The Tribune

By CELESTE NIXON

Tribune Staff Reporter

cnixon@tribunemedia.net

FORMER DNA candidate Rodney Moncur criticised the country’s former and current leaders yesterday, claiming they neglected to do what was necessary to tackle illegal immigration.

Speaking on a radio talk show, the former Bain and Grants Town constituency hopeful said the only way to deal with illegal Haitian immigration is through a nationwide “lock-down”, integration and the awarding of Bahamas citizenship to everyone born in the Bahamas.

He said: “The Bahamas is considered a dumping ground because Pindling did not do what he ought to have done. Ingraham didn’t do it and Christie didn’t do it and that is what the reality is. They did not control the illegal immigration movement into the Bahamas, it became convenient.

“Persons of Haitian decent are now everywhere, they are in the police force, they are in the Defence Force, they are the nurses and the doctors, they are everywhere – the way to solve this problem is through integration because you will never get rid of the Haitians in your lifetime, so let’s sit down and lock the gates around the Bahamas and regulate those persons that are here.”

The Bahamas will not move forward until people can dispassionately come together and deal with the matters at hand, said Mr Moncur, the issue cannot be resolved through “nationalism” but rather amending the laws to allow those born in the Bahamas full citizenship

“Haitians, Haitians everywhere so let us stop being foolish, let us stop being irresponsible and deal with this matter,” he said. “The easiest solution to this problem is simply this, you amend the law that those persons born in the Bahamas automatically become citizens – secondly you lock the Bahamas down, that’s how it is done.

“At some point, we have to put aside the emotionalism and deal with the matter, because the world, we do not live by ourselves, these people were born in the Bahamas.”

According to Mr Moncur, people who are born in the Bahamas and are entitled to apply for citizenship but are denied are not deported from the country in any event.

He said: “If the government refused to grant them citizens what does the government do – can they deport them? Check the history of this country, no one who has ever been rejected who was born in the Bahamas has been deported.”

Additionally, Mr Moncur said one of the country’s major crime issues stems from persons born in the Bahamas of Haitian descent who travel to the United States and grow up there, who sometimes get caught up in criminal activity and are sent back to the Bahamas where they have no history and are not familiar to the country.