Who is an artiste?

The amending of the Immigration (Caribbean Community Skilled Nationals) Act to allow both for the widening of categories of persons eligible for free entry into Trinidad and Tobago and the permitting of similar entry of spouses and dependents of these persons may have implications for this country. The apparent rush by Government to have the amending Bill debated and passed on Tuesday in the Senate without giving the Opposition needed time to study it is troubling. While we support the principle of closer Caribbean association, nonetheless each step should be carefully explained to nationals before it is taken and the Opposition, and by extension the electors they represent, should be allowed the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution. In his protest, Minority Leader in the Senate Wade Mark pointed out that the Opposition had been preparing to debate a Private Motion listed for that day, June 24, and it was only at 5.30 pm on Wednesday, the day before the long holiday weekend, he received advice that Government planned going through all the stages of the amendment Bill on the following Tuesday. Clearly, it was in the interest of the nation that ample notice should have been given to the Opposition. Government had known well in advance of the need to seek amendment to the Immigration (Caribbean Community Skilled Nationals) Act before the week-long Caricom Heads of Government Summit which starts today in Jamaica.

While Trinidad and Tobago has to face the inevitability of global economic change and the movement towards the FTAA and the Caricom Single Market and Economy, we must still carefully consider the implications of these changes, the impact they are likely to have on our country and our society. The Amendment Bill passed in the parliament last week may be seen as another step in the Caribbean integration movement as it expands the categories, beyond university graduates, of persons eligible for free movement among member states. These new categories, as stated in the Bill, are artistes, musicians, sports personalities and media workers. The legislation, however, provides no criteria for determining the bona fides of persons claiming to belong to any of these categories and this is left to be decided by Caricom member governments issuing certificates to the effect. It places on the TT Government the responsibility to ensure there is no influx of immigrants claiming to have the "skills qualification" in the new categories. Who or what, for example, is an artiste? The provision in the amendment to the Act, permitting the spouses and dependants of qualifying nationals freedom of entry and residence, meant that more University graduates, who would normally have been loathe to work in Trinidad and Tobago, while leaving their wives and families behind, would now be encouraged to take up employment here, now that their wives and families could be with them. This will mean that several Trinidad and Tobago University graduates who today experience difficulty in obtaining meaningful employment in the fields in which they have qualified, along with others seeking promotion opportunities, or better paying jobs with other employers, may now feel increasingly challenged in the labour market. The point to be made in the growing freedom of movement arrangement within Caricom, which now embraces Haiti, is the fact that while our country's economic wealth and relatively high standard of living is likely to attract a one-way immigration from the region, TT still has to deal with a serious unemployment problem and the provision of adequate amenities for its own people.