Diaspora direction debate
Former advisory board and council members wary of Government control over GJDC
Published:Saturday | February 14, 2026 | 9:23 AMLester Hinds/Gleaner Writer
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The continuing oversight of the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council (GJDC) by the Government has sparked fierce pushback from some members of the Jamaican diaspora in the United States, with a former Diaspora Advisory Board member calling for change....
The continuing oversight of the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council (GJDC) by the Government has sparked fierce pushback from some members of the Jamaican diaspora in the United States, with a former Diaspora Advisory Board member calling for change. At the same time, an outgoing GJDC council member for the Southern region is publicly questioning why the Government retains control over the body.
Former Diaspora Advisory Board member Patrick Beckford is calling for the Jamaican Government to divest itself from serving as chair of the diaspora governance structure.
“The GJDC should not be chaired by a sitting Government minister,” argued Beckford.
“While the body may have originated under ministerial oversight, maturity requires evolution. Government must wean institutions towards independence and diaspora leadership must be allowed to stand on its own feet.”
He said an independent and transparent body should be established to reset and review the current framework, and that he was urging the change in the spirit of progress and credibility.
LEADING FOREIGN EXCHANGE CONTRIBUTOR
“The Jamaican diaspora remains one of the country’s leading foreign exchange contributors and will likely remain so for years to come. Respect that contribution. Respect our voice, respect our autonomy,” said Beckford in a statement.
He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade has overseen the GJDC framework for years, yet meaningful engagement with the wider diaspora remains inconsistent.
Reacting to a recent statement by Alando Terrelonge, state minister in the foreign affairs ministry and chair of the GJDC, Beckford said Terrelonge’s utterances have only reinforced his longstanding concern about the credibility of the council.
Terrelonge, in his statement, had said that the delayed 2025 elections for GJDC council representatives were being held with the ministry’s full support.
He emphasised that Jamaica has long maintained a structured approach to diaspora engagement, supported by a policy framework and a dedicated diaspora affairs department.
“The GJDC and the GJDYC (Global Jamaica Diasporal Youth Council) are core organs accounted for in our National Diaspora Policy,” Terrelonge said. “These formal mechanisms, put in place by the Government, reflect a commitment to harnessing the expertise, resources and valued contributions of the Global Jamaica Diaspora… . The Government will therefore maintain its commitment to a structured, transparent, credible and inclusive approach to diaspora engagement,”
The minister was reacting to a previous call by Beckford for the Government to remove itself from overseeing the diaspora council elections, for which voting is currently taking place and which is set to end on February 20.
Beckford pointed to a recent newspaper article cautioning the state minister that, as Jamaica rebuilds from Hurricane Melissa, now was not the time to adopt a combative posture towards the diaspora.
He said that those who offer critique – sometimes candidly – have nonetheless worked tirelessly to ensure relief and resources reach Jamaica.
Beckford is not alone in questioning the Government’s role on the GJDC.
Peter Greacey, outgoing GJDC member for the US Southern region, in the closing days of his three-year term, said that if the diaspora does not lead itself it will always be led.
“I have given three years of my life serving as the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council member for the Southern region unpaid, unfiltered and with one goal – to serve Jamaicans in the diaspora,” he said, noting that his efforts were not about party politics but instead about building structure.
“The Global Jamaica Diaspora Council is a powerful institution but we cannot call ourselves a diaspora council while being chaired from Jamaica,” he said.
He questioned how any body meant to represent Jamaicans living abroad could be structurally dependent on the same Government it is supposed to advise.
“That right there is backwards. True representation must be independent. If we are to advise the Government of Jamaica, then we must stand separate from it. We must build our structure, our voice. The Government must be able to consult us not the other way around,” he said.
Greacey’s comments were contained in a post he made on social media platform Facebook yesterday.
He said he would not represent on the GJDC again if it maintains its current structure, and warned of the danger of politics creeping into the institution.
He called for the council to be independent, clear, and respectful.
“We can lead from the diaspora. We don’t need political dependency to volunteer. What we need is unity with structure. Build the council first. Organise representation properly,” he said in his social media post.