THE ANTI HAITIAN CAMPAIGN IN THE BAHAMAS

Anti-Haitian propaganda photo circulating on line

The Coalition of Idiots (COI) headed by Lincoln Bain has started something in this country that we consider very dangerous.  There is a fracture line in our politics that divides along who is Haitian and who is not of Haitian descent.  This is a most unfortunate outcome of the decision taken by the Pindling government at independence to make a distinction between those who were born here of Bahamian parents and those not.  Before independence everyone born in The Bahamas was Bahamian.  Now you have to apply at age 18 if your parents were not born in The Bahamas. The result is a pile up of applications of people mainly children of Haitians working in The Bahamas who have no status and feel alienated and discriminated against in many ways in the country. It is breeding resentment and it appears to be seeping into an undercurrent that may lead eventually to political violence in our country.  Lincoln Bain has been pushing this narrative and too many Bahamians are picking up the idea that Haitians are seeking to take over The Bahamas.  Never mind the millions of Americans who come here every year, the thousands who stay here as permanent residents and who Bahamians have no problem with. They are rich and white so no problem. The Haitians are black and poor but they have equally powerful influences because the entire bottom sector of the society, the artisan class is peopled by Haitian labour. If you throw the Haitians out, the economy of the country will collapse.  Yet very day there is the relentless stream of propaganda of lines at Bahamasair and accusations that the national airline, the Foreign Ministry and the Department of Immigration are facilitating the takeover of the country by Haitians. The Haitians who travel on Bahamasair, pay like Americans pay to fly here. They have visas that Americans don’t require.  They have to have a return ticket.  They have money to spend and they go back home. The problem is that the government itself cannot have a rational talk about this without inviting more friction. But facts are facts. Consider this fact: thirty per cent of the electorate is of people of Haitian descent.  We attack these people at our peril if you want to be successful as a political party.