifications saw Guyana amend their skilled nationals Act in 2011, while Jamaica applied the same amendments in 2013. And in contrast to one Caricom State regularly pilloried in the media, Jamaica does not seem to abide by its own laws on skilled Caricom nationals, since under the Act skilled nationals in possession of a certificate issued by Jamaica should be granted indefinite entry on arrival by immigration officers upon presenation of the certificate for the very first time, but it seems that such persons are only granted six months’ entry and then have to go to the head office in Kingston to be granted indefinite entry.
This myth that Jamaica is always at the forefront of implementation and adherence is simply that — a myth. Jamaica, like any other country, will sometimes lead and sometimes lag and will sometimes end up not adhering to rules it has agreed upon.
While Jamaica is an exceptional place, and we Jamaicans are exceptional people, we must not let that blind us to reality. We must not construct myths concerning ourselves and regional integration.
Richard Francis
r.francis52@hotmail.com
There was recently published a letter to the editor, written by Lipton Matthews, claiming among other things that:
1) Jamaicans are not unaware of the benefits of Caricom;
2) Jamaica has been a devoted member of Caricom, whereas other states have repeatedly breached the treaty;
3) Most Caricom states have not amended their law to allow a wider variety of skilled nationals to work in those countries without a work permit.
I’m not sure what Matthews’ experience is, but those three claims are in some instances incorrect and in others far too broad to be accurate.
A simple random poll of a given set of Jamaicans on the street will likely prove that, in truth, the majority of Jamaicans are not aware of the benefits of Caricom and are likely unaware of what Caricom is about and its limitations. I’ve encountered a number of Jamaicans who are eligible for freedom of movement through a skills certificate but who have never heard of that certificate in the first place and have no clue how to go about getting one.
As for Jamaica having supposedly never breached the Caricom treaty, it was reported in this very newspaper in January 2006 that Guyana claimed that Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Grenada and Jamaica had all breached the common external tariff in relation to rice.
The claim that most other states have not amended their law to cover the wider variety of skilled nationals is incorrect. Antigua, Grenada, Guyana, Barbados, and Trinidad all amended their equivalent skilled nationals Act, over time, and in fact the latest round of expanded qualifications saw Guyana amend their skilled nationals Act in 2011, while Jamaica applied the same amendments in 2013. And in contrast to one Caricom State regularly pilloried in the media, Jamaica does not seem to abide by its own laws on skilled Caricom nationals, since under the Act skilled nationals in possession of a certificate issued by Jamaica should be granted indefinite entry on arrival by immigration officers upon presenation of the certificate for the very first time, but it seems that such persons are only granted six months’ entry and then have to go to the head office in Kingston to be granted indefinite entry.
This myth that Jamaica is always at the forefront of implementation and adherence is simply that — a myth. Jamaica, like any other country, will sometimes lead and sometimes lag and will sometimes end up not adhering to rules it has agreed upon.
While Jamaica is an exceptional place, and we Jamaicans are exceptional people, we must not let that blind us to reality. We must not construct myths concerning ourselves and regional integration.
Richard Francis
r.francis52@hotmail.com