NOT MANY LEADERS COULD FACE REALITY, AND SAY IT LIKE IT IS
BRAVO, PM INGRAHAM
Nassau Guardian

Nassau, May 12, 2009 -- In a candid speech to a group of senior officers of the Department of Immigration yesterday, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham called for an end to corruption and a lackadaisical, offensive attitude among some officers.

The prime minister said that some officers, "assisted" and "abetted by some members of the public, have fallen prey to a 'pay to play' culture" which has led to allegations that "for a price, some officers look the other way at ports of entry" and that "applications submitted for consideration at the department can be accelerated, or falsified supporting documents overlooked."

"Persons making applications for work permits or for permanent residence or for registration as a national are not enemies of the state, nor are they 'patsies' to be hit upon for tips. Find your own money for lunch, or make it at home," Ingraham said.

"They are clients or customers seeking a service that the Department of Immigration and its officers have been engaged to facilitate...suffice it to say that bribery of a public officer is an offense and it is not the policy of my government to look the other way where evidence supports such allegations."

Ingraham, who was speaking at the inaugural Department of Immigration Customer Service Workshop, also said that too many foreign nationals — specifically Jamaicans — are frequently exposed to offensive behavior at Bahamian ports of entry, "and very particularly at the Lynden Pindling International Airport."

"Not all Jamaican nationals arriving in The Bahamas intend to overstay their allotted time," Ingraham said. "Not all Jamaican nationals arriving in The Bahamas have police records nor are they engaged in illegal activity. Yet far too many Bahamian immigration officers greet Jamaican nationals arriving in The Bahamas as if they were known criminals. This is not acceptable; it must stop regardless [of] the nationality of the arriving passenger.

"And persons who sponsor visits by Jamaicans for other than bonafide purposes must know that all immigration officers operate from the same remit — no facilitation, no accommodation, no tip, no bribe to permit persons to enter The Bahamas who are reasonably suspected of coming here to work legitimately or illegitimately. Understood?"

Yet another area where immigration officers were taken to task by the prime minister yesterday was the apprehension and detention of illegal immigrants, "typically Haitian, but also including individuals from countries both near and far."

"I want to be clear, abuse of detained persons whether in their homes, at a work site, on an immigration bus or at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre is contrary to the law," he said. "Everyone must be treated with respect and with dignity at all times; that is the law and that is the policy of the government [that] I head."

Ingraham also warned officers against notifying the media when the department is conducting operations.

"I do not want the broadcast or print media or anyone else notified when you are conducting an apprehension exercise," he said. "It is not their business; you can tell them about it when you're finished. Dignity and respect of individuals, even those who breach our laws [are] both expected and required by me."

Another "obvious problem requiring attention by the department," Ingraham noted, is the scheduling of the bulk of immigration officers stationed at Lynden Pindling International Airport between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. "irrespective of the scheduled arrivals of flights and charters."

"Much better value would be had if only skeleton [staff was] deployed over the usual workday — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. — with the remainder or bulk of staff scheduled to be at their stations at the peak hours of business," he said. "That would permit a full contingent of officers to be on the job and in their booths when the largest numbers of passengers arrive at a port of entry."

Ingraham added: "I believe that the immigration department is aware of the arrival schedule of inbound aircraft. Yet it never ceases to amaze me that upon entry into the immigration hall, most booths are unattended -- [with] the assigned officers gradually making an appearance as the hall fills with passengers waiting to be cleared. This attitude is not what we are all about. I look forward, therefore, to a change in that behavior."

The prime minister also reminded that Bahamians have a "right to leave and re-enter The Bahamas."

"Unless there is reasonable cause to support a fraudulent document, Bahamians' entry to The Bahamas ought to be expedited without bureaucracy. Take your stamp out, stamp [the passport] and say good morning and good afternoon," he said.

The prime minister also acknowledged that the department has been faced with "inadequate space, poor record keeping and retrieval systems, outdated technology and inadequate training facilities or opportunities for its staff."

Ingraham said those matters will be addressed. However, he pointed out that it is his specific intention to bring about change within the public sector.

"As with any reform, these changes will be ongoing," he said. "While the change we seek is not revolutionary in nature, it will, I believe, have revolutionary impact on the standards set and observed in the delivery of service at every level of the public sector.

"We are building this change department by department and ministry by ministry throughout the public service. I began with you. It is also my hope that in this way we will transform our public sector into a world-class system of delivery of public services, a system which can efficiently and effectively implement the policies of the government of the day, but which more importantly will meet the needs of Bahamian citizens and Bahamian businesses."