Column: Chris Famous On Immigration Policy
[Opinion column written by Chris Famous]
Ladies and gentlemen, fellow Bermudians, follows is a summary of the UBP/OBA’s track record on regarding immigration:
- In the lead up to the 2007 election, the UBP, headed up by then Opposition leader Michael Dunkley, pledged to grant status to all PRC holders. The UBP went on to lose that election.
- During the 2012 election campaign, OBA deputy leader Michael Dunkley stated in a radio interview on the Everest Dacosta show that the OBA would not be granting Bermudian status to PRC holders.
- Pre-election, the OBA stated that they would suspend Term Limits for two years and look to review the policy.
- On January 31st, 2013, the OBA attempted to grant children of guest workers the ability to seek employment. “….these young people, like our young people, were too young to spend summers overseas on their own, and regarded themselves as too old for summer day camp. But they were old enough to find a summer job in Bermuda. “Senator Fahy
- On Feb 2013, Minister of Home Affairs Michael Fahy unilaterally abolished term limits without any form of public consultation, opening the floodgates for expats to gain the right to long-term residency: “The Ministry obtained some time ago legal advice that demonstrated unequivocally the law, as it currently exists, was sufficient to limit reasonable expectation of permanent residents. Term limits are not required in any way to do that. Period,” Senator Fahy. The OBA then went on to deny that they had any intentions of giving status to PRC holders.
- February 13th, 2013 – Minister Fahy proposed to amend the Work Permit Policy to allow children of work permit holders who are under 19 years old to work during the summer without the requirement for a work permit despite Bermuda youth reporting to have an unemployment rate of 39%.
- February 19th, 2013 – Minister Fahy forced to back down on this due to public outcry.
- March 1st, 2013 – MP Bob Richards states in the House of Assembly: “And If I have to make it easier for rich white people to own land in Bermuda that is fine!”
- December 4th, 2013 – Job Makers’ Act Amendment passed to make it easier [and cheaper] for persons to obtain PRC status.
- January 14th, 2014 – Minister Michael Fahy opened the public discussion of Commercial Immigration and selling immigration rights to the highest bidder.
- March 22nd, 2014 – OBA amended the Companies Act granting exempt companies the right to acquire residential land.
- July 23, 2014 – Minister Fahy announces that OBA will allow PRC to be granted status on the grounds that they have the “right” to seek citizenship.
You see Ladies and Gentlemen, fellow Bermudians, there has been a clear and concise OBA pattern of:-
- Laying the foundation for work permit holders to become long term residents and then subsequently PRC holders
- Attempting, as far back as 2007, to give PRC holders status
- Attempting to give children of guest workers permission to work in Bermuda
- Creating a pathway for non-Bermudians to purchase increased amounts of property in Bermuda. This is inexcusable given that the Government estimates that 36% [2,174 acres] of our 6,000 acres of residential-zoned property are owned by non-Bermudians.
In part two of this summation you will see a continuing pattern of this behavior by the OBA. You can then make a better judgement for yourselves.
- Chris Famous can be contacted via email at Carib_pro@yahoo.com or Twitter at @ryderz777
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I don’t think this has the effect you think it does, at least not to the objective observer. All of these actions are reasonable, especially allowing children of guest workers to seek summer employment. Also, I think anyone who is trying to sell their property right now would appreciate more buyers.
Exactly what I was thinking True Lies all reasonable…I would not bother with part 2 Chris waste of time
Very informative, but sad.
I see the PLP guy is spewing his out of context vomit again. Shameful
Shameful, shameful and all in order for him to get his.
Chris wants back at the public trough by any means necessary.
Mr Famous you and your PLP coven were the worst offenders of any Immigration policy:
1. The then Premier and his buddy SMUGGLED UIGHURS in to Bermuda under the cloak of darkness. Where were your ‘group’ of protestors then? and even more egregious:
2. They racialized a two tier system of what I means to be Bermudian
You sir, and your PLP cohorts have done more damage to this Island in 14 years than anything in the previous 400. You will shortly be in need of senior pension and health services which Bermuda CANNOT afford (because your party over-ran projects and well let’s just face it – money is “missing”) You should be jumping for joy that someone else is WILLING and WANTING to bring their skills and capital and become Bermudian so they can pay taxes to pay for the PLP’s eff-up.
