I write with utter disgust at my detention by Guadeloupe immigration officers on my visit to Guadeloupe last Thursday 6 September. While I am a strong advocate of a closer relationship with Guadeloupe and Martinique, that relationship must be based on mutual respect, and it has become quite clear that the entry regime for Dominicans to Guadeloupe and Martinique is not normal and is in fact disrespectful. I am thus calling for an immediate review of this regime.
Travel and interaction between neighbours is a natural phenomenon, which should be encouraged. Indeed, the vast majority of the civilized world has facilitated interaction with their neighbours. We in Dominica have always cherished our Creole neighbours with whom we share a common lineage and heritage.
In time of distress, like in the eruption of Mount Pele or Hitler's invasion of France in WWII, we extended our hospitality to accommodate those seeking shelter in our land. Indeed, there are many Dominicans on our island today whose parents came to Dominica after the eruption of Mount Pele or during WWII. Pierre Charles, our decease Prime Minister, grandfather came from Martinique after the Mount Pele eruption. Affie Martin, former Dominican Minister of Agriculture, has similar Martiniquean roots. Francis Bique, a resident in my town of Portsmouth, came from Vieux Habitant during WWII. The list is long. In fact, 90% of the residents of Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Martinique came from Africa on slave ships, and the practice of splitting families to different islands would reveal an intermingling of our DNA on all three islands. Many Douglases on Marie Galant, roots are in Penville, Dominica. Our Prime Minister's mother lives in Guadeloupe.
The requirement to have a Certificat d'Hebergement or advanced hotel booking is just not normal or practical. In my case, the decision to go to Guadeloupe was made the day before I traveled so it was just not possible to ask visitors to go through this cumbersome process each time. In the mean time Guadeloupe and Martinique citizens enter Dominica on any official document without all these unfriendly hassles. Do non-EU citizens sandwiched or on the border with France subject to this requirement?
We must turn a new page and treat each other with respect befitting brothers and sisters with fraternal ties.
Sincerely,Adenauer DOUGLAS
