I BELIEVE IN Caribbean integration. For me, it is the only way we, as a people with a common language, shared history and family connections, will ever realize our true potential on the world stage in every sphere of activity.
I am even more convinced of this each time I see our athletes perform at international games, for example. Can you imagine the strength of a team made up of the very best from each territory? We would be unstoppable.
In the same manner, can you imagine how forceful we could be in international fora if we spoke as one voice or threw our support behind one candidate for a particular position?
A prime example of this was the manner in which we, as a region, secured the election of Sir George Alleyne as the director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and how we were able to put up a creditable fight for him to become the head of the World Health Organization years later.
These are just two aspects of what we can achieve working together. We can also succeed in attaining greater food security, more efficient use of land resources and capital investment, as well as greater development of our people if regional leaders could see beyond their narrow parochial interests.
But alas, they don’t. That is why there is so much insularity in the region today.
Despite all the talk and money expended through the years from CARIFTA to CARICOM, the regional leaders and their minions are still as insular and selfish in their outlook as those back in 1962 when the fledging West Indies Federation was aborted on the altar of political expediency.
What saddens me is that the two countries who were largely responsible for the break-up of the federal experiment, which grouped ten British Caribbean colonies between 1958 and 1962, are still the greatest opponents to the greater unification of the region.
Back then, Jamaica had a referendum in 1961 and voted to leave it. Trinidad and Tobago’s Premier Eric Williams used his infamous statement “one from ten leaves nought”, which referred to the withdrawal of Jamaica, to justify pulling out Trinidad a short while later, and the whole thing imploded thereafter.
A lot has happened since then with the economies of both these countries. From being the wealthiest of the English speaking territories at that time, Jamaica has declined appreciably since the 1970s and its populace struggles to cope on a day-to-day basis.
Trinidad, though, has prospered and can claim to be the financial capital of the region. Their conglomerates have been gobbling up or amalgamating with businesses in several territories.
So dominant are Trinidad’s businesses that one writer in the New York Times referred to the republic as “an economic tiger in a sea of pussy cats”.
Where am I going with this?
I’m dealing with the messy affair related to REDjet. As a committed regionalist, I am hurt to see this foolishness going on.
Based on what the Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago authorities have said, there seems to be no legitimate reason for them to keep preventing REDjet from flying into their territories. No wonder then that Ian Burns, the chairman and chief executive officer of the airline, has charged that political delays are holding up approval.
I have no remit for REDjet, but I am concerned that Barbados seems to be having its rights denied when this country’s designated carrier is not allowed permission to fly into these two countries, though it has satisfied all of the legitimate regulatory conditions.
Like Burns, I believe that the Trinidadians are behind this delay and are using their leverage over Jamaica with the Caribbean Airlines and Air Jamaica agreement to frustrate REDjet’s efforts.
It is about time a stop is put to this nonsense. Government needs to get involved and talk tough to the Trinis to let them understand there will be consequences for their action.
What I find really amazing about this matter is that the tactics being used in the REDjet situation are similar to those used internationally when low cost airlines first came on the scene about a decade ago.
Yet today, those low cost carriers are flying and so too are the established carriers, which initially had fears of losing business. Even here in Barbados, though WestJet started to fly from Canada and JetBlue from New York, this did not hurt Air Canada, American Airlines or CAL. Rather, it enhanced the numbers of people flying from those destinations.
Clearly, therefore, REDjet should be given the okay to fly. Caribbean people should be allowed to enjoy low-cost fares for travel around the region. It’s about time.
