Independence and visas

June 22, 2006

Dear Sir,

Recent articles (such as the one in the June 20 issue of ?Citizenship and the Independence question?), attempt to downplay the problems of obtaining visas for passport holders from tiny countries. The authors of these articles (such as Walton Brown, Jr. who wrote that article) have obviously never had to deal with such problems firsthand. While being a 20-year resident of Bermuda, the undersigned has travelled the world on three different passports from tiny countries (one about the same population as Bermuda, the second with twice as many and the third with about ten times Bermuda?s population), and two of the three passports are from members of Caricom. So, I have actual experience in obtaining visas over two decades with passports much like an independent Bermuda?s would be. Mr. Brown needs to understand the basics about visa-issues.

Tiny countries have the biggest visa problems. Small countries (those with less than several million population) are viewed with suspicion, and the smaller the country, the greater the problems with visas. If Bermuda went independent, it would be among the 25 smallest countries in the world (according to www.wikipedia.com) ? too tiny to have ever even had a team in the World Cup, a top 100 tennis player, etc. Bureaucrats from larger countries tend to laugh at tiny ones, and, believe it or not, many of the world?s immigration and visa bureaucrats have never even heard of Bermuda! I have experienced that fact many times. I have often heard questions or comments like, ?Where is Bermuda anyway?I?ve never seen a passport from Bermuda?Is it a real country or what?? Once when I was entering Italy with my wife, and we were both dressed as if going to church, the immigration officer looked at my Caribbean passport and looked me up and down and said, ?What?s someone like you doing with a ridiculous Banana Republic passport like this?? He literally hated my passport; so he treated me like pond scum and detained me as long as he could.

The requirements for visas are now more complicated and challenging than ever before. Even before The World Trade Center?s dual towers were decimated on September 11, 2001, visas were difficult to obtain for passport holders from tiny countries, and since 9/11, those requirements have been increased dramatically; every terrorist-event makes visas harder to obtain. Here are some of the big countries? current requirements for visas: (i) round trip airline tickets for all legs of the trip; (ii) confirmed hotel reservations for each stop, or a letter from a private person with whom the traveller intends to stay; (iii) two to four current photographs and the exact sizes vary among countries; (iv) ?sufficient? cash or travellers? cheques (not credit cards) to support yourself adequately during your stay in their country; (v) a current, original bank statement, that satisfies the agent that you are not likely to remain illegally in their country; (vi) in some cases, letters of reference from your bank, employer, etc.; (vii) the latest killer is proof of ?worldwide health insurance?, which may require a special letter from your insurance carrier to prove that your insurance will cover the costs of providing for your medical care in their country. Any one of these requirements allows a subjective determination of your ?eligibility? for a visa; visas are totally discretionary and if they don?t like any documents that you give them (or even your appearance), they can simply deny your application and give no reasons. You have no recourse whatsoever.

It takes days or weeks to obtain visas. Many countries literally take your application and often your passport and keep them, in some cases, for several weeks; others will issue a visa in 48-72 hours, but it always takes two trips to their visa office, and you must stand in long queue with people who often look and smell like street-beggars. Increasingly, countries do police (Interpol) checks on you worldwide before they issue a visa to you, and, if you have any criminal record (for even minor offences), you will not receive a visa.

Bermudians will have to travel to obtain visas. Independent Bermudians will need to travel (to New York or Washington, DC) to obtain visas. Telephoning visa-offices is useless, as the voice prompts lead to voice prompts and/or to dial tones, and no one calls you back. (Mailed applications are not permitted by many countries, and air mail to and from visa offices takes weeks to months anyway for each visa, and who wants to give up their passport for that long?) If you want to travel to several countries, you?ll need to plan to spend two or more weeks obtaining visas ? which can force you to reschedule your trip. It?s best to queue early at the visa-office, at about 7 a.m. and beat the crowd and wait outside (sometimes in the heat, rain, cold and even snow) for the office to open at 9 a.m. With luck, you?ll be finished by 11 a.m., but you?ll have to return a day or two (or sometimes a week or more) later to actually pickup the visa, and sometimes you?ll have to leave your passport with your application ? and you won?t be able to apply for another visa until you get your passport back. I have spent as much as three weeks getting visas for trip. In some cases, the visa-issuing authorities are in different cities (for Bermuda residents), and I have been forced to go to New York City and Washington, D.C. for different visas for the same trip.

Bermuda can?t ?negotiate? their way around visas. Mr. Brown would have you believe that the persuasive powers of our government leaders will cure these problems. No doubt the politicians in the Bahamas (population 300,000), Barbados (270,000), Belize (266,000), Jamaica (2.7 million), Trinidad and Tobago (1.1 million) or St. Lucia (162,000), etc. thought the same thing, but no small country has yet cured these problems. The bottom line is that big countries don?t care two hoots about little ones, and Bermuda?s ?influence? on America is a joke, contrary to the dreamer-Brown?s views. Bermuda doesn?t employ enough Americans (or other foreigners) to make a nickel?s worth of difference to any big country.

