The long journey to freedom and equality yet to be attained...

The difference between an illegal immigrant and a naturalised citizen is vast. The people the government are victimising and abusing came from an all but, completely naturalised, population.

In Jamaica the British took over from the Spanish in 1655 and the people and the country remained colonized until 1962 when Jamaica became independent.

Between 1655 and 1962, over 300 years, a process of naturalisation was carried out principally when the colonized people were needed to fight in the first and second European wars.

The Queen was their Queen, this was the Mother country and they are British subjects. These people may only have 400 or 500 years of indoctrination or induction into British citizenry, but they certainly have rights. Firstly, as a human being and secondly as a British citizen, whether or not.

It seems that the administration cannot keep themselves from abusing these people. From inviting them as British subjects to assist in the rebuilding of post-war Britain and then subjecting them to decades of racism and unfair treatment to now harassing the entire population under threat of deportation if boxes are not ticked and irretrievable, even deliberately destroyed documentation is not produced.

Destroying the landing cards, the proof, if proof were really needed, that many of these people, who are even still living, came here legally in a time when the country needed them, is a deliberate and criminal act. 

The willful destruction of public property.

What's next, birth certificates? Voting registers? Tax forms? Think about it.

So who ordered this? Who conspired and planned this act of gross negligence? An interesting question, not to be answered here.

Even in cases where clear and irrefutable evidence is provided by these victims, the two week processing time turns into greater than two months and this is as part of a fix for the radical governmental policy which was used to devastate the lives of thousands of innocent people in the first place. A job and a process that the average 10 year old could manage with ease. 

One could be forgiven for thinking that this is just another unwarranted assault on a vulnerable law abiding population who with or without proof and evidence in hand, have more than established their legitimacy and inalienable right to be treated with the utmost dignity, respect and human decency.

These people cannot change, this is their home for good or ill but once again their lives are being forcibly disrupted with many being illegally removed from their homes, separated from their family members, uprooted and shipped to another place, against their will. 

Is there not a name for a government that persecutes its own citizens? Think about it.

The government is effectively persecuting these people and turning them into refugees. 

While the administration complains about Trump and his treatment of his so called European allies, is their conduct any better?

It seems to me that the intentional devastation of an individual’s life, especially one who has committed no criminal offence, is a citizen and who the country in fact may owe a huge debt is not only heinous in the extreme, but also criminal in many aspects.

There is no quick fix for this. The effects will be felt by victim, tormentor and perpetrator for quite some time especially if law is equally applied to the administrative misconduct to date.

The victims continue to fight injustice after injustice and the administration continues its affront, only this time the victims have a clear opportunity to receive just reparation and change society for the better.

Kwami Njoko