NEW YORK, Jun 3 2015, CNS – Caribbean nationals living in the United States are calling on regional leaders to stop using them as tokens during elections and as “ATM machines” during disasters.
They are insisting they have a contribution to make to the socio-economic development of the Caribbean and want to be represented at regular meetings of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping.
Irwine Clare, the co-founder and managing director of the Queens-based Caribbean Immigrant Services, Inc., said Caribbean leaders should engage their overseas-based nationals on a more regular basis.
“We are a passionate community and because we do not see our ministers as often as we would like, when they come to these meetings, although it’s under CTO (Caribbean Tourism Organisation) and tourism, be prepared to answer all kinds of questions and these questions don’t necessarily come to you as if they are in church,” he told Caribbean News Service (CNS).
“It’s very aggressive but again it’s because of the passion that we have for our respective nations so those ministers who understand that can handle it and I think that’s where we need to take this.”
Clare voiced his opinion as regional tourism stakeholders gathered here for the annual Caribbean Week geared towards luring visitors to the region.
Bernie Callender-James of Montserrat says it’s time the Diaspora is properly represented at regional meetings.
“When they want that vote, they know where to find us. We go home, we change how the folks live by our votes and we leave. So is that the beginning and the end of our responsibility as a diaspora? We set things in motion for the folks back home to live by and then we don’t hear from you for another four or five years until election again,” she said of the regional leaders.
Over the years, there have been many discussions about the issue of citizens of Caribbean origin who reside overseas having the privilege to exercise their right to return home and vote during election time.
Callender-James said Caribbean politicians have always been able to mobilise their citizens who reside in North America and Europe “when it suits them” but the overseas-based citizens don’t hear from politicians again until another need arises.
“When they need to find us it’s not the media they go to…they find us when they need us, when they want us. It doesn’t matter what their persuasion is in terms of political party, whether you’re the leader or in the leadership, whether you’re the opposition, they find us,” Calendar-James said.
“We are the ATM machines for when we go back home, we support, for that’s what’s expected, so we do what’s expected of us. But we also want some other things from our governments because we do give back.
“We give scholarships to our CARICOM countries’ students whether they’re studying here, whether they’re studying back home. We raise funds, we send back books, and we send back school buses even, fire-fighting uniforms.
“Why do we have to wait until there is an emergency like a hurricane? We see how we can come together during crises but after that what happens? We seem to just go away or until the next time we are needed to come down and cast a vote. It has to be more than that is my point,” she added.
