Ross Sheil, Staff ReporterFollowing last year's inaugural diaspora con
ference held in Kingston, delegates from the United Kingdom, United States and Canada say they are putting in place a structure for a successful international Jamaican lobby network.
Members of the elected seven-member advisory board say the lobby could eventually harness the influence of millions of Jamaicans living overseas, and champion the rights, concerns and image of the country on global frontiers.
Speaking at their meeting held yesterday at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, St. Andrew, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Senator Delano Franklyn, to whom the board reports, said it would be some years before Jamaica's diaspora would
match the power of established diaspora bodies, such as the Jewish or the Irish foreign-based groups.
350 years to build
A Jewish representative attending last year's conference Senator Franklyn said, advised him that their lobby took 350 years to build. Estimates consistently agree that there are more Jamaicans living overseas than locally.
"The Jamaica diaspora U.K. seeks to promote and protect the interest of Jamaica and Jamaicans, and to contribute to the country's development," said U.K. board member Paulette Simpson who works as the chief U.K. representative of the Jamaica National Building Society. There was considerable power, she stressed, that could be brought to bear in Jamaica's interests, with Jamaica's current sugar dispute with the European Union being the most
immediate.
"Jamaicans in the U.K. are voters. Before the general election, we wrote to members of parliament and for many, this was the first time they had noticed letters from Jamaicans. It will make a difference, it might not necessarily change things, but it will make a difference." The U.K. diaspora would continue to lobby over sugar, she stressed: "We have to say: we let visas go, we let bananas, go but will not let this go."
Immigration was a key concern among board members. Dahlia Walker-Huntingdon, a lawyer and member of the Southern United States diaspora said deportation was a specific concern they were addressing with the Jamaican government: "Not every deportee is a criminal ... You can be deported under the 'reason to believe' rule under U.S. immigration law." Having your name mentioned at a trial can be sufficient grounds for deportation she claimed.
Meanwhile, in the U.K., immigration is a topical issue. "There is a two-pronged approach," said Mrs. Simpson "... They are looking to reduce the number (of immigrants) coming in and the ones that ought not to be there. They are looking at ways to remove them. The process
of removal has increased
somewhat."
Crime overplayed
Crime, all members argued, was being overplayed by the Jamaican media and leading to a negative image of the country abroad. "The two highest-
ranking officers of colour in Canada are Jamaican," said Mr. Philip Mascoll, president of the Jamaican Diaspora Canada Foundation.
"There was a great deal of expertise that could be gleaned from officers from the diaspora."
The advisory board agreed that members could assist Jamaica further if more overseas resources could be brought to bear in Jamaica.
The group said that while Jamaica has been making it easy for foreigners to invest locally, it is quite the reverse for Jamaicans seeking to do business in countries overseas.
All present stressed the necessity of organising the foundation of a strongly-networked lobby, which is the primary mandate of their elected first-year term in office.
The country groups say they are working closely with their local Jamaican diplomatic
missions to ensure a coordinated approach.
"Many people have been taken aback by the level of organisation that we have achieved so far," said Sharon Ffolkes Abrahams of the Canadian Diaspora.
The U.K., said Mrs. Simpson, had been split into six regional areas "to ensure that Jamaicans all over the U.K. heard about the diaspora and are engaged."
Interest groups, she said, were split into six areas: health and social welfare; education,
culture, arts and sport; church and faith groups; business and economics; legal affairs and politics; and media, public
relations and communications.
Speaking at yesterday's meeting, Mr. Franklyn said the formation of the body was a deliberate policy of the Government. "We have to deepen engagement with the diaspora," he stressed.
POLICIES
"We need to not just engage but put in place structures that ensure ... it is able to sustain itself, beyond the tenure of its current members." Their role, he stressed, was to represent the concerns of their communities and bring them to the table. Government would not "implement policies on the diaspora without their total involvement."
The process so far, said the minister, was, " a reflection
of the voluntary, patriotic
dedication of Jamaicans living abroad."
There were a number of skills among the diaspora that could be harnessed he said, citing as an example, policemen among the diaspora who last year met to share their
experiences in law enforcement with Minister of National Security, Peter Phillips.
