Haitian crisis has led to a migrant crisis in the Bahamas. During tough periods in Haiti, hundreds of desperate people take to rickety sloops and other vessels and try to sail north to the Bahamas, hoping for a better life. Over the decades, the Bahamas has absorbed thousands of Haitians with official estimates placing the Haitian population in the Bahamas at close to 30 percent.
The Bahamas’ support to Haiti is, in part, an attempt by the Bahamas administration to please its American allies. For many years, the geopolitical interests of the Bahamas have overlapped with those of the United States. This is exactly why the Bahamas was accepting thousands of migrants in order to save America from the migrant invasion. The government was even prepared to send troops to Haiti as part of the UN peacekeeping mission, which is a code word for American interventionism.
However, domestically, Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis’ position on the Haitian crisis is unpopular, which could lead to even more troubles for Davis. Allow me to explain..
Davis will head this year’s 44th Regular Meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community or CARICOM in New Providence. Understandably, the Progressive Liberal Party administration is determined to put this nation’s best foot forward in an effort to impress the Caribbean counterparts of Davis, especially Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley.
However, Davis may face a significant challenge in his efforts to persuade CARICOM. That impediment might be a tentatively planned demonstration led by popular activist Lincoln Bain and his Coalition of Independents, as reported in the news.
If officials grant COI permission, Davis is likely to be heckled and verbally abused by activists on his route to CARICOM discussions.
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The issue COI has brought to light in recent months is the immigration catastrophe, which appears to be worsening as Haiti’s pretense of governance deteriorates. If COI protests outside the CARICOM gathering, one of its goals will be to expose the Davis government by revealing its incompetence in front of its high-profile representatives.
This may soon lead to a complete reversal of Davis’ policy. The glimpses of this can already be seen. Recently, the government talked about repatriating many Haitian boat people who have made the dangerous crossing to the archipelago. Besides, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that all seven Bahamian diplomats were airlifted out of Port-au-Prince.
These are attempts by Davis administration to save its image in the coming CARICOM meeting. Only time will tell if these recent steps would help balm the annoyances of CARICOM leaders.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-Ukc5VtvAk
