By Nelson A. King
Jamaican Diaspora leaders
in the United States’ northeastern
region have called
on Jamaica’s Ministry of Foreign
Affairs to ensure that
elected members of the Global
Jamaica Diaspora Council
are representatives of their
communities and “not solely
advisors to the ministry.”
Akelia Maitland, the New
York-based Northeast US
Advisory Board Representative,
said on Sunday that the
Jamaican Diaspora leaders’
call comes as the Jamaica
Ministry of Foreign recently
stated that “Board members
are not there on community’s
behalf as a representative.”
Maitland said the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs has taken
the “alarming move of overriding”
her responsibility in
commissioning an elections
committee “and has currently
established their own
elections committee that will
be running ‘Diaspora’ elections.”
She said the ministry took
this move because, “based
on strong feedback from
community leaders,” she
has called for “the responsibility
outlined for the new
council members to expand
to include representation, a
long-standing concern from
the Diaspora.”
Maitland noted that Jamaica
Prime Minister, Andrew
Holness said, in 2015, that
“the Diaspora’s voice needs
to be represented and that he
will address it.”
“Instead, the ministry and
the current board are considered
to be actively eroding
instead of bolstering this
effort,” she said, adding that
several former board members
have reported they acted
as their community’s voice
“and now agree with the call
that their practice on behalf
of the community should be
formalized.”
Caribbean L 40 ife, November 8-14, 2019 BQ
“If the Board can come
together in two days to override
the community they
don’t reside in, then they can
come together in two days to
put in writing that those who
are elected are free to represent
the community,” Maitland
continued. “The community’s
call for representation
must be addressed by
those running for a position
on the council, as well as by
the government-constructed
Electoral Committee.”
She said one consistent
theme among many community
leaders is the need to
be organized as a Diaspora,
including the development of
“an effective Diaspora-driven
mechanism that is formidable
and responsive.”
Maitland said that process
is now underway.
“This is a call for true
partnership and is not ‘us
against them’ since everyone
loses when there’s no representation,”
she said.
Akelia Maitland,New York-based Northeast US Advisory
Board Representative for Jamaica. Akelia Maitland
Jamaican Diaspora calls
for election accountability
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