The British High Commissioner to Jamaica has dismissed a £7 billion claim for reparations.

Jamaica’s government announced it was filing a petition seeking compensation from Britain for its role in the transatlantic slave trade. But the idea has been dismissed by the current British High Commissioner to Jamaica.

Speaking to the Jamaica Gleaner, Asif Ahmad said: “When it comes to this direct request for reparations from government to government, the reason why it will not prosper is because who do we pay it to?

“The people who were harmed directly are no longer here.” Mr Ahmad said to date, the UK government has only paid compensation to living people and used the Windrush Compensation Scheme as an example.

He explained the only reason the scheme has been extended to grandchildren and children is because “they have been directly affected by the loss of a family member”.

Despite describing the impact of slavery in the Caribbean as “unforgivable” he said the claim for reparations is not viable because there is no clear strategy about who will be the recipients of the compensation and who will pay it.

He said: “Opinion is even divided within Jamaica, as to whether it is a good idea to pay it and if it was paid, who will it be paid to? “The other question is, who will it be paid by?”

He reiterated the atrocities of slavery, had been recognised by previous UK prime minister’s and said “there is deep sorrow and regret for what transpired” –but insisted direct financial reparations were not the way forward.

Opinion is even divided within Jamaica, as to whether it is a good idea to pay it and if it was paid, who will it be paid to..?

Instead, he called for better education and understanding about the history of slavery to ensure what happened is never forgotten. He said: “When Emancipation Day comes and when we hear these stories being retold these are important lessons to learn.

“We need to do a lot more in our education system.”

Mr Ahmad proposed better development and assistance for countries in the Caribbean.

He said: “I think the right way, is to look at other ways in which we can help countries like Jamaica, who have a big development agenda. This is not instead of reparations, it is simply recognising countries like Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean require that extra assistance.”

Mr Ahmad also urged private sector business to give back if they can.

Jamaican government hopeful

Earlier this month, Jamaica’s government revealed they were seeking reparations and were hopeful their claim would be successful.

Speaking to Reuters, Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, Jamaica’s minister for Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, said: “We are hoping for reparatory justice in all forms that one would expect if they are to really ensure that we get justice from injustices to repair the damages that our ancestors experienced”

Ms Grange highlighted the historical context of slavery and said: “Our African ancestors were forcibly removed from their home and suffered unparalleled atrocities in Africa to carry out forced labour to the benefit of the British Empire,” she added. “Redress is well overdue.”

Ms Grange said the petition would be presented to the Queen and the UK government.

This is not the first time Jamaica has attempted to seek reparations from Britain. Jamaica’s first female prime minister, Portia Simpson Miller, raised the issue of reparations in 2013 at the United Nations. Then in 2015, Ms Simpson Miller raised the issue at a meeting with then-British prime minister David Cameron, during his first official visit to Jamaica.

At the time, Cameron had announced a controversial plan to build a £25m prison in Jamaica to house around 300 Jamaican nationals who were serving sentences in the UK. The former Conservative leader said he did not think apologies or reparations were the correct approach.

In 1962, Jamaica became independent from the UK. The vibrant and influential Caribbean nation remains in the Commonwealth and like many Caribbean islands, has kept the Queen as its head of state. Ms Simpson Miller had vowed to make Jamaica a Republic during her time as prime minister and said the island could only ever be truly independent if it severs ties with Britain.

Last year, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) renewed its calls for reparations after previous attempts were “not listened to” according to some key reparations activists. They have launched the CARICOM Reparations Commission (CRC) to take action for crimes against humanity of native genocide, the transatlantic slave trade and a racialised system of chattel slavery.

The commission has set up a 10 point reparations plan, which includes a formal apology, repatriation, an indigenous people’s development program, an African knowledge program and debt cancellation.

CARICOM is made up of 15 countries in the Caribbean, including, Jamaica, Bahamas, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. Caribbean leaders have stated reparations are needed to help reverse inequalities across the region.

The latest dismissal of reparations comes as no surprise to prominent activists.

Activists still not convinced

Sis Esther Stanford-Xosei is the Official Spokesperson for the Afrikan Emancipation Day March Committee, who have been organising an annual reparations march in London since 2014.

Speaking exclusively to The Voice, she said: “The High Commissioner’s comments are not surprising, they were predicted by myself and others that I work with. The British government are bound to respond in that way because they are not taking the claim of CARICOM states seriously. The Caribbean states lack power in the international area to be able to enforce their will.”

Ms Stanford-Xosei told The Voice, the latest move from Jamaica shows there is a lack of unity amongst Caribbean nations and feeds into the narrative of “divide and rule”.

She said: “We don’t have a united CARICOM, if we did, this initiative would be coming from CARICOM as a collective rather than a single member state. It reveals the powerlessness of CARICOM and their inability to deliver any reparations settlement for our people.”

Ms Stanford-Xosei said some key issues need to be addressed before the fight for reparations continued. She said: “We need to see a united fight for reparations that is the only way it will succeed.”

She also urged Caribbean leaders to have a better understanding of grassroots reparations movements to ensure their strategy has a better chance of success.

The Voice approached HM Treasury for comment and an FCDO spokesperson said:

“There is no disputing the horrors of what occurred during the slave trade and the colonial period. While we acknowledge that the wounds run very deep, we believe that the most effective way for the UK today to respond to the cruelty of the past is to ensure that current and future generations do not forget what happened, and to address modern day slavery and racism.’