Dear Editor,
We all welcome the move by Prime Minister Andrew Holness to invite Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to quell the tension between the two Caribbean states with their bilateral talks. It is quite obvious from speaking with the man in the street that Jamaicans are dissatisfied with the ongoing diplomatic talks to stop the current impasse between the two Caricom countries.
Many Jamaicans are totally unhappy with the manner in which the Trinidad and Tobago Government has been dealing with the situation. Our people are constantly being harassed by the immigration officers. They have to be mindful of the difference in the few individuals who have been turned back by the Jamaican Government in comparison to 200-odd by Trinidad in a year. This is a joke from any honest standpoint. What would cause the T&T Government to turn back so many of our Jamaican nationals with only flimsy excuses?
Something has to be done, and urgently, by the prime ministers of both Caricom states to change the fate of the Jamaicans going to T&T, even on casual visits. We are tired of the negative light being trained on our Jamaican nationals by Trinidad and Tobago. There seems to be no voice from the other side of the fence defending our rights as a people. The Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas clearly states the people of the region should be able to travel inter-State hassle-free. I beg to differ. This has not been the case.
There is not much unity between the member states of Caricom. It is all a farce. I share the view with many others that we need to leave Caricom.
Paris Taylor
Greater Portmore
paristaylor82@hotmail.com
We all welcome the move by Prime Minister Andrew Holness to invite Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to quell the tension between the two Caribbean states with their bilateral talks. It is quite obvious from speaking with the man in the street that Jamaicans are dissatisfied with the ongoing diplomatic talks to stop the current impasse between the two Caricom countries.
Many Jamaicans are totally unhappy with the manner in which the Trinidad and Tobago Government has been dealing with the situation. Our people are constantly being harassed by the immigration officers. They have to be mindful of the difference in the few individuals who have been turned back by the Jamaican Government in comparison to 200-odd by Trinidad in a year. This is a joke from any honest standpoint. What would cause the T&T Government to turn back so many of our Jamaican nationals with only flimsy excuses?
Something has to be done, and urgently, by the prime ministers of both Caricom states to change the fate of the Jamaicans going to T&T, even on casual visits. We are tired of the negative light being trained on our Jamaican nationals by Trinidad and Tobago. There seems to be no voice from the other side of the fence defending our rights as a people. The Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas clearly states the people of the region should be able to travel inter-State hassle-free. I beg to differ. This has not been the case.
There is not much unity between the member states of Caricom. It is all a farce. I share the view with many others that we need to leave Caricom.
Paris Taylor
Greater Portmore
paristaylor82@hotmail.com