Restraint!
That best describes the reaction of many Barbadians and Jamaicans in New York and New Jersey to the explosive complaint by a Jamaican woman that she was “finger-raped” by a female Immigration officer in?Barbados on March 14.
That reaction was a far cry from the emotional outbursts seen on the blogs and heard on talk radio in Jamaica after Shanique Myrie told her story to the Observer newspaper in Kingston and Barbados’ Minister of Foreign?Affairs Senator Maxine McLean responded, calling the allegations “baseless”.
As if to put an exclamation point to her response, McLean told journalists “there is absolutely no truth to a story carried in a Jamaican newspaper on Thursday, March 24 that a female citizen of that country was body searched by Immigration officers on arrival at Grantley Adams International Airport”.
With Jamaica taking the case to Caricom and Barbados agreeing to sit down with Jamaican officials to discuss the evidence we may well be on the way to finding out what some attorneys like to call “the true facts”.
“Let’s wait and see what any further investigation would reveal,” said Carl Husbands, a Barbadian attorney in Brooklyn. “I have read Ms Myrie’s allegations concerning her treatment in Barbados and the subsequent denial of entry and how some Jamaicans have reacted to this, which is a mere allegation.
“This avalanche of criticisms is a bit unsettling at the way they have characterized Barbados and Barbadians as an insignificant ‘dot’ and a ‘backward country.’
Those persons in positions of authority must be allowed to do the appropriate investigations and ask the appropriate question and get the answers that we are all looking for.
“I am sure that some people have political agendas and they are looking to exploit this incident to further their causes vis-a-vis the current Jamaican government and so forth. But for the most part, I must say that no one likes to read or hear of the kinds of allegations and as a Barbadian the immediate reaction was ‘not us’ and we don’t like to hear anything like that.
“However, I am really very impressed with the way the Barbados Government has reacted, swiftly and with a sense of calm, while thoroughly investigating the matter.”
Sonia White, a Barbadian registered nurse in New York City, agreed.
“I think the Government has handled it appropriately and I am 110 per cent supportive of its approach,” said White. “Quite frankly, I don’t believe [Myrie] was searched. But I also believe a further investigation is necessary to put this matter to rest.
I accept what Senator McLean has said but let’s wait and see what comes out of any further investigation.”
Some Jamaicans too, were taking a wait-and-see attitude.
“When I first heard the charges, I became upset but as I received more and more information, I decided to wait,” said Yvette Sterling, an attorney in New Jersey, who until recently was president of the Caribbean Bar Association.
“I don’t have all of the facts and therefore I am not taking a position on what has happened or didn’t happen. It would be wise to exercise restraint until this matter is thoroughly investigated. We (as attorneys) know from experience that there are always two sides to any story and I am not going to rush and take Shanique Myrie’s side nor am I going to accept the statement by the Barbados Government that the woman’s allegations are baseless.”
Joy Anderson, another Jamaican attorney, who practices immigration and criminal law, agreed with Sterling.
“We shouldn’t rush to judgement on this matter, especially after the woman made her charges and the Barbados Government has flatly denied that the incident took place,” insisted Anderson, a vice president of the Caribbean Bar Association in New Jersey.
“Experience as attorneys has taught us that some allegations turn out to be false. Body and cavity searches are conducted in New York and at airports around the world when there is probable cause and we really don’t know what took place. So let’s wait.”
The negative reaction of some Jamaicans to Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean region was quite shocking. It suggests of pent up anger that was finally unleashed.
Now that the genie is out of the bottle, reflecting antipathy to the regional integration, especially freedom of movement of persons. It’s going to be difficult to sell the idea of togetherness to the region as a whole.
