IF LOVING ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA IS XENOPHOBIC – SO BE IT!

Yes, I am going to go there!

As time passes, some words change their meaning.

For example, there was a time in my life when it was perfectly OK for me to declare that I was “happy and gay” without people taking a second look at me.

In my opinion, the word xenophobic is one word that has also suffered a similar transformation in its meaning over time.

The word xenophobia comprises two Greek root words:

xenos – meaning stranger, foreigner, guest or outsider, and;

phobos – meaning fear, panic or terror.

The original word simply meant: “fear of strangers or foreigners”.

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with “fearing” a stranger.

If you are a woman living alone and you happen to look out your window at three in the morning and spy the figure of a man lurking outside, would you voluntarily swing your front door wide open and invite him to come in for a drink of water?

By strict definition, it is quite natural, and completely justified for you to be xenophobic for the sake of protecting yourself and your self-interest.

Today the meaning of xenophobia has now expanded beyond just fear to now included “hatred” or “hostility” towards strangers or foreigners.

Mind you, I would never condone automatic “hatred” nor “hostility” against any people.

Nonetheless, we must make the distinction between upright citizens expressing a genuine concern about political manipulation of immigrants to rig the outcome of elections versus unfounded political accusations of xenophobia or hatred of immigrants (the new meaning).

It is beyond obvious, that Antiguans and Barbudans have for decades been far more welcoming to our Caribbean brothers and sisters, than any of the very countries from whence our brothers and sisters have come.

There has never been any history of open hostility against any of our Caribbean brothers and sisters.

For political sycophants to suggest otherwise would be completely disingenuous.

In Antigua and Barbuda today, the use of the word, xenophobia has been weaponized to shame and shutdown any genuine debate to expose the political manipulation of immigration policy that shores up political power.

Surely, no one wants to be known as xenophobic. The word does come with lots of negative baggage today that no decent person is willing to carry.

This issue of the manipulation of immigrants is despicable, exploitative and no different from human trafficking, in my opinion.

What we are witnessing is a willful exploitation of our Caribbean brothers and sisters to maintain the seat of political power.

Taking advantage of our Caribbean brothers’ and sisters’ genuine desire for a better life with deceit and temporary handouts is downright wrong. Unfortunately, for our Caribbean brothers and sisters those handouts will come back to destroy them in the long run.

The manipulation of the immigrant population, to me, is a form of state-sponsored human trafficking.

While on the issue, I just want to opine that I see this whole scheme of “third-country deportees” as a form of state-sponsored human trafficking as well.

Back to my point.

It is shameful that our very government, for its own self-preservation, is willing to alienate and sideline its own indigenous population for the sake of staying in power.

The situation has gone so far that to simply ask for the government to control our borders to protect us from legitimate criminals seeping into our country, is now interpreted as xenophobic by political operatives.

This is the level of self-destruction we have engaged to maintain the status quo.

Even caring for the Antiguan and Barbudan historical and cultural way of life is xenophobic.

Not wanting your citizenship diluted by the fire sale of passports is also seen as xenophobic.

Even our national symbols and flag are under threat of deletion or modification in order to maintain the manipulation of our Caribbean brothers and sisters.

Not agreeing with the ill-informed and unnecessary move to establish Spanish as an official language is also seen as xenophobic.

To simply desire to maintain our own identity as Antiguans and Barbudans and express love for those things that are uniquely Antiguan and Barbudan is now Anathema!

The irony of all this, it that government’s manipulation is setting in motion the conditions that could potentially foment a version of true xenophobia that we would all likely condemn.

It is time for Antiguans and Barbudans to tell this government, that we categorically reject its treasonous manipulation of immigrants through the diminution of our national identity.