Hmmm… Chris seems to have missed the point that the PLP created the law that allowed for the granting of status to PRC holders.. Or was that point missed on purpose?
Of course it was missed on purpose.
Here is the full Richard’s quote from March 1 2013 that Famous has twisted and taken out of context to spread his Party’s racial hate:
“But, Mr. Speaker, the approach on this side is really simple. We will put into place policies that provide for the greater good. That is a basic philosophical point. We will put in policies for the greater good of this Island. We are not here to penalise any groups. We are here to grow the pie. And if I have to make it easier for rich white people to own property in Bermuda, that is fine! So long as Bermudians benefit. That is the difference between us and you guys. That is the difference. The greater good is what is our bottom line.”
Famous you are absolutely disgusting for taking one part of his comment and twisting it to make it some racial nonsense. Disgusting but expected from your side.
Term limits was a dopey policy that was costing jobs. Famous wouldn’t know that because he doesn’t dare to move out of his comfort zones and actually engage with people who felt the effects of such policies. The PLP actually received several legal opinions in which it was confirmed that term limits does not protect jobs for locals and instead was viewed as a detriment to business by the business community. And yet despite this confirmation the PLP kept this destructive policy into place just to save political face at the expense of working Bermudians. Why no mention of the legal opinions Famous?
Commercial immigration was an option put forward as nothing should be off the table when discussing revisions. It has not been dropped because after research it was found not to be suitable for Bermuda at this point in time. The funny thing is that Famous, in his previous articles, have encouraged Bermudians to take advantage of St. Kitts commercial immigration initiatives to purchase land down south. But somehow such a policy would be terrible for Bermuda.
Famous complains about the OBA’s Job Makers Act ability to obtain PRC status, but says nothing on the PLP’s Incentives for Job Makers Act 2011 which also does the same thing for executives of firms who set up in Bermuda.
Regarding the ability for corporations to buy local land, why didn’t you also include the restrictions (i.e. ARV threshold, inability to rent on open market, must sell if they leave our shores) that accompany this change. What you also forgot to include is your outrage on how certain IB companies were permitted to purchase local residential and commercial land as permitted by the PLP.
You complain about the 2,174 acres are owned by non-Bermudians, but fail to state that the 2,500 acre limit was instituted by the PLP and has remained unchanged by the OBA.
You and your party’s xenophobia and racism is so entrenched that you are more than willing to mislead your readers with half-truths, blatant lies and convenient omissions of facts.
You are part of the problem whether you believe it or not.
*Commercial immigration HAS been dropped
Likley, because there were no takers. Contrary to the belief of these protesters, everyone in the world is not dying to move to their xenophobic backwater.
@ Nasty Bunch
I was going to respond to this idiot (Famous) but you nailed every problem with his piece.
Well done.
Excellent response, and you only scratched the surface at the continuous use of half truths used to mislead and misinform. It has long been the PLP’s and Mr. Famous’ modus operandi to segregate out only the convenient pieces from the truth, in order to project their versions of events; and when you do this, you create dishonesty out of the truth and deserved to be called on it every time. The sad fact of the matter though is that there are too many who would only stop at what they are told, and not seek to larger truths, this is a symptom in both parties, though it seems the PLP hold a greater sway to keep more people in their membership in the shadows of this half-truth dishonesty than the OBA does.
LOl once again famous is proved to only be famous for deception.
@Nasty Bunch; not at all surprised.
“All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach”.
Right out the old play book, keep recycling the same BS for the sheep.
Context? Nah.
ARE YOU A PUPPET OF THE PLP POLITICIANS AIMING TO CAUSE DISRUPTION TO GET THEIRS ???
