This weekend’s arrivals of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community have to do primarily with the Second CARICOM-Mexico Summit that gets under way Sunday, hosted by Prime Minister Freundel Stuart.
But beyond the work agenda for the two-day summit, which will further underscore the importance of structured relations as ceremonially inaugurated in February 2010 in Mexico, indications are that the opportunity would be taken by CARICOM leaders to focus on some regional concerns – among them, air transportation and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).
In the case of the CCJ with just three member countries – Barbados, Guyana and Belize – accessing it as their final court with both original and appellate jurisdiction, the discussion is expected to revolve around the recent announcement by Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to initially restrict the regional court’s appellate jurisdiction to criminal matters.
Her government’s express intention is to delay scuttling Trinidad and Tobago’s link with Britain’s Privy Council until it has arrangements for full access to the CCJ’s appellate jurisdiction on all matters.
However, since this or two-stage approach is fundamentally at odds with the letter and spirit of the accord signed by CARICOM Heads of Government for the creation, funding and operation of the CCJ, Trinidad seems to recognize an obligation to explain the rationale.
It is significant that the Trinidadian prime minister chose to first visit Belize for a meeting with Prime Minister Dean Barrow whose government made possible just last year that country’s official access to the CCJ.
However, she may have quite a hard row to hoe in securing sufficient endorsement among her colleagues.
And in sharp contrast to Trinidad’s dilemma, Jamaica has already announced plans to abolish appeals to the Privy Council by year-end and move on to full access to the CCJ hopefully during 2013.
Current concerns over continuing financial problems arising from Trinidad’s Caribbean Airlines (CAL) competing with LIAT for intraregional routes, with negative impact on both, is also expected to be discussed before the leaders leave Barbados on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Stuart, who will be hosting a regional summit for the first time, had, like some of his CARICOM counterparts, informally met with President Felipe Calderon during the recent Sixth Summit of the Americas in Colombia.
• Rickey Singh is a noted Caribbean journalist. Email [email protected]
