Date: Mon 28-Aug-2000

Caribbean group welcomes Green Paper -- regrets ban on status

By Patrick Burgess

The new umbrella organisation for the Island's West Indian residents has reacted favourably to Government's Green Paper on Long Term Residents. In a press release issued last week, public relations officer for the Council for Caribbean Unity Trevor Fyfe commended Home Affairs Minister Paula Cox, saying the paper ``must have taken a lot of effort''. The CCU promises it will continue to study the Green Paper and will play an active role in the public debate Ms Cox has called for over the paper. But the CCU is ``extremely disappointed'' Government has linked a one-off grant of Bermuda Status to people living here before August 1989 to ``dormant'' constitutional issues, which it presumes includes independence.

``We appeal to the Bermudian people to consider the positive benefits that resolving the long-term residents issue in the most favourable way would inevitably lead to,'' Mr. Fyfe wrote, adding: ``^.^.^.^it would be unfair to ask a group of people that have done all that they have been asked to do, leading to the expectation of status to wait on constitutional changes, when there is no clear indication of when such changes might take place.''

Mr. Fyfe also called giving status to people here before the moratorium ``just'', considering ``they have been led to believe that very favourable consideration would be given to their plight''. Making long-term residents Bermudian might avoid them using ``creative methods'' to secure their future in the Island, Mr. Fyfe added, hinting at people using marriages of convenience to stay here.

The CCU is ``impressed'' by Government suggesting as options the grant of status or permanent residency to non-Bermudian siblings of Bermudians who are the children of permanent residents. Other issues that get the nod from the CCU is the granting of protection to divorced non-Bermudians and allowing people who left the Island for short periods to have their total length of residency counted.

But it called for further discussion on several issues including the ability to own or partly own a local business without permission of Government, the right to own property and to convey it to dependents, and the reduction of the residency requirement from 20 years to 15.

``The CCU invites all groups in Bermuda that are affected by the Green Paper on long Term Residents to join us in this debate, thereby making a truly collective and responsible contribution to our and Bermuda's future,'' Mr. Fyfe said.