Letter of the Day | Are we serving foreign interests?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

The shallowness of Jamaica’s democracy is now on full display. Despite widespread public opposition to partnering with the United States to receive third-country nationals—foreign nationals whom the United States seeks to remove but whose home countries are unwilling or unable to accept—the Andrew Holness administration remains determined to proceed.

The United States is geographically larger, economically stronger, and far better equipped to accommodate these individuals. Additionally, many of the people it seeks to remove have established lives there and do not impose an undue burden on the country. Why, then, should they be sent to Jamaica? Our willingness to participate in this arrangement reflects our desperation to appease Washington and greed rather than any firm principle.

For a nation with a sordid history of slavery, to willingly participate in another scheme that treats people as commodities is deeply troubling. While these individuals would not endure the horrors our ancestors suffered, the underlying principle is disturbingly similar: human beings are being traded internationally for financial benefit.

Our treatment of Haitians further exposes the inconsistency of this policy. Haitians have come to Jamaica seeking refuge from the violence and poverty that plague their country, yet we have often hastily returned them without adequately considering whether they qualify for asylum. Jamaica has shown little willingness to extend humanitarian protection, particularly to our Caribbean neighbours. This strongly suggests that financial considerations and alignment with Washington are the primary factors driving this Third Country National Memorandum of Understanding.

Democracy does not end at the ballot box. It requires that governments continue to listen to and be guided by their citizens. This action by the government makes a mockery of Jamaica’s democracy. Yet even as the government chooses to remain deaf to the voices of its citizens, we must continue to declare unequivocally that Jamaica should not become America’s dumping ground for unwanted foreign nationals.

DISAPPOINTED CITIZEN