ASK yourself that question … before you go out there and foolishly do their bidding. Do you like being used by politicians to score points for them?????????????
Are you a sucker?
Are you a sucker? Depends. If you swallow Mr Famous’ line you definitely are.
Who’ children is he talking about, expats workers have their children here and most of them attend private schools, unless he is talking about the eligal workers that are taking Bermudians jobs and those people I know by talking to them it feels so normal to have their children away because the money they earn here allows them to buy houses and many goods to their family, many rather prefers not to have their kids here because they don’t want to over spend of the dollars they make.
You very conveniently forgot to mention that the government was forced to take action on this because of a couple of supreme court rulings. A PLP government would have been forced to do the same.
BTW, NO PLP leader has directly stated opposition to this change, because they know it’s inevitable and in spite of the talk, they have NO “comprehensive immigration reform” to share.
Walton Brown is very successfully using a small group of haters to raise his public profile.
Do us a favour and spare us from part two, you absolute muppet.
Famous, you and your party’s truth deficit grows by the day.
Mr Famous is how many Generations of born Bermudian lineage?
The difference is his lineage fought for the rights of the oppressed, against a racist social structure which I might say is still evident today.
Mmmmmmmmm
@onionjuice I’m white and struggling to pay bills also, so ya I’m a poor minority what’s the about your social structure again?
Exactly, no where near my family’s.
He’s first gen. His people came here and under the UBP, they got status. Ironic isn’t it.
It’s not white power or black power its brain power and you are lacking it buddy
Sounds like ya been listening to Trump.
LMFAO
How many of these people who are opposing this are married to non Bermudians??
Chris,
If nothing is done to increase population and bring investment into Bermuda, how do you propose expanding the economy?
According to his leader: ganja, online gaming and fishing… Banana republic, here we come!
True – only problem is we’re not a Republic.
To answer a question the first blacks were brought to Bermuda from the West Indies in 1616. For over 300 year blacks were moved in between Bermuda and other Caribbean Islands.
So to answer the question our people have been here for 400 years.
Nearly 800 persons gathered today.Are you lot attempting to label them as Xenophobic?
Chris don’t shy away from the question, how many generations are you born Bermudian?
…..but whether 40 or 400, if it acts like a duck, talks like a duck, then must be a duck…. therefore yes xenophobic they must be!
The Portuguese landed here in the 1500′s, so really…..
The Portuguese landed but they didn’t stay, so really…..
And the English were here before that…
What is your point?
Um no, they arrived in the 1600′s.
Was actually responding to Mr. Famous
Friendly Fire.
LMFAO
BS. Even the… which is notorious for grossly overestimating numbers pegged it at 250. I hung around for much of that time. No more than 150-200 I would say.
There were also a handful of ppl there who supported Pathways.
Not at all.
Lied to and used as pawns et al, yes.
So you not only misrepresented and selectively attributed quotes and actions out of context, you also massively inflated attendance numbers well beyond reality? Yellow journalism at its best.
Hey Chris enough of your bull s–t I can’t stand racial bull it seems that the black Bermudians in your opinion have all the rights and white, Portuguese and others don’t may be we all should be DNA tested to see what we are really made of another one that walks around and sees in Black and white last timed I checked we live in living color HD
It is sad Mr. Famous, especially knowing you. How are you Bermudian? Is famous a Bermuda name? How are you given citizenship? Hypocrite you are….Sad
Um, Famous is a Plantation name, like Smith, Gibbons, Simmons etc. African Bermudians actually don’t have original ancestral names, just the names of their oppressors.
Famous never answered the question, his heritage not anyone elses?
Chris Famous, you are first generation Bermudian…… Hypocrite……………
Tha “Portuguese”. Don’t have their real names either. They were plantation names as well. The Azores was a penal colony during the inquisition and we were forced to leave Portugal if we didn’t convert. So we don’t have our real names either. You don’t see us b!%@hing. We had hard times here in Bermuda as well. And we still do. The problem is a house divided.a house conquered. We need to join forces and see where the problem really comes from.