DIASPORA DESERVES A PARTNERING VOICE

In light of the recent reader editorial discourse regarding the case for the right of the Jamaican Diaspora to vote, t he Jamaican Diaspora Advisory Board,   elected at the last Jamaican Diaspora Conference in June 2008, is compelled to clarify the balance of facts in this very important conversation on the governance within our citizenry and the future and national development of Jamaica.  Recently, for the first time in our history on January 28th, the Jamaican Diaspora Advisory Board  made submissions to the Joint Select Committee on Diaspora Affairs at Gordon House on the particular issues related to governance, dual citizenship, parliamentary representation and voting rights.  Prior to making these submissions, the Board conducted detailed due diligence in constitutional review, engagement with community organizations, and vetting of the pros and cons of this discourse.  In essence, to the contrary to some editorial portrayals, the Board did not approach this task nonchalantly and with total disregard to the voice of the Jamaican Diaspora. The Board     meets frequently to debate these issues and  works closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and Jamaican organizations in the Diaspora to facilitate communication and consensus for further deliberation.   Notwithstanding, we take full responsibility for not clearly communicating this process and the content of deliberations.

The convening of this Joint S elect C ommittee is a pivotal recommendation coming out of   previous conferences and the Jamaican Diaspora  is generally  encouraged to see that these conferences are moving beyond          just being   talk shops.   We believe that there are a number of factors that are concurrent with the natural emotion of the desire for most Jamaican nationals, wherever they are positioned in the world, to have a voice (a vote) in their Government.

To this end, we offer the following for consideration:

(1) The single biggest problem the Jamaican Diaspora faces is that resident Jamaicans feel that those abroad think that they are better and smarter than those at home. It is quite unfortunate that many of the published letters    only served to affirm this emotion.

“the majority of Jamaicans residing in Jamaica are not voting for a better future for Jamaica, they are totally political activists, die-hearted Labourites and Comrades. The future of Jamaica is hardly ever a factor in their decisions.”

“the Jamaican diaspora should be intricately involved with the governance of Jamaica, given the advantage of, should I say, ‘A bird’s eye view’ on what is really happening ‘ina wi yard’.”

We believe that statements such as the above do not engender mutual respect between Jamaicans at home and abroad.

(2) Patrick Beckford, Board member representing the Northeast United States, in his submission on behalf of the full Board, pointed out that he had a team of students from Columbia University conduct research into countries that allowed citizens abroad to vote and how they executed it. He raised   question about constituencies since Jamaica is under the Westminster system where voters cast a ballot for their Member of Parliament for their constituency.  Consequently, under the present construct, our Government would have to reevaluate its constitutional structure to present voting options.

Some letter writers believe that this question is absurd:

“Every Jamaican, wherever they are in the world, has a link to a constituency where their family home or ties is, so I find this a very poor excuse.”

This would imply that even though a person is born and raised in the USA and their parents are from Spaldings, Clarendon, that child should be allowed to vote in that constituency when they turn 18 without ever having lived there, met the candidates or understand what that candidates party has done in the past?  We believe that this only makes for a             dangerous  and misguided voter, not an informed voter.
(3) Some writers naturally focus on the volume of remittances they send back to Jamaica, which contributes the second highest percentage to GDP.

“He or she who pays the piper should also call the tune (or at least a few tunes).”

The above quote alone speaks to one of the biggest problems in politics in Jamaica and many parts of the world – special interests that “buy” the Government and then control it.

While Jamaicans abroad do send back large volumes of money, remittances are not sent to the Government or sent because one is patriotic and wants a better Jamaica, they are sent to help    family members , period.  Nonetheless, we agree that this financial contribution is significant and certainly warrants greater engagement of the Jamaican Diaspora in our country’s development.

Lastly, there is a common phrase “no taxation without representation” but rarely do people flip it around and recognize their duties as voting citizens: “representation without taxation”.     As the Jamaican Diaspora, are we willing to declare all our  information to our  Jamaican Government and pay taxes on our worldwide income in exchange for the representation?

(4) Another writer referred to  the United States  of America as an example of a country that allows citizens overseas   to vote.

“I wonder if Beckford knows that he is living under a government in the United States voted in by Americans who live and voted in Brussels, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Russia, Jamaica, Nigeria and any other place where Americans live. That is the system Mr Beckford is living under comfortably in the US, yet that same system is not good for Jamaica.”

It is important to note that  the USA only allows “resident  ”  citizens to vote so these voters maintain residency in the USA no matter where they live, hint: “expatriates”  who file taxes.   Resident Jamaicans can vote in Jamaican elections, but they would have to travel    to Jamaica as we do not currently have an absentee ballot system.

Secondly, the Board’s submission presentations included the reasoning that unlike the USA with 300 million people and only a fraction outside the USA, Jamaica has MORE people outside of the country and could actually sway an election. The United States    and most of the other countries are not in the same position as Jamaica. Interestingly, Israel, with the most powerful Diaspora in the world, has not granted voting rights to Israelis living outside the country.

Further, Mrs. Folkes-Abrahams’, Board member from Canada,  noted the fact that research has shown that Canada has MORE VOTING AGE Jamaicans than the ENTIRE ISLAND!    That research makes it clear that Jamaicans outside of the country could really sway an election and force Jamaicans at home to live under an imposed party.

(5) The Board also noted that the USA has a law that allows any able-bodied males up to age 43 to be drafted for the armed services. If a draft was ever reinstated, a dual-citizen MP,  could be drafted if they were of age.

This is a fact that cannot be overlooked. The USA does not have a dual-citizen clause for people serving in their public positions because they have traditionally NOT recognized dual-citizenship status. That is slowly changing but no one knows how it will affect the laws in the future and if the USA will in fact begin to close the door to them.

In summary, we can all agree that as Jamaicans we hold a vested interest in the national development of Jamaica.  However, we cannot make summary presumptions on this discourse with Jamaicans at home without the proper context and engagement.  We are family and not better than our family at  home. This perception must change on the part of those abroad and those at home if we are to become a nation of 6 million.   Let us note clearly that

Jamaicans in the Diaspora who maintain a residence in Jamaica can already vote.     Remittances are financial assistance to family and friends, not patriotic donations to better the country and so should not be a factor in “calling the tune”.    Representation without taxation is grossly unfair.  We would like to ensure all Jamaicans in the Diaspora that the discourse is far from final and we expect to provide further submissions for consideration in Parliament. Most importantly, we are serious about ensuring that your voice materializes itself into the institutional vernacular of Jamaican governance in meaningful ways.  Please visit www.jamaicadiaspora.org to download a transparent copy of the submissions made to the Joint Select Committee on Diaspora Affairs for your full review and consideration.  We welcome further insights into this important conversation and hope that Jamaicans will not only continue to provide critiques, but also suggestions on deepening our engagement with the land of our birth and heritage.

Jamaican Diaspora Advisory Board

Mrs. Celia Grandison-Markey – United Kingdom

Mr. Derek Douglas – United Kingdom

Mr. Patrick Beckford – United States of America

Mr. Wayland Richards – United States of America

Marlon A. Hill Esq. – United States of America

Mrs. Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams – United Kingdom

Ms. Claudette Cameron-Steward – United Kingdom

Mr. Leo Campbell, Future Leaders, Canada

Mr. David Mullings, Future Leaders, United States