Prime Minister of Barbados, David Thompson, has indicated that he is for a policy of 'Barbados first'. - file
Regional immigrants to Barbados are proving to be a burden on the tiny island's social services, according to one diplomat quoted in a local newspaper.
Barbados' ambassador to CARICOM, Denis Kellman, was quoted by the Sunday Sun as saying he believed Barbados has reached maximum capacity because of immigration and that "the free movement of people would always create a problem".
Kellman said any further opening of the floodgates to immigration under the guise of free movement afforded under the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) would lead to the suffering of all concerned.
"A lot of people believe that those countries sending people into Barbados, those countries would gain. But they will not. All you would be doing is sending those people to Barbados to suffer, because we have reached our peak. We have accepted enough people in Barbados as it stands," he said.
Problems
The ambassador said social services were stretched to the limit and queried whether it would make sense for more people to move to Barbados, whose population is about 270,000.
"Right now we have a housing problem. Right now we have a school place problem," he said.
"Right now we have a hospital problem. We have confusion with traffic. The question is whether Barbados would gain."
Kellman also blamed the influx of migrants for denying locals access to many well-paying jobs.
"Our employment statistics used to look so good. The truth is that I am not saying that work wasn't being created. The work was created, but not for Barbadians," he said.
"When you travel across Barbados, you realise that Barbadians are without work. But persons who were not counted in the unemployment statistics were getting the jobs. It's that serious."
Prime Minister David Thompson, who holds responsibility for the CSME in the CARICOM quasi-Cabinet, recently sparked swift reaction from Vincentian Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves when he suggested a policy of 'Barbadians first'. Gonsalves said such comments went against 'the spirit and letter' of CARICOM.
- CMC
