Permit me to submit a brief letter with regards to Barbados.

A question on the state of Barbados

Listening to online radio programmes, reading online journals and keeping in touch with family members are some of the frequent ways that Barbadians overseas keep abreast on what's happening on the island.  What is certainly evident is that there is tension in Barbados between the Government and the population for many reasons.  I offer some suggestions for our readers' thought.

1.  Immigration
Immigration is one of the most debated issues in Barbados at the moment.  It stems from what some Barbadians perceive as a threat to their jobs, security, and state benefits.  It has nothing to do with race or nationality as Barbadians are indeed some of the most hospitable and tolerant people not only in the Caribbean but in the world.  Our economy, high standard of living and good governance can attest to that.  It should be recognised as well, that no single country in the world has been able to successfully curb migration.  In the meantime, they have sought measures to limit the type of people who will pose no threat to their society, and Barbados should not be exempt from this.  There needs to be a fundamental change or discussion on Barbados' immigration, nationality and citizenship laws.  This would allow government to cope with Barbados' increasing population.

2.  Work
The immigration issue should allow the Barbados government to effectively deal with another problem, high unemployment.  From understanding the CSME and its goal, certain categories of people are allowed to move from one island to another in order to find work.  Notwithstanding the CSME and its goals, the Barbados Government should investigate / identify the shortages of workers needed for a particular industry.  They would be able to conclusively say how many Barbadians are unemployed and how many they have paired with perspective employers within whichever industry.  Only then should movement under the CSME should be allowed.  Furthermore, subject to correction, the categories of workers / jobseekers under the CSME should be controlled, or have quotas, for each island.  This would eliminate what other Caribbean islanders may perceive as hostile or racist policies.

3.  CSME
It is not difficult to understand why Barbadians might have disgust, contempt, and certainly fear of the CSME.  For the CSME to be successful, the Barbadian public needs to be in agreement.  And, at this stage, many Barbadians are not for it.  Unlike in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas whose government listened to Bahamians and decided at this stage that the Bahamas is not in favour of certain aspects of the CSME, it can be arguably stated that consultations in Barbados was on the government's terms.  As was the vote on the EU constitution was on the Federal Republic of Germany government's terms as compared with the French Republic whose government gave the vote to the public.  A vote for / against should have been the way to go.  Quite right as was eluded by opposition in Barbados that such a union should not encourage mass migration from any Caribbean country as it will invariably drain their country's economic wealth.  Portugal and Spain should be classic examples on this point on their entry to the EU.  Furthermore, for the CSME to work, all Caribbean countries should be part of the process, from the independent West Indian states, the British, Dutch, French and US Caribbean Dependents / Territories / Departments.  Again, countries such as Iceland and Switzerland are good examples as they are not part of the EU but are part of the EEA.

4.  Cost of living
Probably the most contentious area for Barbadians is proper wages.  Unlike most Caribbean islands, the cost of living in Barbados is relatively high.  However, it is said that Barbadians salaries in Barbados are able to cope with the cost of living.  One would agree that this was the case a few years ago.  But as time went on, the cost of living continued to rise and salaries, although not stagnant, are not able to cope with the high cost of living.  Liberalisation is the way to go.  The question is liberalisation of which industry.  One of the most liberalised countries in the world is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.  From transport, to communication, to import/export, there are many liberalised industries in the UK.  Sooner or later, Barbados will be forced to go this way as world economies demand this and Barbados cannot operate in an isolated arena, as evidenced by the telecommunications / technology sectors on the island.  What's worse is that the private sector is aware of this and the more they resist, the more the Barbadian, their workers, will suffer, so too will their business and indeed the economy will be hurt.

5. Government and Society
Barbados might dubbed as a nation of complainers.  But this must be looked at objectively.  To shape the Barbadian economy & society to what it is today from where it was has been a slow and costly venture and no Barbadian would like to see his country in a state of disrepair.  Fortunately for us islanders, Barbados has had some of the best leaders in the Caribbean.  Again our economy and numerous international bases and resolution of conflicts would attest to this.  And as result, Barbados has not done badly at all since its independence from the UK.  But as Barbados is struggling, slowly towards becoming a developed country within a specific time frame, it is becoming more and more difficult both governments.  Barbadians would be happy if all the industries in Barbados were working, from education, to health, to transport.  Government needs to be more bold, an innovative and thus far, it's been short-coming.  With absolute confidence, should the government accept that challenge, the public would be most supportive in their endeavours and content would return to the hearts of Barbadians.

Bradley Brown
Liverpool, UK