Independent Bermuda will be an Island prison. If Bermuda goes Independent, Bermuda will become, effectively, an Island prison, and, if Bermuda plays too much ?footsie? with Cubans (or allows its illegal drugs or other crime to grow too much, as have some other Caricom countries), Bermuda may find that America terminates its immigration-clearance in Bermuda (just as it already closed its Naval Base and sold the US Consulate General?s residence here). Even worse, America could decide at any time to require visas from Bermudians to visit America ? just as it now requires visas of every other Caricom Independent country. In that case, Bermudians would then need to mail their passports to New York City and wait a couple of weeks anyway to get it back with a visa just to allow them to travel to New York City, where they could then begin the visa-application process for other countries. Bermudians could well then need a month or more of travelling and delays just to obtain visas to go where they can now go without obtaining any visas in advance. This is time-consuming, exhausting, humiliating and very expensive! Mr. Brown either isn?t aware of these issues or he doesn?t care (or perhaps he holds a US or other major passport), but his children, grandchildren and fellow-Bermudians will not welcome the loss of freedom to travel. These are the words of someone who was precluded from travelling freely for decades by passports from countries almost as tiny as Bermuda. We can forgive Mr. Brown, because he just hasn?t ?been there and done that?, but, before you vote to make the irreversible decision to go Independent, think about the risks of living in an Island prison, because that?s where Independent Bermudians will be forced to live.

Good vs. evil

May 12, 2006

Dear Sir,

?Political Polka or the Dance of the Politicians or Power Corrupts?:

Act I

In every social grouping of man, there will be one class which will be seen as the oppressors, the avaricious, the featherers of their own nests, the rich; and the other group will be the oppressed, the disadvantaged, the poor. The rich will control all facets of the society, wielding power discriminately and indeed ?feathering their own nests?. In the course of time, the leaders of the poor, cloaked in a mantle of righteousness will slowly gain power espousing the philosophy of equal rights, more equitable distribution of the wealth of that society; improved conditions for the ?people?. The fight between the two forces, which will be propagandized into a fight between ?good and evil?, will eventually lead to the overthrow of the oppressors, the rich, and the assumption of power by the oppressed. The poor have triumphed! Good has overcome evil!

Act II

The new power brokers now attempt to institute the reforms that they have been preaching over the years: Educational reform; fair and reasonable wages; civil and human rights, fiscal responsibility. However power not only concedes nothing but to power, it also corrupts! It is something of an opiate as it confers privileges on those who have it and human nature is one of avarice, greed and excess. And so, the very people who opposed the selfish wielding of power by the former rulers now take on their same attributes.

Act III

The leaders of the poor who are now in power slowly gain in wealth and privilege. The ousted rich now take on the mantle of the oppressed and their philosophy now morphs into the philosophy of the original oppressed group: Educational reform; liveable wages, affordable housing, transparency, fiscal responsibility. Over time, the nouveau rich wielders of power slowly lose it, the old guard gradually regain it, the poor remain poor and the dance goes on! And so ... let us pray!

Irresponsible remarks

July 4, 2006

Dear Sir,

During the last few years, we have had some PLP politicians, the Premier, Senators, and a few others make some very stupid and irresponsible remarks. After the election in 2003, Minister Brown said words to the effect of: ?We had to lie to the public in order to win the election?! Premier Scott made the remark that, ?15,000 people did not know what they were signing?, when they signed the petition for a referendum on Independence! Then Senator Burch comes in with his remark, ?We don?t care what you think!? And to add insult to injury, his recent infamous, despicable, remark, calling UBP supporters ?House Niggers?!

Recently, remarks were made at the Independence meeting held at Spice Valley School, such as, ?We don?t need America!? ?We are going to be importing and exporting to Cuba!? (Importing and exporting what? Freedom? Liberty? Equal rights?) And now Mr. Editor, we have the CEO of the Bank of Bermuda remark, ?Who cares if the Berkeley School is $60 million over budget?! How responsible a remark is that? I certainly wouldn?t have expected to hear that sort of frivolous comment from Mr. Philip Butterfield, the CEO of one of the world?s biggest banks.

Even though I get tired of hearing black and white, I am forced to ask this question. If this was a white school (I am using this terminology because the Berkeley is known as a black school, founded by black people, for black students), would Mr. Butterfield have said the same thing? I would like for Mr. Butterfield to know that I, and many other tax paying citizens of this Island do care about the extra $60 million cost, regardless what school it is when the money is coming out of the public purse.

IT?S FOOTBALL, NOT SOCCER