Dear Editor,No man would be well thought of if he seems to take better care of those outside of his home than those in it. Nor would that same man be held in high esteem if he allowed all and sundry to enter his home without properly ascertaining their character and/or motives.
The Bahamas is my home, our home. The people of The Bahamas have repeatedly elected officials and assigned them the task of taking care of our home. Yet strangely, regarding immigration, both governments have failed miserably, in my opinion.
I see no discernible difference between citizens of The Bahamas and immigrants of different classes in The Bahamas. As a sixth generation Bahamian, I have a Bahamian passport. Over the years I have known many who came here illegally who also have Bahamian passports, with names they can barely pronounce. They too have all the rights and privileges afforded them under the laws of The Bahamas. Increasingly, whenever a person expresses displeasure with the increasing numbers of immigrants in this country they are immediately branded as xenophobic, not as concerned, nationalistic or patriotic. Would one apply that same reasoning to a man who will not allow access into his home to everyone who wants it?
No one would deny that there are benefits in having non Bahamians enter the country, work and establish businesses etc. My argument is that immigration policies should be dynamic, constantly changing to reflect what is best for the Bahamian people and the country. Politics and special interest groups should not determine what is best. The average Bahamian is not xenophobic, but simply tired of the obvious abuses that occur in immigration in this country.
At the time of this writing I am under the belief that entering the country illegally is still a crime; working as an illegal in this country is also a crime. Is their pay considered the proceeds of crime? Under normal circumstances, a person caught with the proceeds of crime have those proceeds confiscated and additional penalties imposed upon them. Why does the Bahamian taxpayer have to bear the cost of repatriating illegal immigrants? All of the proceeds acquired by ungainly employment should be confiscated and placed in a specific fund to aid in repatriation.
But what about those who enter legally and take advantage of the system? As far as I am aware we are still allowed to say that we are a sovereign nation. We should get to say who can come, how many come to this country and the conditions under which they can stay. Or am I wrong? When a person, including Bahamians, makes a decision to leave their home it is never because they believe the country of their desires will benefit greatly from their presence, unless they are missionaries. There is always the motive of direct benefit with migration.
Many persons come to The Bahamas to vacation or study and quite naturally and predictably fall in love, marry or have children and stay. These fortunate souls get to retain 100% of their income without having made any contribution to national development, all while competing with Bahamians for jobs. I continue to be surprised at the number of foreign lawyers, accountants, doctors, real estate agents and other professionals in The Bahamas. Why not permit a flat rate income tax on the income of all foreigners, single or married, resident workers etc. with the exception of special groups like teachers? The average Bahamian is being squeezed between wealthy expats on the top who receive enormous capital gains and tax advantages by becoming Bahamian citizens, foreign professionals in the middle and migrants on the bottom. This is having a devastating effect on the Bahamian middle class.
We must consider immigration laws that act as deterrents and deny immigrant lawbreakers, including those who overstay their visits, the right to work, gain residency or citizenship in the future. We ought to consider flat rate income taxes for all foreign workers in this country. There has to be a clear distinction in terms of benefits between Bahamians and non-Bahamians. The social and economic burden of immigrant populations in this country is far too great.
- JB
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