‘Process to getting diplomatic passport’

THE IMPRESSION should not be given that under the previous Democratic Labour Party administration, obtaining diplomatic passports was a free-for-all, says former Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxine McClean.

She took to calling Starcom Network’s Sunday Brass Tacks

radio programme yesterday as the ongoing issue of who qualifies for the privilege continues to be debated publicly. McClean pointed out that there is a process to applying for the diplomatic passport.

The issue came to light last week after Tonneil Neshan Rashida Rowe, 21, of Kew Road, Tudor Bridge, St Michael, the daughter of Member of Parliament for St Michael North West Neil Rowe, was charged with, among other things, drug smuggling and money laundering after returning to the island on a diplomatic passport on December 30.

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley made passing reference to the diplomatic issue during her live national address on Saturday.

At the time she said: “The other matter of some contention relates to the use of diplomatic passport by someone who has been charged. This matter of diplomatic passport, regrettably, was changed in 2017, and it has been brought to my attention that the broadening of the categories of those who can assume and hold diplomatic passports was done by the previous government in 2017.”

She indicated that the Government intended to restrict the special passports when it came to the family of those conducting business on behalf of Barbados, to the physically and mentally dependent and minors. She instructed the Minister of Home Affairs to bring changes to Cabinet to tighten access.

However, McClean said yesterday: “You can make a glib reference to this revision and try to give the impression of some free-for-all had happened.”

She cited a document from 2018 which informed changes to who could be granted a diplomatic passport, but said it should be made clear that there is a process to obtaining the passport.

“What is the process of application? What is the process of vetting and approval and verification? What has changed since and what obtained prior to this document referred to in January 2018?

“What has changed in terms of category, what has changed, and then we can start to talk because to suggest that somehow a free-for-all was committed don’t make sense . . . . We have to look at the process,” McClean stated, adding that the minister and the head of immigration should answer the questions.

She said there were not a lot of changes made while she held the portfolio under which diplomatic passports fell, and were principally allocated to officials holding high office in Government and diplomatic or consular posts.

In yesterday’s SUNDAY SUN, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kerrie Symmonds said officials such as ministers, permanent secretaries, Members of Parliament and the Senate, as well as the Judiciary who travel abroad to conduct the country’s business in various fora were eligible for diplomatic passports.

“Those officials are also similarly entitled to diplomatic recognition once they are travelling on public and not personal business,” he said, adding the process was managed by the Immigration Department.

Symmonds added that over the years, it became a practice to similarly facilitate the spouses and dependents who reside in the households of Barbadian Government officials. (AC)