A former Immigration minister urged the Department to conduct investigations with “more decorum”, adding that the recent incident at Atlantis “does not bode well for the reputation of the country”.
Branville McCartney, who acted as minster of state for immigration under the former Ingraham administration, said that while Immigration officers had the right to “carry out the law”, the heavy-handed way in which they tried to enforce it – in front of Atlantis’s tourist guests – had created potential reputational damage for the Bahamas.
And the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) said further damage was being done to the Bahamas’ reputation as an attractive destination for business and foreign direct investment (FDI) by the seeming confusion surrounding the Government’s work permit/Immigration policy.
Mr McCartney said the initial House of Assembly statement by Fred Mitchell, minister responsible for immigration, was then contradicted by both Prime Minister Perry Christie and Khaalis Rolle, minister of state for investments, who said the issue was merely put out for “public discussion” and was not a ‘set-in-stone’ policy.
