JO - No passport, no entry
From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Observer
No passport, no entry
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Dear Editor,
Nothing bothered me more profoundly than the story of Jamaican-born Eric Ross being denied entry to the country of his birth (Daily Observer, Tuesday May 9).
The immigration officials on the spot made a terrible mistake and the respective ministry should admit to this and apologise and make amends if possible. In the context of the right of residency of a human being, to my mind there is no more inalienable or automatic or absolute right than that of citizenship by birth. Under no circumstances should Mr Ross have been denied access to the country of his birth. I shudder to think that a right so naturally endowed could have been stripped so arbitrarily. It would have been proper to give Mr Ross the benefit of the doubt, after all, what could it have cost? "Do unto others..." is a simple mantra of humanity.
Think about it. Mr Ross could have more easily and justifiably been refused entry to the USA on his return. After all, he was not born there.
The shame of this is still with me and I was not directly affected. Then again, one day I could be denied existence if I left my ID card at home (at least in the Jamaican context).
Keith Summers
Reliant Enterprise Communications Ltd.
7th Floor, 30 Knutsford
Boulevard
Kingston 5
summers@reliantel.
Jamaica Observer
No passport, no entry
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Dear Editor,
Nothing bothered me more profoundly than the story of Jamaican-born Eric Ross being denied entry to the country of his birth (Daily Observer, Tuesday May 9).
The immigration officials on the spot made a terrible mistake and the respective ministry should admit to this and apologise and make amends if possible. In the context of the right of residency of a human being, to my mind there is no more inalienable or automatic or absolute right than that of citizenship by birth. Under no circumstances should Mr Ross have been denied access to the country of his birth. I shudder to think that a right so naturally endowed could have been stripped so arbitrarily. It would have been proper to give Mr Ross the benefit of the doubt, after all, what could it have cost? "Do unto others..." is a simple mantra of humanity.
Think about it. Mr Ross could have more easily and justifiably been refused entry to the USA on his return. After all, he was not born there.
The shame of this is still with me and I was not directly affected. Then again, one day I could be denied existence if I left my ID card at home (at least in the Jamaican context).
Keith Summers
Reliant Enterprise Communications Ltd.
7th Floor, 30 Knutsford
Boulevard
Kingston 5
summers@reliantel.
posted by Consul-At-Arms at 12:08 AM
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