‘Simply not happening’

Jamaica’s push for Britain, its erstwhile centuries-old coloniser, to pay the sum of 10 billion pounds to the country for reparation appears to be a non-starter, at least if the position taken by the top British diplomat here is anything to go by.

Outgoing United Kingdom (UK) High Commissioner Asif Ahmad told The Gleaner in a recent interview that the British institutional system was not actively contemplating making reparation payments to Jamaica.

“It is simply not happening, and I don’t think you will find any gesture from the UK government that comes anywhere close to what this campaign is seeking,” he added.

He cautioned that the approach being taken by those agitating for reparation would not prosper.

“I just think that this is an issue where there are certain political activists who want this to happen. Some people have made it their lifelong ambition, and I respect that,” Ahmad said.

Long-time campaigner for reparation, Clarendon Central Member of Parliament Mike Henry, declared in a Gleaner article published on July 19 that he had only one major goal to achieve before leaving representational politics: securing payback for Jamaicans whose ancestors had been enslaved and humiliated by the British.

The envoy, whose tour of duty in Jamaica ends shortly, said it has been recognised at the highest levels in the UK, from prime ministers dating back to 2007, that there was deep sorrow and regret for what actually transpired.

“There is no way of walking away from this legacy,” he conceded.

Ahmad said that while slavery predated the British experience, with the Spaniards, Arabs, Africans, and Romans involved in the act, he stressed that what happened in the Caribbean was “unforgivable”.

The UK diplomat sought to explain why the current approach to reparatory justice would not work.

“When it comes to this sort of direct request for reparation, government-to-government, the reason why it will not prosper is firstly, who do we pay it to?”

He said that people who were harmed directly were no longer here, citing the UK government’s model of compensation to living victims of the Windrush Generation and their children, which spans a period of less than 80 years.

Slaves in Jamaica were freed in 1834 but were forced into a transitional system called Apprenticeship, which lasted until 1838..

The UK high commissioner also contended that opinion was divided in Jamaica as to whether reparation was a good idea and who its beneficiaries should be.

“The other question is, who is it paid by? My grandfather was jailed by the British for campaigning for independence. My great-aunt committed suicide rather than be captured by the British on a mission. My children are mixed race.

“I have got friends from the Caribbean who are British taxpayers, so who are you going to target to make this payment even if it were to be paid, which I don’t think is the right way?” Ahmad insisted.

The British government compensated West Indian planters for shifting from slave to free labour, allotting £20 million for that purpose. The debt was not completely paid off until 2015.

Henry charged that paying off the owners and making no compensation to slaves who had been dehumanised was unfair. He argued that the slaves were abused by estate owners and that the amount demanded was justifiable.

However, Ahmad told The Gleaner that there were other ways that the UK could help countries like Jamaica that have big development agendas.

“Instead of reparation, it is simply recognising that countries like Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean require that extra assistance,” he said.

Asked if debt forgiveness could be considered as part of a package of reparation, Ahmad said that debt write-offs should be discussed differently.

He said this was raised by Prime Minister Andrew Holness at a recent climate-change conference. Ahmad referenced the commitment by developed countries to raise US $100 billion per annum for climate action in developing countries like Jamaica.

The British diplomat said that his country was willing to fund education needs locally, to finance anti-crime initiatives, and to consider receiving more Jamaican exports, among other things.

“I don’t think it is really an issue where because of the reparation campaign, we would somehow sort of monetise that grief and say, ‘Look, here is the compensation we are paying,’” he said.

According to Ahmad, within the Caribbean, the GDP per capita in some countries with the legacy of slavery was higher than many countries around the world.

In a press statement issued Monday, the CARICOM Reparations Commission reiterated its demand to ex-colonial European states to immediately begin reparations negotiations with the 15-member regional bloc.

“The global movement for reparatory justice is witnessing significant momentum outside of the United States, particularly in Europe, Africa, and the Latin American regions in this International Decade for People of African Descent and the 20th anniversary this year of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action,” the commission said.

edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com